School: Drakestown, Ardee (roll number 1554)
- Location:
- Drakestown, Co. Louth
- Teacher: Michael Ó Flynn
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0668, Page 332
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- XML School: Drakestown, Ardee
- XML Page 332
- XML “Old Patron Day”
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- The 25th November is the feast of St. Catherine and the patron day of Ballapousta. The patron day was always held in Kilpatrick in former times since probably before the advent of Ballapousta.A station was held there. All the local people went to confession and Communion and the clergy spent the day there. The mass cross and some of the vestments are there still. Later mass was celebrated on that day but the confessions were held in the church. This was the custom up till the late eighties or early nineties (my daddy often served the mass) Now the patron day may be classed as folklore. St. Catherine's church when first built was a (would be called Crade(?) now) structure of one aisle, thatched, with an earthen floor, I'm not sure if there was a door, as the local hens would be in scraping there and kids of that time would get kneeling where a hen was scraping. (My daddy knew one of these kids when he was an old man. His name was James Johnston. Later when the church was renovated they still had no pews for a long time with the exception of the ones on the galleries. These were sold by auction and it turned out so well that Ardee followed suit. (Their names on brass plates are to be seen on the Ardee ones still) The furnishing in this church at present is the work of a local craftsman. The wood most of it is of local orgin, both oak and(continues on next page)
