Looking Back: The May Procession

Marking the start of May, we have this undated photograph of a parish May Procession, provided by Nessa Dunlea.

"As well as a procession every Catholic home would have a May Altar for the month of May," Nessa writes, "with a statue or picture of Our Lady decorated with Bluebells. Cowslips and Primroses. These flowers would have been picked from the local fields — one great spot for the Cowslips was Lawlor's Field.

"The gentlemen carrying Our Lady's statue are Tom Keegan at the back and Leo Nolan and James Kelly (the tailor) in the front. The two Children of Mary in the front are Philomena Barrett on the far side and Kathleen Berney on the near side."

Update: May Keogh tells us that the girl at the rear is Angela Blaney.

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