tea, or use butter or eggs on the black fast days.St Swithen's Day: This feast falls on the 1st June. It is said that if it rains on this day it will rain on the following forty days.St Michaels' Day: A sheep is killed in honour of this feast. A goose is killed sometimes instead of a sheep.All Soul's Day : All of the neighbourhood come to the Church on All Soul's Day and on All Saint's Day. They make "visits" for the souls in Purgatory. They go into the Church and

localiy built a hut in the lonely bog to conceal hime where they generally brought foot to him but to their sorrow one morning they found him dead with his face resting on the Mass Book so that ended his carreer. About twenty years ago when the People of the district were repairing the river they found his boot. They were as sound as the day they were made. The good girl that his life was known to all of us now living. She was the Mother of Lord Bishop Connay of Ballina Deceased his ancestor to Dr. Naughton at the Present day. He, Father Cowley, blessed her and said she would rear a son that would surprise Co. Sligo and so she did after Bishop Conmy's ordination to the Priest hood he preached in the Ballina Cathedral and Bishop Convy said his tongue was made of silver and you shall succeed me and so he did as they are all gone now to Eternity. May their souls Rest In Peace.

This prayer was told to me by my mother, she told me it is said in the prayer the time to say it. It is as follows -Twas on good Friday morning a day before noon, to pierce our poor Saviour through the Heart our Blessed Mother standing by a heavy sign and a morn for cry, anybody who says this prayer three time by night. Three times by day shall never die with a mortal sin upon their souls or the flames of hell shall never enter in.

Stories are often told around the fire on a Winter's night some of which are Religious stories. A long time ago there lived a poor boy who lost his parents and he was taken into the house of his aunt. She treated him very cruelly and made him go barefoot. it happened one day that he found a coin, I do not know of what value it was, but it seemed to him that he had hit on a treasure. He always wondered how he would spend it. His pitiable condition suggested to him many ways of spending it. After thinking the matter over for a long time, he made up his mind to give the coin to a priest, as an alms for celebrating Mass for the holy souls in Purgatory. From that day on his fortune was changed, for he was taken into the house of another aunt who treated him as a her own child, clothed him and sent him to school. He afterwards became a great priest.

the night there. In some houses in the morning many footprints clearly defined can be traced on the ashes. If the footprints face inward they denote the coming arrival of an additional member to the family, but if inclined towards the doorway they herald the coming death of some of the members of the household. This is a fact as it happened in the house of my grandfather. On this night some people have a dream, a vision of all the chief events in their career in the succeeding twelve months. Only persons who pray continually on behalf of the "Holy Souls" have this privilege.
The twelve day of Christmas are spent in feasting and merry-making. On the "Twelvth Day" or as it is known, "Little Christmas Day" there is another period of feasting and rejoicing similar to that of Christmas Day and Christmas Eve, but on this occcasion the number of dainties is diminished by half to distinquish the greatness between the two Festivals. On the Trelvth Night" the people of this district light twelve candles in honour of the Twelve Apostles, and while they are burning they kneel down and recite the Rosary.
St. Stepheh's Day is a very enjoyable day for the youth of Boyle. Boys and men often dress up in old rags decorated

generally supposed to be effective in bringing the cream from a neighbour. Stories, of which the following is a type, are common - A man was going reaping corn one morning early, not something like a large leather football rolling on the road towards him at a place called Drom Buidhe in this parish. He struck at it with his reaping hook, and out flowed the cream which it was conveying along in this magic manner. The summer is still brought in on May morning. This means bringing in and placing over doors and windows some branches of green chiefly that of the Sycamore or "Summer" tree as it is sometimes called. Bands of young men singing the song, "Thugamar feín an Samhradh linn," no longer travel round as was done some 80 years ago.Hearing the cuckoo for the first time in the right ear is beleived to be a lucky omen. In the left ear bad luck will follow, but if "in the poll" dire misfortune. I should have mentioned that May Day is also called "nettlesome or nettlemas Day." Youngsters find great amusement in beating one another with nettles, sometimes dangerously so. The custom of creating humorous situations by making fools of all we meet with, is practised on the 1st of April - Fools' Day, by young and old. On St John's Eve June 22nd bonfires are lighted. Lighting bushes are thrown into each field containing crops. On the Eve of All Souls - Nov. 1st, there is a belief that the poor holy souls are wandering freely, but candles

