A Unique Irish New Year tradition - Old Year Celebrations in Portmagee, County Kerry.
For over a century and a half, the arrival of each new
year is celebrated in Portmagee with a unique custom called 'The Old Year'. It's a little bit crazy, a little
bit amazing and a fantastic time.
History of the 'Old Year' Celebration
The year was 1727 when, three days after Christmas, a Kinsale brig, flying a French flag, landed in the Port of Portmagee after coming from Nantes France. The boat’s mission was a cargo that was, let’s say, not in the interest of the British taxpayer, as smuggling on this coast was a familiar feature. The boat remained until the New Year but what was to happen the people of Portmagee on News Year's Eve 1727 was to going to change their little village for evermore.
As the locals were retiring for the night, a strange but eerie noise was coming from the vicinity of the local pier.Many thought it was the banshee (a female spirit whose wailing is said to warn the hearer
of an impending death in the family) as the strange sound came up towards the village. To the locals amazement they saw the crew of the french boat holding torches and marching through the village. They were led by a piper and in the centre of the torchmen a shaggy and staggering figure of an old man on his last legs was swaying as if his time was up.
They proceeded through the village making a racket and when they returned to the head of the pier a shot rang out and the old man lay on the road as if dead. Silence desceded again but only for a moment when a newly-dressed man with white trourses, swallow-tail coat and top hat emerged from the darkness and he repeated the route of the old man with again the piper leading him and the torches either side. The new man gave a speech to explain to locals about what they had just seen and he went onto inform them that the old man had symbolized the year gone by and, come midnight, he was no more. The New Man smybolised all that was new and the youth of the year that had just begun.
And so it was that the custom of the 'Old Year' began
in Portmagee. Starting the very next year, which co-incidentally
was one of the hungriest the village had ever seen, the
locals re-enacted the custom in honour of the strange
men who had so entertained them the previous year.
This tradition has been repeated ever since in the village and, over the years, even with modern technology, very little has changed. The sods of turf (peat) were always steeping in paraffin oil for a week in anvance of the night. The local children would go through the village at about 8 o clock rattling tin cans and making as much noise as possible to get locals out with money as there would be a collection for the paraffin oil. Everything has stayed the same with the carrying on of tradition being the primary motivator in organizing this every year.
The Millenium old year was the biggest of all with many magazines nominating Portmagee the place to be on this wonderful night. So, for generation after generation, the people have carried on the tradition introduced to them by a French crew 261 years ago.
John Devane, who played the Old Year for the last 20 years,
on and off, sadly passed away and will be very
much missed. For most of us, he was the Old Year
and will remain forever fondly etched in our memories as
he emerged from our pub and lead musicians and torch-bearers
and all of the local children up and down the village before
expiring theatrically at 12:00. Ní fheicimíd a
leithéid arís.
In 2009, we really pulled out all the stops with the introduction of
five pipers and two drummers from the New York Police Department Pipe Band. These musicians played on the streets of Portmagee on the night of the local pageant and also lead the parade through the village. This was a wonderful and unique occasion. The organising committee would like to thank Tourism Ireland, and Continental Airlines for their sponsorship of bringing the band members to Ireland. Also this all would not have been possible without the help of the Irish Consul General to New York, Mr Niall Burgess, and the committee are again very grateful for all the efforts he made in this regard.
If you're from Kerry or are anywhere near the area on New
Year's Eve, this is the place to be. But if you're
looking for a place to stay, you have to be quick, because
most accommodation for New Year's is gone by the end of
September.