Patron Days.—These are held where Christian churches were erected, consecrated and dedicated to that particular saint whose festival falls on or about the day on which the patron is held. It was so very hard to overthrow pagan celebrations, which continued for a long time after the dawn of Christianity in Ireland, the clergy, and wise Christians, too, admonished the people to abandon the custom of attending pagan meetings in mountains and other like places and started sports on patron days close to their churches, and in this manner completely exterminated the adoration of idols.
In the middle of the last century, excessive drinking and an occasional street fight tended to degrade them. Long ago they served their purpose and at present no objection could be held against them if they were held completely dry.[16]
Penitent Pilgrims of the Cat-Brack.—Catholics attending Protestant Bible classes, reading their literature or listening to a funeral service during the fearful religious quarrels of what is known as the "Souper campaign," as a part of their penance had to go from Dingle to Killarney, a distance of over forty miles. Some very old men did the journey on foot. Amongst the reasons for taking exception to a funeral service was that Protestant writers, in boasting of the success of their mission, classed Roman Catholics standing around the coffin while the funeral service was read at the graveside as "converts" to Protestantism. The result was that Catholics attending the funeral of a Protestant neighbor or relative would accompany the corpse no further than the gate to the graveyard or burial ground or keep a reasonable distance away until the religious services were ended.
Racing at Weddings.—The custom of men riding saddle horses, racing with each other to see who would be the first to reach the newly married girl to bring her home to the wedding, is now almost dead and gone, but the spirit survives.
Red Lighted Coals of Fire Given Out of the House.—Old women in country villages prevented fire to be given out of their houses, and insisted on all men smoking extinguishing all the fire in their pipes before leaving the house was, I believe, the most ignorant superstition I ever saw practiced. A farmer's wife feared that if you should carry a lighted pipe from their house into another, it would enable the person carrying same to transfer milk and butter from one farmer to another, and he could do many other things.
Rounds.—Paying rounds around holy wells and shrines are very much on the decline.
Shea-Hated by the Mermaids of the Sea.—It is almost impossible for persons bearing the name of Shea or O'Shea to obtain partners to join them fishing in any harbor in the barony, due to the fact that people are afraid that if they had an O'Shea or Shea in their boats or canoes they would be drowned. For this belief a thousand reasons are sometimes given. However, after setting aside tales appertaining to mermaids, spirits of the deep, legends and superstitions, the striking fact remains that of the names of persons drowned in this peninsula within the last century the surname of Shea or O'Shea outstrip all others, and this is the more remarkable when taken into consideration that through fear in storms very few of them will take the risks of their fellow fishermen. Possibly when caught in sea trouble the want of confidence arising from superstition may have something to do with it.
Snap Apple Nights, or All Hallow Eve.—This night falls on the 31st of October. Up until near the end of the last century, it was a night of sport by young people in those parts by trying to extract fun and prophecy from fruit and beans. Amongst other things, they place beans together in pairs in the ashes close to the heat of the fire for the supposed lovers, one named for the boy and the other for the girl. If the beans burn brightly and quietly together, it indicated that the young man and the young girl so indicated would be married, but if they cracked and jumped apart from each other they would never be married. From the ashes many a strange tale would be foretold. After one pair jumped apart, another pair of beans would be tried and some other likely lovers named for each.
Young persons also would dip for apples in tubs of water and endeavor to bring one up in the mouth by pressing it against the bottom of the tub. Sometimes an apple would hang from a cord and they would try to catch it with their mouths while in circular motion. In catching apples, hands should not be used.