Photo was taken last night in Aubane, near Millstreet, Co.Cork (Irl)

There are very few places where the tradition of strawing takes place. It seems to be confined now to parts of Cork and Kerry. In our photo today newly weds Gerard McSweeney and Karen White were welcomed home from their honeymoon by the strawboys.

The history of the tradition of strawing is that strawboys were uninvited guests who dressed up in suits made from straw and paid a visit to the wedding feast in the midst of the celebrations. The average number in the group was about a dozen and all the gang remained anonymous. The face especially had to be well covered in straw to nullify identification.

Thought on Tuesday – November – 06/11/2012

‘Good old days start with good new days, like today.’ ~Denise Settle

How often we hear, “in the good old day”. We hear of a simpler lifestyle, plain food and great neighbours. We hear about less money, more hardships but a greater satisfaction with life. We hear of more quality time and a better way of life. Some if not all of these have been slowly eroded with time, affluence and a changing world. We certainly need more of the spirit of the good old days. The current economic recession has brought many challenges and hardships. It is such a difficult time for everyone. But one thing it has rekindled is the importance of a simpler way of life, of looking out for each other, the importance of community and that having and wanting everything is not always the best thing.

While the past can never become the present, the spirit of the good old days begins with a good new day like today. It begins with the realisation that it’s we ourselves who are always in control of quality time, whether it is with ourselves, family or friends. The good old days begin to blossom when we use quality time to treasure the essentials of life.