Local Marriage CustomsMarriage mostly takes place during Shrove in my district and also in the surrounding districts. May is the month during which it is considered unlucky to marry. Wednesday, Monday and Friday are days which are also thought unlucky to marry.Matches are not so frequently made locally now. Money is some times given as dowry. Stock and goods are also given with the dowry. Long ago strawboys did visit the houses, but this custom has now completely died out. Marriage also took place in the houses in olden times.

In this district marriages take place during all parts of the year. About fifty years ago marriages usually took place on Shrove Tuesday. People still remember eight or nine marriages taking place on Shrove Tuesday. There is a belief in this locality that it is unlucky to get married either on Mondays or Fridays or during the month of May. There is an old saying in this locality still. "Marry in may, and you shall rue the day.'
Matches are still made in this district. The relatives of the parties assemble in some house and after some conversation when both parties are satisfied the marriage day is fixed upon. At the present day money is given as dowry, but sixty years ago stock was the dowry that was usually given.
Up to Twenty years ago marriages were sometimes held in the houses. Weddings are still held but the custom is dying out, day by day. Wedding processions are still kept up. After the marriage has taken place the guests assemble in the bride's home and they have

given by one of the parties, usually the girl gives the dowry, and the man must have a farm or furniture or goods to the value of the dowry. When a farmer wishes to settle one of his family in life, he asks another man called a go-between to find a suitable partner for his son or daughter. The "go-between" must find out all particulars regarding money or stock which the proposed in law has for his son or daughter. Then both parties meet, usually at the girls house and if they are both satisfied with each other and with the terms, the match is made and the marriage is arranged.
On the morning of the wedding the bridegroom is first present in the church. After the marriage ceremony as the newly-married couple leave the church their friends throw rice and old shoes after them for good luck. The wedding feast is usually held in the home of the bride. If the marriage is early in the morning the remainder of the day is spent driving "around" and an all-night dance is held.
In former times the "straw-boys"

In Ireland more than in any country there are many customs connected with marriage. Marriages usually take place during Shrove. Monday and Friday are considered unlucky days on which to get married, people do not usually get married during Lent and Advent and the months of May and August. During Shrove people do an amount of matchmaking between the marrigeable boys and girls in the district and on Shrove Tuesday night the unmarried people are supposed to be taken to Schlig and imprisoned on the Island. A long poem is made up known as the "Scallig List" in which all their names are mentioned. The matchmaking usually precedes every marriage in this country. The guardians of both parties meet in one of the houses and make arrangements as to the dowry. This is usually pleasant but sometimes it is the cause of quarrelling. Money is usually given as dowry but not very long ago it was customary to give

Shrove is the popular time for marriages in this district. A couple who go away on the honey moon, always make it a point, to be back again before Shrove expires. Cattle were often given as part payment for dowry. Straw boys used to come uninvited to the wedding, and as a rule got good reception. A month after her marriage the bride would visit her own people. This was called the "Hauling House", and another big feast would be given. It used to be the custom in this parish for the bride and bridegroom to ride home on a horse, the bride sitting behind the groom on a pillion. Women folk drove in common carts to the wedding, and most of the men rode on horse back. It was a common event for the men on horse-back, and those in cars to race from the bride's house to the church. The bride in the last car, went home in the first with the groom. As she left the church, rice, and sometimes maize meal was showered on her for luck. If a sweep happened to be in the locality, he was always invited for luck. The bride and bridegroom never remained in the same house, on the night before the wedding. Half the dowry was only paid at first, the remainder after twelve months in case one or other of the parties may die during the year. An old shoe, or boot, would be tied on the bride's car, or thrown after it for luck, as the bride set out for the church.

and agree to accept each other.
In this locality money is given as a dowry and cattle are also sometimes given but goods are never as a dowry in this locality. When a person is going to get married and go to live to a new home the friends of that person walk the land and examine it to see if it is good or bad land or whether it is suitable for growing crops or not.
The people of this district do not remember marriages taking place in the houses but they say that it was done very long ago in this locality. There are many customs connected with the morning of the wedding day. It is an old custom to tie a shoe on to the car which is going to take them to the Church on the wedding morning. While the pair are getting married it is a custom for the man who is getting married to take a silver coin and a marriage ring from his pocket and give them to the girl. The silver coin and

