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©Customs and Traditions

St Brigids Eve, 31st January.
St Bridget's Crosses were woven from rushes and placed above doors of the dwelling house and outhouses, as protection for the household.

Candlemas Day 2nd February.
"If Candlesmas Day is fair and clear, half of the winter 's to come that year"
There is a traditional blessing of Bees Wax candles which can be used in Churches or homes for religious occasions.
"On Candlemas Day throw a candle away" and "On Patrick's Day throw candle & candlestick away"; relating to lengthening days.

April 1st, April Fools Day.
On this day, tricks are played on unsuspecting persons, young & old.
Any pranks carried out after 12 noon would draw the response;
"April fool is past & gone but you're the fool to carry it on".

Milford May Fair, 23rd May.
This was the Hiring fair when children were hired out as farmhands for six months.
It was also considered to be the latest date for planting potatoes.

St. John’s Eve, 23rd June, Bonfire night.
Celtic/Pagan festival celebrating midsummer night. The main Bonfire for Oughterlin was on the top of "Cloch Ard".
In later years, the Bankers used the top of Tullaigh árd for their own Bonfire.
For the occasion, the Bankers always had a dinner of the first new potatoes.
There would be no further potato digging until mid-July to allow time for a fuller crop."
On the morning after the bonfire, cows were walked through the ashes of the burned out bonfire as a fertility right
and other households would scatter the ashes on their growing crops.
This type of fertility custom was also practiced at Carnac, France where cattle were walked
through the historic "Menhirs"(standing stones) on 23rd June
but the custom was christianized by praying instead to, Saint Cornély, the Patron Saint of horned animals.
The Catholic Church in Carnac is dedicated to the Saint.

Halloweve night, 31st October.
This was considered to be the end of harvest.
Should any household not have their harvest saved or potatoes remaining to be dug, then neighbours would gather and do the work.
Halloweve night was celebrated with apples, hazelnuts and the telling of Ghost stories.
Pairs of nuts were given the names of local courting couples and burned in the open fire.
As the nuts burned, if they moved closer together there would a marriage but if they moved apart, the courtship was going no where!

The Scottish poet Robert Burns(1759-1796) refers to the burning of nuts and pulling stocks of Kale, in his poem;
"Halloween".
"Some merry, friendly, country folks,
together did convene,
to burn their nits,
an' pau' their stocks,
an' haud their Hallowe'en".

Auld Hall'eve night, 11th November.
This was a night for the throwing of kale.
Stocks of cabbage growing in the fields were pulled out by the roots and thrown into the homes of those who had no cabbage of their own.
Occasionally the practice got out of hand and by daybreak some unlucky household could find all of their cabbage, gone.
Sometimes the hearts of the cabbage were cut out and the cavity filled with clay; not such a welcome item landing on the kitchen floor.
Unfortunately, practical jokers or those seeking to settle "scores" took advantage of the occasion to cause annoyance.
Such carry on, in recent times, led to the demise of "Auld Hall'eve".
Children were warned not to eat Sloes, Haws or Blackberries remaining on the bushes after "Auld Hall'eve"
because "the devil would have shaken his brattles (thunder) on them".

Christmas Mummers:
In early December rhymes and songs were learned by teenagers who went out in the Mummers.
Their performance enacted the legend of a sword fight between St.George and a Turkish Knight.
The participants would introduce themselves in rhyme and at the end of their programme they would all sing a song and collect money.
The reason for such a tradition in Ireland is strange, bearing in mind that St.George is the Patron Saint of England ?

Superstitions:
First glimpse of the new moon was eagerly awaited,"Far north and soon seen".
If seen (but not through glass) with both hands full ; money would come your way within the term of that moon.
If the crescent of the moon was lying flat it was considered to hold up the rain but if vertical the weather would be wet.

In Legland Townland it was considered unlucky to begin work on Friday or Saturday and down to the 1940's no farmer
in the Townland would commence ploughing on those days.

Whit Sunday(even though a movable feast day) was considered to be the start of the bathing season at the seaside.
However, it was also considered to be unlucky to go into the water on that day!

Weather forecasting :
When a changed weather pattern coincided with the coming of a new moon it was said that it would run the course of that moon.
A new moon lying on its back it would hold up rain but when nearer upright would signify wet weather.
A far off ring around the moon was a really bad sign; "A far off ring is a near hand storm."
"If Candlemas Day is fair and clear, half of the winter 's to come that year".

Last three days in March were known as "the borrowing days."
It was said that March borrowed the first three days of April, resulting in a severe spell of weather,
which it was said, "would skin Branny" (the brannet cow).
It was also said that "if March comes in like a lamb it 'll go out like a lion" and vica versa.

"The Cuckoo storm" was a period of inclement weather in mid-April, usually about the arrival time of the Cuckoo from Africa.

The next storm of note (21st-25th May) was the Scra-wee and the resulting heavy seas would wash in sea weed
which was used as fertilizer for the turnip crop.
(Screád bhuaidhe=bountiful storm)

If it rained on Saint Swithin's Day (15th July) then it would rain for forty days and forty nights.

The Heron (Crane), when seen flying towards the sea was an indicator of fine weather to come but
when flying back towards the hills, bad weather was imminent.
The Crane, due to lack of robustness, usually sought shelter in the hills before a storm.

Health Cures :
Bog bean: during March the roots of this plant were gathered from swamp land, then dried, boiled, strained, and allowed to cool.
The liquid called Bahrim was consumed in small amounts (an egg cup full) each morning before breakfast as a remedy for clearing the blood.
According to May McMahon, Glenalla., The following verse was said;
"Bahrim in March, Nettles in May, You'll never need a Doctor 'till the day you die".

Cure for a cough: Whin(gorse) was boiled and strained. Licorice was added to the juice which was taken as a cough mixture.
In the early 1900's old people in the area were said to have more confidence in it than in the Doctors' cough bottles!

Sayings :
About people; "you'll never get a Mavis(song thrush) coming out of a hawk's nest"
"If you get the name of rising early, you can lie to dinner time"

About the seaside; "April & May keep far from the sea ; June & July, bathe ‘till it’s bye".

About the seasons; "A Haw year 's a bra'w year but a Sloe year 's no year !"
By New Year's Day, the day length will have taken "a cock's stride"

About the Cuckoo; "Half of April, the whole of May, half of June and then away."
"When the Cuckoo calls from a bare thorn, sell your cow and buy corn".

Nutrition :
Sowens: was a sort of dish made from oatmeal and husks of the oat grain slightly fermented.
The ferment gave a whitish liquid which thickened to a gruel when boiled.
According to Schoolmaster, Anthony Carbery, it was last made in the Oughterlin area, Spring 1914.

Sloak (sleabhacan):In March, this seaweed was gathered, washed and boiled.
When cooked and allowed to cool it solidified and could be sliced down.

Carraigeen Moss: Was gathered from rocks in the lower shore, accessible only at spring tides.
It was dried and cooked by boiling in milk and then strained. When cooled, it solidified into a white jelly like pudding.
It was nutritious and was usually served with milk as a pudding.

Dulse(Dillisc): An edible seaweed was gathered from the rocks and dried. Once dried, it could be eaten without cooking.
Freshly gathered dulse could be cooked by placing a pair of tongs in the fire until red hot and then gripping the wet dulse with the tongs.