Alan Walsh: Halloween, St Stephens Day, War Of Independence

Alan speaks of his memories of Halloween growing up. He says it was a special time. He says unlike the youth of today there was no throwing of eggs. He says his father would put an old ten pence piece into the apple, tie it to a string and then tie it to a lamp and swing it. They would take turns at attempting to take a bite from the apple to get the ten pence, he adds they were lucky they didn’t choke on it. He also says there was a game with an apple in a dish of water and he describes going from door to door dressed up. He says he always saw it as a triumph when they were given a few pence as that was what they really wanted. He says they would be out for two or three hours on Halloween night and they must have done the whole of Togher. He forgets the names of half the games but says snap apple was one. He says they used to have a great time with their parents and neighbours kids in the living room.Alan says there was a neighbour who along with two friends would go out as Wren Boys on Stephens Day. He says they would dress up as women and put on shawls and wear makeup to look like women. One of them had a bodhran and they would go from door to door banging the bodhran. Alan says what they were really looking for was drink and at the end of the night they would be “langers” because every place they’d stop would give them a drink.