Tony Fitzmaurice, c. 1960, Killocrim Wrenboys perform in Listowel.
Tony Fitzmaurice photographed Wrenboys from various townlands in north Kerry performing in Listowel in 1960. Inspired by this I filmed two ‘Wrens’ on St Stephen’s Day 2025; the Ballybunion and Ballydonoghue Wren performing at Lisselton Cross and Dreoilín na Ríochta, Teach Siamsa Finuge moving from house to house in Killocrim, home to one of the groups Fitzmaurice photographed in 1960. The sound track features Seán Ahern as lead vocal on Aililiú an Dreoilín (Ah! The Wren), accompanied by the Siamsa Tíre performance company on a recording made in 1976. Frances Kennedy sings The Boys of Barr na Sráide (who hunted for the Wran). Both groups play a range of traditional and seasonal tunes, captured in passing on a shotgun mic.
An Dreoilín | The Wren 2025 is part of a larger work in progress about the extraordinary – but little known – Irish photographer Tony Fitzmaurice (1932-2019). The sight of a Strawboy walking down the road in Killocrim reminded me of a sketch in the Haddon Papers in Cambridge University Library. That sparked another idea which I develop in my Ballymaclinton Blog.