Moneygran Festival – charred wood

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Man outdoors with charred wood - Moneygran. (JM - The man is John McGrath and the piece of charred wood is from the St John's Eve bonfire. John McGrath died about 1974 and said that he had given SH the song 'The Moneygran Pig Hunt'). St John's Eve (or Oiche Fheile Eoin) is celebrated in many parts of Ireland with the lighting of bonfires. This ancient custom has its roots in pre-Christian Irish society when the Celts honored the Goddess ~ine, the Celtic equivalent of Venus and Aphrodite. She was the Goddess Queen of Munster and Christianised rituals in her honour (as Naomh ~ine) took place until the nineteenth century on Knockainy, (Cnoc ~ine ~ the Hill of ~ine) in County Limerick.During the festival, people would say prayers, asking for God's blessing upon their crops. They would also take ashes from the fire, and spread them over their land as a blessing for protection for their crops. It was also common to have music, singing, dancing, and games during the festival. The fire was used for destroying small objects of piety (rosary beads, statues, etc.) without disrespecting God. It was also common for people to jump through the flames of the bonfire for good luck.