School: Gort na Díogha (roll number 15587)
- Location:
- Gortnadeeve West, Co. Galway
- Teachers: Séamus Ó Dochartaigh Bean Uí Dhochartaigh
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0016, Page 067
Image and data © National Folklore Collection, UCD.
See copyright details.
DownloadOpen data
Available under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
- XML School: Gort na Díogha
- XML Page 067
- XML “St Brigid's Night”
- XML “The Man and Horses”
Note: We will soon deprecate our XML Application Programming Interface and a new, comprehensive JSON API will be made available. Keep an eye on our website for further details.
On this page
- Long ago a great feast - such as it was- was held on oidhche feile Brighide. First was the usual carrying of the rushes which were to be used in the making of the famous St Brigid's Cross. The youngest boy or girl of the family knelt at the door outside and holding the fresh green rushes in their hand knocked at the door three times and cried in Irish, "Síos ar do glúinibh agus leig Brighid isteach". The members inside answered, "Tá fáilte roimh Brigid". The rushes are then carried in and laid on the kitchen table. Each one then lends a hand in the making of the cross. The cross I saw was about six inches long. It was made with timber. (light lats) The rushes were woven on the wooden cross and it was left aside to be blessed on All Saints Day. After All Saints Day the cross is put carefully away in the loft and is supposed to keep away any misfortunes which might come on the family of this house.
- Informant
- Michael Mc Guire
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 84
- Address
- Ballyhard, Co. Galway
- This occured in Muicne near Kilronan Ballygar. There was a farm lying near to the next two place and the Muicne man had it made up between them to go on(continues on next page)
