‘Hunting the wren’ still alive and well in Dublin

THEY come from far and near to honour the wren in Dublin 4, the quintessential city suburb that goes rural every St Stephen’s Day.

Regulars — local residents and those from further afield — rubbed shoulders yesterday with festival newcomers from many countries. Raised hands proclaimed New Zealand and Australia, visitors borne on stories of old-fashioned fun and merriment in Ireland’s capital.

Three-year-old Owen Brady, who came with his parents Claire and Joseph from Boston, celebrated his first “wran” (as the cognoscenti pronounce the word) with his wider Irish connections.

Hoisted on his father’s broad shoulders young Owen had a veritable bird’s eye view as the musicians on the gig-rig set feet stomping. “He really loved it,” said his delighted dad.

In time-honoured fashion poetry readings had launched proceedings in Gus Ryan’s Sandymount House, followed by a relaxed saunter across the road to the gig-rig. The mobile stage had driven across the border from Portadown, Co Armagh, on its maiden cultural trip.

At lunchtime, Dublin’s Lord Mayor Vincent Jackson arrived on stage, his brief speech setting out what Wren Day is all about.

“It’s an expression of everything that’s good about being Irish at this lovely time of the year,” he told the knowing crowd on Sandymount Green.

Wren stalwart Pat McEvoy from Maynooth, Co Kildare, spoke of the loyalty of wren followers.

“If somebody comes here one year they will always come back the following year. You see the same faces every year; you don’t see them from one end of the year to the next — until you again see them here.”

Peta Taaffe, Order of Malta, said they aimed to exceed the €5,000 raised last year for the designated charity — 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, the hospital caters for 3,000 expectant Muslim and Christian mothers annually. There are no Jewish mothers in Bethlehem these days.

Ms Taaffe said doctors and nurses went out to the Middle Eastern hospital to provide vital training for the local doctors and nurses.

“We go out because they are unable to avail of education anywhere else, because they can’t move out of Bethlehem — due to the restrictions on travel by the Israelis. They need to be kept up to date and have continuing education.

“We also support the training of midwives in Bethlehem University and we also have to collect money for that. If we don’t train midwives, they won’t have any midwives — because they can’t go anywhere else to train.”

Wearing his trademark keffiyeh head scarf John Cassidy served up hot nourishing paella for the revellers — at 5 a plate. Good value all round: he charged the same price as last year and all the money goes to the charity.