Environment Notes: 25/12/2008
Wrens
Catherine Keena
‘The wran, the wran, the king of the birds, St. Stephen’s Day was caught in the furze, Up with the kettle and down with the pan, Give’s a penny to bury the wran.’ On St. Stephen’s Day we hear about the wren, nó dreoilín as Gaeilge. Find out more about Irish birds in two new books: Ireland’s Garden Birds by Oran O’Sullivan and Jim Wilson; and Birds of Ireland, Facts, Folklore and History by Glynn Anderson
Wrens
Farmers recognise their very distinctive loud call, despite their tiny size. Of our common Irish birds, only the goldcrest is smaller. The wren is rusty brown with a stubby tail. Being so small, wrens die in large numbers during very cold weather. With an average life span of less than two years, nature ensures its survival by providing many young. It spends most of its time deep inside hedges, bushes and undergrowth.
Hunting the wran
The antipathy of the church towards wrens may reflect their historic association with druids who regarded wrens as sacred. St. Moling cursed the bird. Wrens were regarded as treacherous. They are reputed to have betrayed Irish warriors fighting the Vikings, and also betrayed Irish soldiers fighting Cromwell. For one or more of these reasons the wren was hunted on St. Stephen’s Day. Today wren boys enact the hunting of the wren, singing and dancing, but wrens are no longer caught.
Happy Christmas!
