By Georgina Brennan

A group of Irishmen are trying to bring an ancient Irish tradition to Manhattan over Christmas.

“In Ireland Christmas takes place over two days, Christmas Day and St. Stephen’s Day. But here in America Christmas is over so quick that we want to extend it a bit and give Irish people her over the holidays a taste of home,” says group organizer Paddy Dalton.

The group called the Wren Boys will travel around to several pubs in Manhattan on St. Stephen’s Day, the day after Christmas, dressed in old Irish costume and play music. All the proceeds of the roaming will go to the charity HOPe (helping other people), which was formed out of the Kerry Association’s building on McLean Avenue in Yonkers in 2001.

“The Wren Boys are a tradition that has descended almost from Celtic mythology. On St. Stephens’ Day, in many parts of Ireland, people dress up in old or colourful clothes, paint their faces and visit peoples houses and entertain briefly with a bit of music, a song or a dance. They then pass a collection box around for a donation, which may be for a party, or a football club or for a charity,” explained Dalton.

The tradition is looked on fondly in parts of Ireland where most families would have at least one member out roaming and entertaining at this time of year.

“A group of us are going out for a charity group called HOPe. Last year we went to most of the Irish bars in the Bronx and Queens,” he said.

“We danced the traditional Irish music sets to accordion music for about five minutes depending on the size of the bar and how busy it was, and then we moved to another bar. This year we plan on visiting the Irish bars in Manhattan.”

For Dalton the interest is in helping a charity that needs assistance, and also in easing the pain of may people nostalgic for an Irish Christmas.

“For Irish people abroad, the sound of the wren boy music is comforting, because it makes Christmas that bit longer. For example, three years ago, I heard the accordion player on McLean Avenue, and it made me feel nostalgic because across the way the public library was open, and the music reminded me that Christmas was not yet over,” he said.

Since its inception HOPe has supported a variety of small to medium size projects focusing primarily on healthcare and education in the developing world. At least 90% of funds raised by HOPe go directly to people.

The Wren Boys are always looking for new members, and so is the charity HOPe. For more information on the Wren Boys and HOPe go to www.hope-charity.org.