wetlands group marching FOLLOWING our recent look at local mumming, we continue our examination of the ancient, enduring folk tradition, and some of the variations seen in local mummer groups and figures. Past Christmases witnessed a mumming pageantry of drama, music, dance, song and poetry with mummers’ musicians, instruments, dancers, songsters and storytellers adding to the jollity of their nightly forays. Whereas blowing hunting horns announced the mummers’ arrival, the Maguiresbridge Hogmanay men simply used a hairy ned, roped belt with attached empty syrup tin cans, pierced with holes and partly filled with pebbles. Monies scarce, the absence of musical instruments and a good musician was commonplace, so mummers created primitive sounds and rhythms such as ‘combing’ ¬– that is, by pressing lips onto brown paper, wrapped thinly around combs and blowing intensely.