In the course of time the custom of burying dead bodies on the crossroads went out of practice, and the names of the persons buried there were forgotten, but the habit of lowering the dead body continued and a prayer was offered to God for both those buried on the crossroads and also for the soul of the person whose funeral then took place. Then when the penal laws were enforced, with military in Dingle, the religious rites which should be said at the graveside for the deceased were recited at the old crossroads.[12] Praying for the dead at ancient crossroads nearest the graveyards, therefore, is an act of piety and charity of an old standing.
Ancient National Dances.—The most common dances[13] in our locality were jigs, reels, hornpipe and country dance, or Reencafadah. These were followed by a form of dance called "sets," and the German "waltz" was transmitted to us by the English. Movable platforms for dancing upon them were placed on the country crossroads, and boys and girls danced in the open air in the afternoons on Sundays. The clergy took a dislike to all dances, with the result that open-air dancing was almost suppressed, but of recent years it was revived by the Gaelic League.
Ardnane.—Carding, spinning and story telling by night is now gone out of fashion—newspapers are driving away the latter.
Banshee.—This is supposed to be a fairy visitant in the shape of an old woman whose wailing around the home of a sick person foretold death. Of course, it is superstition to think that an old woman dead and gone will return from the grave wailing or calling for her victim, or carry off a member of any family.
Nevertheless, there must be something of an unknown nature existing in the shape of a wireless telephone, electric feeling or otherwise in the blood, flesh or nature of certain Celtic families whereby some relative of a sudden feels, pictures and imagines death, trouble or misfortune approaching without apparently any means of knowing it at the time. I hope science will soon more clearly solve the cause of this and thereby strip off all superstition and uncertainty.
Begrudging.—Persons admiring beasts or individuals and praising them without saying "God bless them," if they died or became sick the blame would be laid onto them, and some would say such a person possessed an "evil eye" and his visits thereafter would not be very desirable. However, this superstition can be found as bad in other countries.
Bellman.—The bellman with his hand-bell still survives in Dingle. He usually announces sales by public auction. Missing or impounded cattle, also property lost or found, money lost about thirty-three years ago and found by another, were nearly always recovered by giving a shilling or one shilling and sixpence to the bellman. I am sure this was due to the moral influence of the clergy over the people.