The Wren Boyz or Mummers on St.Stephens day

The Jammy dodger

Have you ever heard of this being done in your lifetime? I have never heard of it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Stephen%27s_Day

Sulla Felix

Not in my memory, my father said it used to happen in his day though.

AnonoBoy

Wren Boyz wreckin' the house bruv!
Yeahhhhhhh
Wren Boyz kickin' it real bruv!
Yeahhhhhhh
Wren Boyz is true and wicked bruv!
Yeahhhhhhhh


Lyrics from Wren Boyz by N-Dubz courtesy of Polydor Records.

admiralofthefleet

i voted for the pub, which i, heading to shortly

Where To

If you've never heard of it, how did you start a thread about it?

baldbear

Yes had one today in Longford. Its still big in Kerry. A nice tradition.

Peregrine

Loads of things happen in Dingle An Daingean that nobody knows about..

The Jammy dodger

Sulla Felix wrote: »

Not in my memory, my father said it used to happen in his day though.

Had a couple of young traveller girls coming to the house singin a song and asking for some money in the lashing rain. Someone driving them around in a car and that. I never heard of it before. Even Wiki says its less common these days. Would be a nice tradition to bring back when I thought more about it lol.

mikemac1

Lock up well OP, you may well get robbed in the next few days

My name is URL

I've heard of it but I have no idea what it's all about. I presume it's something similar to rent boys?

Pumpkinseeds

What the frick is the RAN? It was always produced as 'wren' now its being pronounced 'ran' on the RTE news

Dartz

Actually yes...

I blame Ars Magica and a game where the PC's are pestered with Wrens on St. Stephens day.

Gandhi

I remember Wren Boys coming to our house in Cork when I was little, in the 70s and early 80s.

In Philadelphia there is a Mummer's parade every New Year's Day which is huge. They have toned it down in the last few years but not long ago you'd see people literally bringing kegs with them to watch it from the sidewalk. It was like a giant outdoor frat party.

http://www.phillymummers.com/index.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mummers_Parade

Lapin

Nowhere in that Wiki link is the word "Boyz" mentioned OP.

I think you're making shít up.

round tower huntsman

they call to the pubs around my way. i see em every yr for last 5 or 6 yrs. me ma and da seen for first time today, thought it was brilliant. great to see traditions like this still going. my young lad seen too for first time today,he was amazed at the goings on.

cantdecide

Used to go on the wren/ the ran as kids. Great fun it was too:) Like trick-or-treating 2.0

We had two groups visit today, first time in several years, must be the age of the local kids or something (most too old and the rest too young).

TheBody

I went went on the "ran" as we called it, many times when I was a boy in Longford. Great times.

Truley

"Ran" Boys still quite popular in the county side in Sligo. My parents were part of a mummers group that go around to pubs every Stephen's night performing and collecting money for Charity. They also perform at weddings and festivals as 'Mummers' during the year. It's a lovely tradition.

SeaFields

We had them awhile ago. About 10 kids together, playing instruments. Raising money for a new community centre. Fair play to them. Nice tradition.

washman3

Its pronounced Wran Boys. tradition is still very strong around rural West Limerick. The groups rarely travel to private houses nowadays as the 'Celtic Tiger' brought about a certain affleunce where people became anxious about 'strangers' invading there homes and leaving footprints on their expensive floor tiles. They usually do a tour of pubs now and the people travel there to watch each group or batch perform. Each group or 'batch' finish the day at their designated 'home' pub and play for as long as they are allowed.
Carrigkerry Wren group are known nationwide and have been on TV many times. they can be seen on youtube. Their leader or 'King' is one mighty accordion player.

endacl

Every Stephen's Day in Sandymount. Wren is alive and well in the Palest of the Pale.

stevoslice

The wren, the wren, the king of all birds
St. Stephen's Day was caught in the firs
Although he was little, his honor was great
Jump up me lads and give us a treat

We followed the wren three miles or more
Three miles of more, three miles or more
Through hedges and ditches and heaps of snow
At six o'clock in the morning

Rolley, Rolley, where is your nest?
It's in the bush that I love best
It's in the bush, the holly tree
Where all the boys do follow me

As I went out to hunt and all
I met a wren upon the wall
Up with me wattle and gave him a fall
And brought him here to show you all

I have a little box under me arm
A tuppence or penny will do it no harm
For we are the boys who came your way
To bring in the wren on St. Stephen's Day

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hX7icoFY0U0

Fr_Dougal

SeaFields wrote: »

We had them awhile ago. About 10 kids together, playing instruments. Raising money for a new community centre. Fair play to them. Nice tradition.

Apart from the whole catching and killing a poor wren.

washman3

Fr_Dougal wrote: »

Apart from the whole catching and killing a poor wren.

