School: Carhurley
- Location:
- Caherhurly, Co. Clare
- Teacher: Nóra Uí Nuanáin
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0591, Page 253
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- XML “Bealtaine Eve”
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- The fairies or "good people" are supposed to be very busy on that eve.
The cattle are usually sprinkled with Easter water as an antidote against them On May morning, young maidens got up before sunrise and washed their faces in the dew as a preventative against freckles during the coming summer. Others looked for "dructeens" in the grass to discover the complexion of their future husbands the first found being the lucky one. The May bough is still displayed from many houses.
Only the two first customs are still observed.
Of the four great festivals kept in Pagan Ireland May-Day was the most remarkable. As fairies and witches were believed to have great power at this season, children, cattle, milk, butter, to which they appeared to have a special propensity, had to be specially shielded from their influence. Fire was an element over which the fairies had no power, the custom arose of placing a spent coal under the cradle, another under the churn, for if milk or butter were(continues on next page)
