School: Emmill, Cloughjordan
- Location:
- Emmel, Co. Offaly
- Teacher: Bean Uí Dhomhnalláin
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0818, Page 060
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- XML School: Emmill, Cloughjordan
- XML Page 060
- XML “Festival Customs”
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- There are not many customs left around this district, but there are some, as follows. On St Stephen's day, the girls and boys dress up in old clothes and masks called eyefiddles. They go around to the houses of the people either walking or cycling and they gather money.
They say at the houses, the wren, the wren, the king of all birds, on St Stephen's day was caught in the furze, up with the kettle and down with the pan will you give us a penny to bury the wren. The usual money is given is from two pence to six-pence and sometimes they get a shilling. Some people sing at the houses and others play a mouth-organ or a melodeon and sometimes they dance. After they divide the money between themselves. St Stephen's day is on the twenty-sixth of December.
On Shrove Tuesday everybody makes pancakes. When they are made we put sugar and lemon on them and roll them up. On the first of May the people of every house makes a May bush in the form of a cross. They put it up over the door on the roof. The May bush is made of a branch of blackthorn with bunches of wild flowers(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Vera Casey
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Island, Co. Offaly
