Posts in National Folklore Collect
Local Games

Every night we play this game around the fire........

Bí o néal, néal a brobán, brobán súla, súla seicne, ár lomán, lóman leic, cor na giell isteach go Flaitheas.

They keep saying that rhyme until every-one has his foot pulled in. 

Read More
Local Marriage Customs

"Straw-boys" or "clubberas" visit the houses on the night of the marriage feast. They dance and make fun. They dress in straw hats with sugans round their knees, false faces etc.
They expect to get drink and make mischief if they don't.

Read More
Old Crafts

The people then brought it to a little kiln on their farms and dried it there. It was then beatled with a beatle (a beatle resembled a cricket bat I am informed). It was then scutched with a scutcher ( a scutcher is also made of timber but is much lighter than the beatle, it is almost as thin as a knife).

Read More
Annie Reilly

Annie Reilly was one of the pupils that contributed to the school collection. Her informants are:

  • Patrick Reilly Age 87
  • Thomas Reilly Age 42
  • Patrick Reilly  
  • Mrs Reilly Age 40
  • Patrick Reilly Age 88
  • Mr Reilly Age 42
Read More
Our Native Village

My Native Village is called Prison. It is a very large village consisting of 27 houses and 125 people. Among this crowd of people there are about ten people who are over seventy years of age. Each of these people can speak a little Irish. There are about eight families of Reilly's residing at Prizon, so Reilly is the most common name

Read More
Leprechauns

This happened at Ballinamore, Parish of Kiltimagh, Mayo. The woman was a Mrs. Quinn. The neighbours always said that the family might thank the lepruchaun for their "good means".

Read More
Local Fairs

The fair is now held on the street of the town, but some years ago before the land was divided and when the large farms were grazed entirely the fairs were so large that they had to be held in the fair-green.

Read More
Hedge-School

Hedge schools once exist in Ireland up to the 1850's. They shorthly closed after a national education system came into existence. Here are a few stories from locals from back in 1938 given their accounts of Hedge Schools.

Source-Dúchas.ie
Read More
Festivals

Tradition and believes around some of the festivals that occur around the year. 

COLLECTOR: Mary A. O' Doherty, female

INFORMANT: Patsy Ansbro;  Gender; male, Age; 84, Tawnagh More, Co. Mayo

Read More
Cures

These just some of the old remedies as remembered by Patsy Ansbro back in 1938. 

COLLECTOR: Mary A. O' Doherty, female INFORMANT: Patsy Ansbro;  Gender; male, Age; 84, Tawnaghmore, Co. Mayo

Read More
Weather-Lore

Rainbow is looked upon as a sign of broken weather.....If corncrake is heard in morning it is an omen of good weather, but if heard in the evening sign of coming rain. 

COLLECTOR: Mary A. O' Doherty, female INFORMANT: Patsy Ansbro;  Gender; male, Age; 84, Tawnaghmore, Co. Mayo

Read More
Hidden Treasure

A family named Herons who lived in Balla were digging a foundation for a cottage where stands the McEllin Hotel at present. They came on a pot of gold supposed to contain 2,000 guineas...

COLLECTOR: Mary A. O' Doherty, female INFORMANT: Patsy Ansbro;  Gender; male, Age; 84, Tawnaghmore, Co. Mayo

Read More