School: Bennekerry, Carlow

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1. Festival Customs (continued)

   

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   bush, another collects the money, and the rest sing. The song is: "The wren, the wren, the King of all birds, St. Stephen's Day, she was caught in the firs Although she is little, her family is great. Rise up, landlady and give us a treat"

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2. Festival Customs

   

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   There are several festival days during the year. St. Stephen's Day is one of those days. Hunting the wren is the custom on this day. As a rule, the wren boys dress in all sorts of queet costumes and provide a toy bird to represent the wren. They visit each house in the district, make a collection to bury the wren. They usually sing a few lines of an old song

   The wren, the wren the king of all birds
   St. Stephen's Day was caught in the firs,
   Up with the kettle, down with the pan,
   Give me a penny to bury the wren"

   Sometimes a lot of young fellows have a car, and take fiddles and melodeons and travel a long distance. They sing and dance at gentlemen's houses and gather

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

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