Wren Boys Festival comes of age in Dublin after 21 years

IT marked the coming of age yesterday for Dublin 4’s most rural event: the Wren Boys Festival celebrated 21 years in the capital.

Sprightly 90-year-old musician Vincent Cooney claimed the venerable stakes on age grounds.

Four-month-old Genevieve Collins slept through, watched over by her mother Deirdre and parents, Mary and Derry O’Donovan.

Lord Mayor Catherine Byrne, on her inaugural visit to the event, was reminded sponsorship is necessary if the Wren Festival is to survive at Sandymount Green.

But founder member Tom Aherne, from Clane, Co Kildare, was defiant the Wren tradition is here to stay.

The charity to benefit from the proceeds is the Holy Family Maternity Hospital in Bethlehem, situated 500 yards from the traditional site of the birth of Jesus, and run by the Order of Malta.

Despite all the political upheavals, no expectant mother has ever been told there is “no room”.

Since 1990 more than 25,000 babies have been born there.

Meanwhile, up to 250 colourfully dressed wren boys paraded through the streets of Dingle, Co Kerry, keeping alive the St Stephen’s Day tradition.

Four local groups, marching to fife and drum music, went around the town shortly after lunchtime.

The Green and Gold was the biggest group in Dingle. Others were John Street, Goat Street and the Quay, which was making a return to the scene this year.

Wren boys were attired in costumes that included old pyjamas and straw skirts, and all their faces were masked.

The morning was spent getting dressed up in local pubs and tuning musical instruments.

“We’ve four very good groups, proving that the ‘wran’ tradition is still very strong in Dingle,” said Fergus Flaherty, of the Green and Gold.

“People often wonder why the ‘wran’ has survived so well here and the reason could probably be put down to the healthy rivalry between the groups.

“This is an unbroken tradition dating back to the 1880s at least, another reason for its survival,” Mr Flaherty added.

Most groups collected for charities, but the Green and Gold raised money for the controversial campaign to have Dingle known as Dingle/Daingean Uí Chuis rather than An Daingean, as has been officially decided by Gaeltacht Minister Eamon Ó Cuiv.

A new 20-strong group in black clothes, wellington boots and King Kong masks took to the streets of Dingle yesterday.

Also some of the wren boys visited the local hospital to entertain patients.

Last night, the action switched to the pubs in the town.

Wren boys were also out in other parts of Kerry, especially in the Listowel area of the county, and also in west Limerick.