The Wren Boys arrive early and tell the story of the king of all birds.
Presenters Kieran Fitzgerald and Brigie de Courcy join Nessa Ní Thuama and her family of musicians in their home for a musical session.
The session is interrupted by a knock at the door where Brigie de Courcy is greeted by a group of Wren Boys, Thomas Ahern, Niall Ahern, Michael Lacey and Patrick McEvoy.
God bless all here. The wren, the wren, the king of all birds.
A couple of explanations are given to some young people about where the traditions around the wren came from.
The wren got the title of the king of all birds following a competition to see which bird could fly the highest. The biggest bird, the eagle, flew high into the sky. However, there was a wren nestling in its feathers. When the eagle became tired, the wren took off flying the highest of all the birds.
In Ireland, the Wren Boys traditionally appear on St Stephen's Day. The story goes that St Stephen was hiding in the bushes from soldiers the day after Christmas Day. A wren was nestling in the bushes where St Stephen hid and the bird started singing. The soldiers heard the bird song and St Stephen was discovered by the soldiers. He was arrested and stoned to death. Since that day, the wren has to be killed on St Stephen's Day. St Stephen was the first martyr of Christianity.
This episode of 'Family Matters' was broadcast on 21 December 1994.
'Family Matters' was a TV magazine programme for and about families. It was presented by husband and wife team Sean O'Rourke and Caroline Murphy and looked at the changing face of Irish family life. The very first episode of 'Family Matters' was broadcast on 7 October 1992. It ran for three series on RTÉ Television until 12 April 1995.