St. Patrick's Day.St. Patrick's Day has lost some of its glamour since the State ordained that public houses must remain closed on 17th March. Previous to the passing of this enactment many thirsty souls went for their Patrick's Pot (of stout) but now the feast is kept in more reverential manner. Shamrock is worn by old and young and the latter display emblems, sometimes, including miniature harps and badges.
Confusion reigns in some minds as to the difference between shamrock and clover. All who have friends in foreign lands send them some of the national emblem.St. Bridget's Day.
On the eve of this feast the "Breedoges" collect and visit houses. Most are in disguise and boys dress as girls and vice-versa. The groups includes a musician who plays on

funeral was to travel. Few of the men and women with whom I discussed wake customs ever heard of such a procedure but many of them noticed that the corpse was often turned differently to the person's usual way of sleeping. (Mrs Denis Sheehan heard THAT, "ever and always", during the last forty years and her mother who died in 1916 at the age of seventy always said it)
4
One often heard after a funeral that the deceased "would be drawing the water". The statement is made when the deceased was the last to be interred in the graveyard that day. The common belief was that the last person buried on any day would be required to draw water to the suffering souls in Purgatory and that his duties ceased only when the next burial took place in that graveyard. The new "soul" then took up the duty. Hence, when two funerals were to take place to the same burying ground on the one day the deceaseds' relatives were always anxious to get their first. The friends, when the first burial had taken place, would say, "Well, he wasn't long drawing the water" meaning, that when the second funeral did come and when the burial took place this second person (or spirit) had the wearisome duty imposed on him.

St. Martin's day :- St. Martin's day is November 11th. We kill a cock in honour of St. Martin and sprinkle the blood and hang the cock behind the door.November:- November is called the foggy month. St. Martin's day is November 11th. It is not a holiday. November is called the month of the puca, he comes on the sloes. November is dedicated to the poor souls.Little Christmas day:- Little Christmas day is also called small Christmas. It is the last day of Christmas. It is gone at twelve o' clock that night. It goes in a big sheet.Christmas Day:- Our Lord was born on that day. We all have a great dinner that day. It occurs on December 25th. All the

Shrove Tuesday is kept by making pancakes and a ring is put in one of the pancakes and it is said whoever gets the ring will be married first.
We get ashes on Ash Wednesday. Sts Peter and Pauls Day we light a bon-fire. On All Souls Day we eat colcannon.

said that all Souls walk about on this night after eleven oclock. Some belive those stories for they leave a jug of milk and a few roast potatoes on the window sill when retiring. They say the good people go around looking for food. Other people clean the hearth stone and leave a piece of bread on it for them.
St Patricks day falls in the 17th of March. On this day all the people wear a Shamrock in honour of St Patrick. The Protestants have a flag on the Church on this day.
On Shrove Tuesday the people always make pan cakes. This night is called pan cake night. On Ash Wednesday the people hang ash pags. A string of paper containing ashes is tied on the tails of peoples coats as a joke.
Long ago the people of Castletown used to light a fire on Culligan hill on St John's night. There used to be singing and dancing at it. A man named James Burdy of Castletown used to sing a

lands. On May day many customs are carried on. People go out and take another persons milk from the cows. They are able to destroy crops too. Some old people would not sell milk on May Day, or if they were setting eggs they would set them so as to have them out before May Morning. They say there would be dead birds in the eggs. The woman of the house hangs a Maybush decorated with different flowers outside the door. Others hang a hawthorn blossom instead.November night is the Jolliest of all. They go out and steal gates and hide them. Children do not eat apples, plums, sloes, crabs, or any other kinds of fruit off the trees after that night. They say that the Pookey spits on them.Inside in the house children enjoy themselves immensely eating nuts apples and all kinds of fruit and nice things. They perform many different tricks also. Old Grandfathers and old wemon tell stories while Children listen with great fear in case the stories were true. On all souls day people visit local Chaples to pray for the Dead and light Candles in all the rooms for their dead friends. It is a custom to get a goose or turkey for the Christmas Dinner. Children stay awake nearly all night waiting for Santa to come with his toys. Every body goes to Communion in Honour of our Lord.

It is customary to decorate a May bush and put it into a manure heap in honour of the Blessed Virgin. We get a hawthorn bush and put ribbons and coloured papers on it and put it in the manure pit. The people say it is to shelter the "Blessed Virgin" on cold and windy nights. On St. Martin's Day the people kill a cock and sprinkle the blood on the door-post. On St. Patrick's Day my mother puts a fir bush in the fire and when the bush gets black she makes the sign of the Cross on all our arms. On All Souls Night it is a custom to leave food on a plate on all the windows and it would be gone in the morning.

