Mooney.] ^ J-^ [May 3, 



presence of the saint was given by tlie appearance of the blaze which he 

 had If iudled upon the adjacent hil of Slaue in order to celebrate the offices 

 of the Christian festival. In angry surprise the monarch askt who had 

 dared to light that fire at a time when even the palace itself was in darkness, 

 and receivd for answer from his druid that a stranger who revered not 

 their ancient gods had kindled the fire, which, if not extinguisht that 

 night, would burn on forever. Thereupon the saint was summond into 

 the presence of the king, before whom he was examind, but, despite the 

 warning of the druid, he was permitted to continue in the work which 

 finally resulted in the overthrow of fire worship in Ireland. 



The midsummer fires stil burn brightly, but those of Bealtuine ar nearly 

 extinguisht, which is probably due to the fact that on the introduction of 

 Christianity the old celebration was superseded by that of Easter, when 

 the ceremonies took place by day, thus rendering bonfires out of place. 

 Moreover, as Easter is a movable festival, never occurring on the same 

 day in consecutiv years, it would become 'more and more ditficult, under 

 the new system, for the people to keep up the old accustomd periodic 

 celebration. Within the last fifty years the May fires wer stil common 

 tliroughout the south and east, and a Galway correspondent states that 

 they wer also lighted around Lough Corrib in the extreme west, but 

 they ar now confined chiefly to the counties of Limerick and Cork. The 

 people gatherd together willi fiddlers and pipers to dance around the 

 blaze as on Saint John's eve, and when the fire had burnd low the cattle 

 wer driven through it to keep them from all sickness until the next May- 

 day. In Kildare, in addition to the bonfire, a May -bush was set up and 

 decorated with lighted candles. In the adjacent county of Meatli the 

 custom is now unknown, but seems to hav been practiced at an earlier 

 period. In the County Limerick the fires ar stil lighted as on Saint 

 John's eve and the cows ar sprinkled with holy water and burnd willi 

 blessed candles and with blazing branches of white or black thorn from 

 the pile, in order to keep them in health and insure plenty of milk and 

 butter during the year. 



Another old May-day custom is thus described as it existed in the south 

 nearly a hundred years ago. The gilt ball mentiond was probably at 

 one time a mystic symbol of the sun : "On the tst of May all the young 

 men assemble in their several districts, and go in procession, dressed out 

 in ribbons, garlands, etc. The leader bears on a pole a double circle of 

 hoops, in the centre of which hangs a gilt ball. They call at every house 

 where a marriage had taken place since the last May-day. The new-mar- 

 ried lady, together with a pecuniary present, presents another ball, which 

 is, like the former, elevated on another pole. This last ceremony is only 

 practiced in the south of Ireland."* This custom is described in Hall's 

 "Ireland" (i, 1G7), already quoted, as stil existing about forty years ago, 

 altho then nearly obsolete, and it is also stated that the May-pole car- 

 ried was a tall tree, which was set up in front of the door, and around 

 which the party danced in honor of the bride. 



* E. W., quoted in Pop. Sup., 55. 



