Rathcormac N.S.

Celtic Fringe Festival .

On Thursday the 9th of June a very special visitor came to Fifth Class.His name was Joe Mc Gowan and he surprised the class when he appeared at the door wearing a Strawboy costume ,playing the bodhran and chatting the wren boy rhyme.He told us the stories associated with the Strawboys ,their appearance at weddings meant good luck for the bride and groom so they were very popular!!Joe was a fountain of information on the Spanish Armada.He focused especially on the three ships which landed in Streedagh an area close to our school.Joe also told us stories of farm life when he was young and the use of the donkey and cart ,sea weed as a fertiliser and the tradition of using thatch even to construct baskets and hen houses.At the end of the session we all got to try on the strawboy hat and we are looking forward to making our own when Peter Crean comes to visit on the 21st of June.We hope to participate in the parade in Grange on Sunday the 26th of June.We really enjoyed Joe's visit to our class.