Local Marriages
I got this information from Mrs. g g O'Sullivan, Ardfert, Co. Kerry.
The time usually set apart in Ireland for matchmaking is Shrovetide. It is believed in my district that Tuesdays and Saturdays are lucky days for marriages. The friends of the pair who intended to get married met and after a long discussion, and many drinks, the match was made and the wedding day arranged and the dowry fixed. The dowry depended on the size of the farm. Both parties' friends were invited to the wedding. On the wedding day all come to the church with the bride and bridegroom. The bride and bridegroom used sit in two different cars going to the church. Sometimes there were up to twenty cars in the drag, and an old shoe was usually thrown after the car in which the bride was. When the marriage ceremony was over all went for a drive and then returned to the bride's house where a dance, which lasted intil morning, was held.

Matches are still made in this district though the custom is not as common as in years gone by. It is only carried out among the farming community. This is a matter of common sense or business rather than keeping up an old custom.
The bride generally brings in a dowry of a few hundred pounds to get her "into the place". If the bridegroom has an unmarried sister who has no fortune of her own the dowry is often given to her to "put her out" or get "her into a good place". It is sometimes given to the bridegroom's parents who hand the farm over to him. If the bride happens to inherit a farm it is the bridegroom who brings in the money. This arrangement seems a matter of necessity and convenience. In years gone by it seem to have been carried on in a barbarous fashion, all the arrangements being made by the parents. The people concerned had very little say in the matter. and often scarcely knew each other. That has all changed now. The young

dinner followed by an all-night dance. There is also a large iced cake on the table. This is cut by the bride after the marriage, and it is called the bride cake. It is distributed amongst the guests and a favourite custom with young people is to put a piece of the cake under their pillow at night and who ever they dream about they will be sure to marry.
Another custom as regard marriage is match-making. If a man wants to get married, some friend or neighbour will introduce to him a girl who has a fortune or dowry to get from her parents. The next step is that the parents are consulted and they will supply the fortune according to the man's means. If he has a large farm he will expect a big dowry, and if he has a

Most marriages among the farming community are “ made matches “
The subject is usually approached at the local fair or market, or sometimes an “ account “ is sent by the father of the young man to the home of the prospective bride. A neighbour is usually selected to go on this errand. If the girls family are willing to go on with the “ match “ the parties appoint a time and place at which to meet. Money is invariably given as a dowry and there is often some hard bargaining.
If the parties agree on the “ fortune “ ( this is the local name for the dowry ) the next step is “ going to see the land “. This means that the father of the would - be bride and a few of his neighbours pay

the dowry the man has recieved. He gives them a paper to take into the presbytery to give to the Bishop. They pay a shilling in the pound to the Bishop of the dowry the Parish Priest has received They receive a paper in return giving them permission to get married.
They then prepare for the wedding. The girl gives the order for the wedding breakfast, and also for the wedding cake. She also has to buy provisions for the wedding day: ham, mutton, sweetcake, wiskeym wine, lemonade, and biscuits, ect.
Some people get married in a place far away from home. Others get married in the morning with Nuptial Mass and Nuptial blessing, and more get married

the dowry was settled. In most Irish districts there was a professional matchmaker who earned his living by matchmaking. The marriage was arranged often without consulting the boy or girl according to the riches of the riches of the parents or the proximity of their lands. The night the match was arranged there was a great feasting in the girl's house and the dowry was settled. There would often be great arguments about one cow or an acre of land, and many matches were broken in that way, in spite of the efforts of the matchmaker whose pay depended upon the agreement of the parties. In addition to her fortune, the girl got a chest of linen and a feather bed from her parents. The matchmaker's pay depended on the size of the girl's fortune so he was always anxious to make matches between well to do people. In Connemara there is still a remnant of this custom. A third is engaged to go with the proposer to the girls house and he acts as go between. A "turn of puiteen" is made in the girl's house the night before the marriage. The couple go the chapel either on horseback or sidecars according to their wealth or poverty. After the wedding

