Remembering nights waiting for the Waits
IT is many years now since the Waits operated in Castlebar, a custom dating back to the time of town criers, writes Tom Gillespie.
The most recent to carry out the pre-Christmas tradition were Stephen Guthrie and the late Joe Geraghty.
For many years prior to that Stephen was accompanied by fellow McHale Road resident Dessie Dunne, who carried on the tradition for 40 years. Others involved over the years were Pakie Forde, Paddy Clarke and a man named McCormack.
Nightly they walked through the main streets of the county town calling out the names of the families along the streets, playing music and wishing the householders a happy Christmas.
During their three-hour midnight street-to-street vigil they called out the names of the householders, wishing them well on a cold and frosty night.
It is believed that the Waits go back to the time of the town crier when people prepared for Christmas by ‘waiting for Christ’.
The Waits used a register of electors to identify the occupants of the houses. Back in the 1980s the Waits knew all of the people in the town but as Castlebar expanded the task became impossible and the Waits concentrated on the main streets.
They covered as many streets as possible up to December 23. While one of the men called out the greetings the other played Irish airs on the accordion.
From medieval times up to the early 19th century, every British town and city of any note had a band of waites (modern spelling waits). Their duties varied from time to time and place to place, but included playing their instruments through the town at night, waking the townsfolk on dark winter mornings by playing under their windows, welcoming Royal visitors by playing at the town gates, and leading the Mayor’s procession on civic occasions.
Castlebar, being a British garrison town, would have adopted the tradition.
Town waits or city waits were in former times in England and Scotland the watchmen who patrolled during the night, using a musical instrument to show they were on duty and to mark the hours.
This simple task later developed as the waits added more instruments and became more proficient at playing them. These musical bands were often attired in colourful liveries and in some cases wore silver chains. They added dignity to ceremonial occasions.
Musically inclined families tended to serve as waits, since this was more easily open to them than other musical occupations. The surnames Waite and Wakeman are derived from individuals who worked as waits.
The usual instrument of the waits was the shawm - a medieval and Renaissance wind instrument, forerunner of the oboe, with a double reed enclosed in a wooden mouthpiece, and having a penetrating tone, its loud and pungent sound suited it to outdoor playing. They also in some cases played string instruments, and were also sometimes noted for their singing.
Waits were provided with salaries, liveries and silver chains of office bearing the town’s coat of arms.
From the Middle Ages to the 18th century town records include transactions concerning waits, upon their appointment and on the provision of cloaks, ribbons, badges, etcetera. Payments were also made for their instruments, such as hautboys, bass viols, fiddles and bassoons.
As a result of the Municipal Corporations Act of 1835, waits were abolished, though their name lingered on as Christmas waits, who could be any group of singers or musicians who formed a band in order to sing and play carols for money around their town or village at night over the Christmas period. It is these largely amateur musicians who have in recent years become associated with the name 'waits', rather than the historical civic officers and accomplished musicians who represented the original waits.
Local historian Brian Hoban has written extensively on the history of Castlebar and recalling the Waits he wrote: "Like many generations of Castlebar children I vividly remember waking with excitement to the sounds of music and greetings of the Waits in the early hours.
"The custom of the Waits came to Castlebar, as it did to most garrison towns in the country, due to the existence of the British army in this towns. The tradition has been practised in the town since the early 16th century and more especially since the town became a garrison town in 1691.
"The practice was especially continued in Castlebar because of the influence of the Scottish regiments stationed in the town. Residents of old Castlebar have continued the custom - ‘the auld stock’ - in recent years from McHale Road and previously Lucan Street, New Antrim Street, Tucker Street, also known as ‘The Lower End', to the south west of the town river. Persons associated with the continuation of this tradition would have association with or their ancestry would descend from the British army presence in the town.
"Stephen Guthrie and Joe Geraghty continued this long established custom up to recent years. Prior to this Stephen operated along with Dessie Dunne. Dessie Dunne along with Paddy Clarke had kept the custom alive since the 1940s. A brother of Paddy Clarke was involved in the practice in the years before 1940. Among the instruments played by him was The Ivy Leaf.
“An older resident remembers a Charlie Watson, who lived at Rock Square beneath the old Boxing Club, calling out the Waits in the 1930s.”