Thats only a myth bud, never happens. sincerely hope you're taking the piss, or else you need to get out more.;)

The Jammy dodger

washman3 wrote: »

Thats only a myth bud, never happens. sincerely hope you're taking the piss, or else you need to get out more.;)

It is? !!! *places wren neatly back in bush and walks away slowly *

SeaFields

washman3 wrote: »

Thats only a myth bud, never happens. sincerely hope you're taking the piss, or else you need to get out more.;)

I dunno, we'd a 5 year old playing the tin whistle awhile ago that could have been a cold blooded killer :pac:

Gandhi

stevoslice wrote: »

St. Stephen's Day was caught in the firs

I always thought it was "caught in the furze". Any wren stupid enough to get caught in a fir tree would hardly have made it that far through the winter.

Teyla Emmagan

Saw a group of six or seven of them earlier today in Waterford marching down the street. Think they were heading for one of the pubs. They were all dressed up like chimney sweeps. Nice old tradition. I have never heard anyone call them 'ran' boys though.

Hippies!

Have them here most years. It's not something most of you people would understand.

Mudmask

I only heard of this today as my Grandad said "i don't suppose you know anyone going on the wren today". He had to explain it to me as I hadn't a notion what he was on about!

Truncheon Rouge

I thought this was about rent boys, but in a dublin accent.

im not attracted to them
just saying

Lima Golf

Went on the ran loads of times when I was young (late 80s early 90s) Still goes on in most of mayo/Galway/Sligo afaik. We had two groups call today. About 10 years ago we'd have 20+ call.

Rasheed

We only had one wran boy this year, we used to have loads.

It was mighty craic, singing silent night or away in a manger while someone played, badly, on the tin whistle.

And the rhyme we were taught to say was
'The wran, the wran, the king of all birds,
on St. Stephens' day, got caught in the furze.
Up with the fiddle and down with the pan,
Give us a penny to bury the wran.'

meoklmrk91

Rasheed wrote: »

We only had one wran boy this year, we used to have loads.

It was mighty craic, singing silent night or away in a manger while someone played, badly, on the tin whistle.

And the rhyme we were taught to say was
'The wran, the wran, the king of all birds,
on St. Stephens' day, got caught in the furze.
Up with the fiddle and down with the pan,
Give us a penny to bury the wran.'

I did it when I was younger, about 10 or 11 years ago. Round here it would called doing the wran. I don't know if we had any today cause I was gone but a couple of years ago if felt like it never stopped. You see very few wran girls, I was one, and few few younger lads, mostly teenagers looking for drinking money. Also don't like it when people go around in a car. It's a nice tradition but there is no need to be taking the piss.

The rhyme we were taught was:
The wran, the wran, the king of the birds.
St. Stephen's Day got caught in the firs.
Up with the kettle and down with the pan.
A penny or two to bury the wran.

Very similar to the ones above but I'd say everyone has a different one. It it might be a local thing,

Lightbulb Sun

My great uncle wrote a book on Mummers recently enough, specifically ones from the South East. Pretty niche thing for a book.

I went to some workshop in Dublin as a child to do with it.

Rasheed

meoklmrk91 wrote: »

I did it when I was younger, about 10 or 11 years ago. Round here it would called doing the wran. I don't know if we had any today cause I was gone but a couple of years ago if felt like it never stopped. You see very few wran girls, I was one, and few few younger lads, mostly teenagers looking for drinking money. Also don't like it when people go around in a car. It's a nice tradition but there is no need to be taking the piss.

The rhyme we were taught was:
The wran, the wran, the king of the birds.
St. Stephen's Day got caught in the firs.
Up with the kettle and down with the pan.
A penny or two to bury the wran.

Very similar to the ones above but I'd say everyone has a different one. It it might be a local thing,

Yeah, you're right, it's probably a local thing! I love seeing children doing it. Visiting a few houses in their locality.

We had a couple if lads last year that were driving themselves, I thought they were getting on a bit for it!

Agree with you on the car thing though. It used to be deadly to hop up on the bikes and go round, but I suppose things have changed since we done it and maybe parents are more wary than they used to be.

I think myself and my neighbour used to be the only girls round here, doing it. I way preferred it to Halloween!

WindSock

They have this tradition around my parts too. All the boy virgins dress in the Mummers outfits and dance around the place singing the Wren song before the village sets fire to them to ensure a good harvest of Wrens for next year.

anncoates

The Wren Boys were around in East Clare when my wife was young. Her area would have been very big into traditional music so maybe that's why. No idea if they do it now.

who the fug

Yes, but back in the eighties to support the local national school, after the party there was upwards of £600 pounds left for the school.

Don't know if they still do it

robman60

My friend and I did it about 5+ years ago. Was good craic, made some dosh too.