for. They make sure of it when they walk the land. They make sure their standing in the countryside will not suffer. On the side of the family receiving the fortune, too, interests were served. The girl's dowry comes to them to be used for their own purposes. With it they are assured a competent "new woman" as they call the new wife and daughter-in-law. She is trained to their position in life, and to their own habits and sentiments. Girl and dowry are a fair exchange for prestige and alliance.
And these are not the only values at stake. The fortune in the match is woven into the internal necessities of farm family life.
In the "writings" the father of the groom makes over the farm etc. to his son. He also makes provision for his maintenance and that of his wife. He usually preserves the right to the "grass of a cow",

Mass on Sundays, groups of old 'gossips ' could be seen chattering outside the Church grounds , and each would be suggesting what would be a suitable match for such a person, and saying that it would be time for some other person to get married now.
In some houses where there was a young boy or girl to get married , some friend of the house generally a man friend was sent with a "sgéala" to another house where there was another boy or girl of marriageable age. This man carried a bottle of whiskey with him and it was drunk in the house where the match was being made.
This man would be prepared to tell bow much money , or land , or stock would be given ' with the girl or boy for whom he was arranging the match , and he would fine out how much of a dowry would be given by the other party. Often and often the match would not be finished , owing to the fact that another goat, or sheep should be added to the dowry of either party , and if the

Many marriages take place in this district on Shrove Tuesday. The old people believed that anyone who got married on Shrove Tuesday would be very lucky and would have a large family. They also got married then because lent was approaching Saturday and was supposed to be a very unlucky day to get married. They also had a belief that the month of May was a very unlucky month in which to contract marriage.
There was no marriage matches made in this district Stock and beautiful jewels were given to the bride as a dowry. Some-times money was presented to the bride as a dowry.
My grand-father remembers marriages taking place in the house. They took place about sixty years-ago. Many customs were observed on the wedding day. The wedding

Marriages usually take place immediately before Lent and immediately after. When people are getting married they seldom get married in the month of May, as it is considered an unlucky month in which to get married.
People are given money as dowry when they are getting married. Stock is very seldom given as dowry. Long ago marriages took place in the houses. It is years ago since this happened.
If a dressmaker, when fitting on a garment, pins the new garment to the under-garment, it is said that the person will not be married that year.

The marriage used to take place during Shrove. Shrove Tuesday was the last day for getting married until Lent was over.
The bride would get a dowry when getting married.The dowry consisted of money, land, or stock.
The bride would ride on horseback

Long ago marriages took place more frequently before Lent than at any other time in the year. According to local tradition people considered it very unlucky to get married during the month of May. They also considered Saturday the most unlucky day of the week. It was the custom in this locality for a man and girl to meet in what was then known as "the runaway fair of Ballymahon" when they were about to get married. The fair was usually held in Shrove week.
Matches are more frequently made nowadays then they were at that time. It was the custom at that time to give stock and goods as a dowry when the match was made. Money is always given as a dowry nowadays.

until they got tired. Then they jumped into to cars and raced off for the mans house.
Old people said they remembered marriages to take place in the houses. The wedding breakfast was held in the house and that night there was a dance held. During the dance the strawboys used to come. They used to say nothing only dance and look around them. The people were always very glad to see them because they counted they counted them lucky. Money was sometimes given as a dowry. Sometimes cattle and sheep or farms of land were given as dowry. The strawboys used to wear tall straw hats

We have lots of weddings around our district. Usually when weddings occur the couple gets many presents. Sometimes the girls father gives her a dowry or fortune according to what he can afford. Stock is never given as dowry now in Balbriggan. Marriages generally take place here before Lent.
The bride usually wears a white wedding frock and the men wear flowers in their coats. Often the marriage people wait for hem out side the Church and throw con-fetti at the bride and bridegroom. Then they are driven home in a motor car.
Their friends usually prepare a feast for them. A great number of people are invited to the wedding breakfast. Many of them sing and the young girls dance. The wedding lasts until one or two o clock in the morning. They sing and dance to their heart’s delight.