School: Gortloney (roll number 11978)
- Location:
- Gortloney, Co. Meath
- Teacher: Eoghan de Buitléir
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0716, Page 236
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- (continued from previous page)Up with the kettle and down with the pan,
Give me some money to bury the wren".On Shrove Tuesday the women make pancakes for the tea.On Easter Saturday people go around gathering eggs for Easter Sunday.On St. John's Eve the boys make bonfires at crossroads and they gather sticks and turf and light a big fire. There is also an old legend connected with St. John's Eve as follows, it is said that the ferns are supposed to shed their seed on that night the person who catches it before it reaches the ground and puts it between two pewter plates and puts it under his head for three nights in succession he will dream of hidden treasure.
The person who does it must be very brave and strong so they have to suffer a lot and keep the secret, if they tell what is wrong with them the spell is broken. Some years ago a poor man tried to do it, the second night he moaned so much that his people sent for the doctor when the doctor was examining him he knocked the plates from under his head the seed was spilled on the floor and that ended his dream of wealth.
- Collector
- Kathleen Hill
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Milltown, Co. Meath
