The wren traditionally symbolised winter and the robin summer. At one time a wren was hunted and killed to symbolise the death of winter and then placed in a garlanded box and taken from door to door. At each house a song was sung and the occupants asked to pay to see the dead wren with the words, 'Please to see the King'.
The wren, the wren, the king of all birds,
St. Stephen's Day was caught in the furze,
Although he was little his honour was great,
Jump up me lads and give him a treat.
Chorus:
Up with the kettle and down with the pan,
And give us a penny to bury the wren.
As I was going to Killenaule,
I met a wren upon the wall.
I took me stick and knocked him down,
And brought him in to Carrick Town.
Chorus
Droolin, Droolin, where’s your nest?
Tis in the bush that I love best
In the tree the holly tree,
Where all the boys do follow me.
Chorus
We followed the wren three miles or more,
Three mile or more three miles or more.
We followed the wren three miles or more,
At six o’clock in the morning.
Chorus:
I have a little box under me arm,
Under me arm under me arm.
I have a little box under me arm,
A penny or tuppence would do it no harm.
Chorus:
This tree belongs to a Snow Fairy who lives in between the twisted branches... how do I know this you may be asking... well a little bird told me.
This old Silver Birch tree is the perfect host for Greater Spotted Woodpeckers, I showed this to Tom who took one look and said... "It's a Sheep's Head", and he thought it was just me that saw weird stuff.
Defor Playing Hide & Seek
