The day after Christmas, St Stephen's Day also known as Wren Day is celebrated with different customs in various parts of Ireland.
Wren Day is a unique celebration with different customs and traditions throughout the country.
Customs peculiar to this day have undergone some changes but in many places and more especially in the country boreens deep amid the mountains and around the streets of towns and villages, when you meet the wren boys, it is but proof that the roots of an ancient and cherished custom are not easily pulled.
In north Dublin they have the Mummers who are an entirely different band of players and actors who appear on St Stephen's Day. The tradition of the Wren Boys goes back further than that of the mummers.
Tradition has it that for the 26th of December a wren bird is caught and perched on a branch of holly. The minute the ceremony is over, the wren is set free. The wren boys dress in straw costumes with masks and parade the wren from house to house in towns and villages collecting money for charity. Once the ceremony is over, the wren is freed back into the wild.
In the area around Corcu Duibne and Uibh Ráthach, wren boys were known as The Rhymers due to the musical nature of the ceremonies.
'Wren's Day' was recorded on 26 December 1964. Presented in the Cork studios by Uinsinn Mac Gruairc.
From the RTÉ Archives Acetate Disc Collection which has been digitised with the support of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) Archiving Scheme.
Photo by George Pickow/Three Lions/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
