Mumming & Wren Boy traditions in Leitrim

A series of six Leitrim heritage-themed videos commissioned by the Heritage Office of Leitrim County Council. In this episode, we talk to dancer Edwina Guckian about mumming, straw and wren boy traditions in Leitrim.
Connecting Through Heritage is an initiative of the Leitrim County Council Heritage Office and is part-funded by the Heritage Council.

[@chrisdoe6890]

Beautiful video and well explained . Thank you for keeping the tradition alive and visiting all those older people . It’s great to see the younger generation involved and not losing our heritage to FaceTime . Get out there and get involved . Well done indeed .

[@TomLynch-wq3vy]

Lovely video. Well presented. Wran tradition and straw making still going strong in Dingle. Great to see the tradition going from strength to strength.

[@ceparksromanceharps]

Loved watching all your videos about your project to keep the mummer tradition alive. Much needed now in the pandemic, as many people are feeling isolated. As for the house party, my friends in County Carlow were performing at country pubs and friend's houses until the lockdown last year.
In 2018, they gave me a birthday party where everyone had to perform. the most fun I've had in my life and will never forget it. So Carry on!

[@jimreynolds7494]

Your video was a joy to watch thank you

[@conorgraafpietermaritzburg3720]

How very interesting! In Dutch and Afrikaans a page at a wedding is called a'strooijonker' or straw youth. Maybe there is a ProtoEuropean origin here😊

[@welshmaggie1313]

Lovely story telling never heard of these traditions before Thank You.

[@celinekilcoyne4447]

Brillant, storytelling Thank you

[@markbrowne7509]

Beautiful stories by a beautiful person

[@thomasoneill8422]

lovely vid by a lovely lady

[@joshmarkham9065]

Brilliant, thank you

[@catcalhoun9567]

Fascinating, thank you!

[@markbrowne7509]

I used to mind the wran boys back home in Cavan..

[@wonderer-u4r]

Thank you

[@Wotsitorlabart]

The mummers tradition is an English import into Ireland from around 1700 and tended to be found in areas of English influence in the north and the west.
It most definitely is not pagan in origin.
Not surprising that the tradition also occurs in Newfoundland as the 17th to mid 19th centuries saw the arrival of many settlers from England and Ireland.

[@Bernietheoc]

👏🏻

[@remaguire]

Not really surprising about these traditions in Newfoundland. Many Irish there. My parents were very friendly with a woman in our community in New York who for years I thought was from Ireland because of her accent. She was from Newfoundland.

[@Wotsitorlabart]

It's English in origin and as many English migrants settled in Newfoundland during the heyday of mumming in the 18th - 19th centuries it certainly isn't surprising the tradition is found there.
As to the Newfoundland accent well the recordings I have heard of old timers clearly reveals English West Country influences which was where many of the early settlers came from.
And, from personal experience, it is clear that Americans haven't a clue as to the difference between Irish and English dialects.

[@judeirwin2222]

Yep, lovely traditions, as she says. Nothing like commemorating a Cromwellian massacre for a bit of fun.