Christmas has become a major holiday around the world, where its religious beginnings have dwindled a bit. I was wondering if any member had a story of what Christmas was like back in the 1880s. My family originated in Clogh and were coal miners, I suspect they didnt have very much, particularly with a large family.
Dear Tim:
Thank you for your post to the Ireland Reaching Out message board.
You might be interested to have a look at the Schools' Folklore Collection at the Duchas website. This Schools' Collection was undertaken in 1937/38 and schoolchildren all over Ireland were asked to go home to ask their parents/grandparents and older relations about stories in the local area. It is a wonderful collection and numerous topics were covered including Customs, St. Stephen's Day, Cures, Traditions, Legends, etc. The link to the schools' collection for Clogh National School (boys) is below:
https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4758572
This school has been completely transcribed so it will be much easier for you to read through.
There are other schools in the Castlecomer area and the link for County Kilkenny is below:
https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/CC?p=1&o=Vol
Duchas also has a Photograph collection and you might like to view that for your particular areas of interest.
Have a wonderful Christmas!
Kind regards,
Jane
waiting for your next post, very good information, keep it up.