School: Crosskeys
- Location:
- Cross Keys, Co. Cavan
- Teacher: Thomas Greene
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0977, Page 265
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- XML “Festival Customs”
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- (continued from previous page)In this locality many are the customs that are still like with the subject of this paragraph. Most boys and even young men go around with the wren. Sometimes they dress up in a girl's outfit so that the people would not recognize them. They bring mouth organs and violins with them or sometimes they sing the following sing
"The wren, the wren the king of all birds
St. Stephen's day she was caught in the furze
Up with the kettle and down with the pan
If we do not get money we will bury the wren."
these "wren boys" as they are called receive small tokens in every house. As the sum is nigh its setting they return to some nearby village. They count their gathering there and they divide it equally among themselves. From there they go to some dance hall and they spent the night there trying to amuse themselves and others(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Norrie Maguire
- Gender
- Male
