School: Carlanstown (roll number 884)
- Location:
- Carlanstown, Co. Meath
- Teacher: Séamus Ó Gérbheannaigh
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0708, Page 020
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- XML “Halloween Customs”
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- The children in this locality "duck" for apples on Hallowe'en night. They all kneel round a tub of water in which a few apples are sailing and try to catch one in their mouths which is almost impossible to do and causes great merriment. But, this game is played almost everywhere throughout the country. They also burn nuts. The woman of the house generally makes colcannon, which consists of mashed potatoes wetted with new milk and eaten with butter. A ring is put in the pot after the potatoes are mixed and whoever gets it will be the first to marry.
Naughty boys take a huge delight in taking down gates, doors, etc, and exchanging people's cows, horses and other domestic animals. They sometimes tie doors and hang old kettles, buckets and things like that to the latches. Also, they often fasten old tins to donkey's tails, shafts of carts etc. which they find parked outside shop doors, pubs and such places. If the night changes to be dark they might stretch a length of twine or string across the road to give some unsuspecting way-farer a nasty fright.
But most of these old customs, tricks etc are beginning to die away. The Irish people are becoming somewhat staid in their manner and losing their sense of humour lately I imagine. Still they like to go to the pictures and admire Garbo and her sister stars, or spend the evening listening to the radio or playing a game of cards.