In every district in Ireland certain days are looked upon as being lucky days and unlucky days. Thursday is always looked upon as a lucky day, and Saturday as an unlucky day for changing your abode. Good Friday is the best day for to start to set potatoes. The borrowing days come in the last two days of March and the first day of April. The old people say that when March could not kill the old cow she borrowed one day off April, and the old cow died with hunger and thirst. It is not right for to throw out water on All Souls Night because it is said that the Sould of the dead are flying about and that you might damage them. It is also not right to put out ashes on Ash Wednesday. It is not right to bring in water on the last night of the year. The cross day of the year is not known in our district. On the last night of

After this meal, games are played, stories are told and dancing goes on until the small hours of the morning.
All Souls' Day is the day after Hallow E'en. It is a holiday and the people attend Mass in the forenoon. That night the "Rosary" is said in every home, every place is left spotlessly clean. A huge turf fire is left and chairs are left convenient to the fire because it is believed that the souls of the dear departed visit their old homes that night.

Good Friday, that all the children go on the bare feet, and it is said if they go on the bare feet that day, that they will be free from colds from the rest of the year.
There is a custom on Holy Saturday, that all the children go out and gather eggs, and keep them for the following day.
On St Johns day the people light large bonfires on the hilltops in memory of him.
On Halloween night, the children get poundies, apples, and nuts.
There is a custom on all souls night, the people leave on a large fire all night, so as the dead in purgatory may come in and warm themselves. It is said that you should not throw out water after sunset, because the dead are standing there, and you throw it on them.

Shrove was from the 6th January to Ash Wednesday. In olden times matches were made and that is the time when there were most marriages.
Ash Wednesday - Long ago people used to tie Ash Bags to one another. If the person did not see it the joke would be greater.
St Valentine's Day. St Valentine's day young people would send Valentines from one to another.
Easter Sunday - There are many old customs attached to Easter Sunday, the cludog is Children go from house to house, the woman of the house gives them some eggs which is called a cludog. In olden times on Easter Sunday children would dye eggs with herbs. The eggs would be boiled hard. The children would set them at the top of the hill and roll them down they would roll down after them and whoever got the first egg would eat it.
May day - Old people wash their faces in dew.
Halloween. On Halloween long ago it was a custom that the people would not throw out water after night because the Holy Souls were supposed to be about. They would also leave some colcannon a plate and it would be gone in the morning.

In this district customs are observed on St. Patrick's day, Hallow eve, St Stephen's day, St Martin's day, May day, All souls night, and Shrove Tuesday.On St. Patrick's day Shamrock is worn by the people. The men wear it in their caps and they wear it in their coats. Green harps are worn by the children.On Hallow eve the people eat nuts. These are bought in town. The nuts we eat are monkey nuts and bread nuts. We also eat Colcannon on that day.
Colcannon is a mash of boiled potatoes, cabbage, parsnips, carrots, onions, butter, flavoured with pepper, and salt, At the tea a barm brack is produced with a ring in it. Whoever gets the ring it is said will be married before that day next year.On St Stephen's day a hunt is held with horses and hounds and everyone gets a free day.On the first day of May a May bush is made in Redmondstown near Murrintown. The bush is set up in a

Easter Sunday. "The sun is supposed to dance when rising.
The children in Cavan eat their "cludóg" that evening - It is an open air feast - the main item of the meenu being eggs.
May Eve: The people stew flowers before their doors in honour of the fairies.
May Day The beliefs in connection with Hansel Monday holds good here too.
26th July. The Gooseberry Fair of Bunlahy. If it rains on that day it will rain for forty days.
Hallow Eve: All souls are at liberty. No fruit should be eaten after this day if found growing as the Púca has destroyed them.
Chhristmas Eve. We light up our windows - every one - to show that there is a welcome for way farers in honour of the Holy Family.

Saturday or early on a Monday because it is said that the souls in Pugatory do not suffer from Saturday evening to Monday morning.
On the 24th of June, St John's Day it is a custom to take a red coal out of a bonfire and to throw it into every field of potatoes and oats and fairies can not take the crops then.
The last day of July and the first two of August are called Dog Days because no meat can be preserved on those days.
On May morning the people go out to gather herbs for any cures.