Any wren kids out today?

sunbeam

We haven't seen a single wren boy or girl in four years. Looks like another old Irish tradition is dead (at least around here).

sionnach

bout 10 callers today, not as many as there used to be, no one sang it in irish yet tho. Pity, cos theres a €20 note for whoever does

herbie747

What's a "wren boy"?

Is that like a "rent boy"?

Sleepy

A couple of knacker kids tried hittting our house up for cash here in Galway...

Exit

I don't even know what wren kids are! I guess the tradition died a long time ago in my area.

bugler

Good riddance. I have enough unwelcome callers to my house without having a bunch of quasi-gyspies showing up in their rags to sing out of tune.

sunbeam

Well in our area they were just little kids who'd come around with a tinsel decorated 'wren box' and say the rhyme requesting a penny to 'bury the wren'. A bit like trick or treating.

We'd give them sweets and money, but they'd have to say or sing the rhyme for it. Much effort went into decorating the 'wren' boxes though no birds were actually killed. Most of ours didn't bother dressing up. We'd know all the kids anyway so it wasn't too big an annoyance-apart from them arriving at stupidly early hours on Stephen's morning (like 9am) .

Lots of info on the origins of the custom on Google

Senor_Fudge

Any wren kids out today?

ya i zapped 3 of the bastids down by the waterfront

Sarky

According to TV3 news, I think it has something to do with going out and poking bushes in the hope that you'll find a saint hiding behind one.

Lump

A few called into the shop today... not singing, just spending the money they'd gotten out of people;)



John

Panda

Arghhhh, its the bird children! the horror!!!!!

by that i mean yes there was a couple of annoying little feckers around.
whats worse is that its mainly their parents that encourage them to do it.

handy money tho....

Karl Hungus

None have ever called here since I set the dog on them one year.

Big Ears

my father told me about this but and people used do it when he was young i have never seen any people in my time going around although i do live in tipp and from what i see is its more galway(well thats where my father was from anyway )

nlgbbbblth

I saw the picture of the wren gathering in Sandymount

horrible and grotesque.

Cabaal

Originally posted by herbie747
What's a "wren boy"?

Is that like a "rent boy"?

No nothing like a rent boy
Usally there a bunch of kids or men..

In my experience they dress up and played Irish music for free drink and/or money in pubs around the town.

po0k

We had "mummer" kids call round to us far too early on St. Stephen's day. I was in the middle of Platoon.
Their parents called into the local later on that night trying to cadge money off us for some charity or other.
I had €2 waiting for em. They didn't come near me.

Guess they learned their lesson from last year

tinkerbell

Usually tiz the wren boys that wake me up on St. Stephen's morning, but this year only two kids called to our house, and it was in the evening. All the relations were up here so we got the two lads to come in and play for them all, they were mortified. They played one carol-type song and then Twinkle Twinkle, hehehe

Kold

2 came to my door on st stephens... I'm English and I hadn't a clue who teh fck they were so I just calmly closed the door and backed away smoothly does it
Anyway my dad goes "Who was that?" I said "Some random pikeys with instruments" and he explained that they were wren kids...


Which was nice

BoB_BoT

if you've ever read that crappy book Amongst Women (or were forced for "education" purposes) you'd know what a wren boy is. Never had them call here, i'm guessing that's a good thing

Cabaal

Originally posted by SyxPak
Guess they learned their lesson from last year

I'm curious now...