15/08/2024
Today the 15th of August is Lady Day (Feast of the Assumption) and in the past people in Wexford people would try visit the sea on this day.
This was done in other counties too including counties Waterford, Louth and Down. This sea-visiting tradition is still going strong in Brittany however it seems to have faded in popularity in Ireland the 1960s.
The idea is that you visit water on this day and sport and play and end it all by dipping your feet in the sea for a blessing. The ancient Pilgrimage to Our Lady’s Island in Wexford also starts on this day too and in the past there was even a custom of walking around the island with one foot on land and the other in the water.
The day is also important with some of the rural Catholic communities in Newfoundland as they mark Lady Day with celebrations and feasting of their new potatoes and vegetables. Sadly the 15th of August also heralded the end of Summer season for many and this was the last weekend many holiday makers had at the sea.
Text: Michael Fortune
