School: Derrylane
- Location:
- Derrylane, Co. Cavan
- Teacher: Mabel Lougheed
![The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0982, Page 039](https://doras.gaois.ie/cbes/CBES_0982%2FCBES_0982_039.jpg?width=1600&quality=85)
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0982, Page 039
Image and data © National Folklore Collection, UCD.
See copyright details.
DownloadOpen data
Available under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
- XML School: Derrylane
- XML Page 039
- XML “St Stephen's Day”
Note: We will soon deprecate our XML Application Programming Interface and a new, comprehensive JSON API will be made available. Keep an eye on our website for further details.
On this page
- There is a lot of sports on St. Stephen's day. The Wren Boys go out dressed very untidily six or seven in each batch or crowd. They wear false faces and old clothes. They come singing and dancing to the houses. Some of them say "The wren the wren the king of all birds",
"St Stephen's day was got in the furze",
"Although he is small",
"His family is great",
"I hope your honour will give me a treat".
or
"Up with the kettle and down with the pan",
"Threehalfpence to bury the wren".
The others play a musical instrument and when they get a few pence they go off very pleased. They divide it among them and buy cigarettes. There is always a large hunt on St Stephen's Day. The men go out with dogs and hounds from morning until nearly dark. They go across the country hunting. Some people who do(continues on next page)- Collector
- John Harkness
- Gender
- Male
- Address
- Drumbullion, Co. Cavan