The History of Bamboo Town - Tony Kehoe, Rosslare Harbour, Co. Wexford

This film is from a collection of folklore, customs, beliefs, words and sayings by Michael Fortune, entitled “Bolldoons and Wren Boys” which was produced in association with Wexford Library Services and five Men’s Shed Groups in Killanerin, Bunclody, Enniscorthy, Kilrane/Rosslare Harbour and Taghmon, Co. Wexford in 2019.

The collection was recorded and produced by Michael between September and December 2019 and launched in Wexford Library in the form of a box set containing six DVD-ROMs which are packed with interviews and accounts covering a variety of folkloric topics. The collection is brought to life by first-hand accounts relayed by the men on camera which highlight the rich and varied cultural diversity within the county. For example you will hear specific fishing, farming and funeral customs from the Killanerin/Castletown area of northeast Wexford while further west in Bunclody we have some incredible accounts of Hunting the Wren on St. Stephen’s Day, a tradition not found in other parts of the county.

In Enniscorthy we hear about some great Christmas, Hallowe’en and Shrove Tuesday customs which the participants assumed were common all over the country. In Taghmon Michael was greeted with a host of words, sayings and expressions still in use by people from the area. One such word, a ‘bolldoon’, meaning tomcat, is used in the title of the collection. Lastly, in Kilrane/Rosslare Harbour there are some fine recordings of maritime and social history from the area. These include the rescue of the crew from the Mexico in 1914 and accounts of when Rosslare Fort was washed away and the affected families moved to what is now Rosslare Harbour.

This collection was launched in Wexford Town Library on December 19th where a 45 minute compilation was screened to provide a flavour of the wide range of topics and themes. Michael also produced a printed inlay in the box-set which details and catalogues the topics and content for ease of viewing and researching.

The Six Collections: Collection
1: Killanerin Men’s Shed Collection
2: Taghmon Men’s Shed Collection
3: Enniscorthy Men’s Shed Collection
4: Kilrane/Rosslare Harbour Men’s Shed Collection
5: Bunclody Men’s Shed Collection
6: Library Launch Compilation

This collection was produced as part of a larger ‘Folklore on Film Training Project’ that was funded through the Dormant Account Funds via the Department of Rural and Community Development with the support of Wexford County Council and in association with Wexford Men's Shed Ireland and folklore.ie.