The Crusheens
The line of the old funeral road entering Cong Village from the east passes through the Kathleen Lynn Garden and is marked on the ground.
Originally, funerals passed along established routes into Cong and stopped at certain spots to leave a small wooden cross and say a prayer. These places were referred to as “Crusheens” or sometimes “Cresheens” (from the Irish “croisin” meaning cross).
According to local tradition, it was the practice of the Abbot of Cong to bring the processional Cross of Cong to certain points along the road to meet all funerals bound for their final resting place. In the 16th century, Cong Abbey was suppressed at the time of the dissolution of the monasteries. The Lord Abbott at the time, Aeneas McDonnell, meeting a funeral on its way to the Abbey grounds, formed a cross of branches of a tree, which he placed on a wall, saying; ‘’Thus let it be done for all time’’
According to the 19th century Irish antiquarian Margaret Stokes:
“This Irish custom seems to belong to the worship of the Instruments of the Passion and to be connected with the Passion of Christ. The hawthorn and whitethorn and blackthorn all claim to have been used for the sacred Crown of Thorns. Sir John Mandeville says “They maden hym a crowne of the branches of the Albiespyne that is Whitethorn” and Giles Fletcher says:
“It was but now they gathered blooming May,
And of his arms disrobed the branching tree,
To strow with boughs and blossoms all thy way;
And now the branchlesse trunck a crosse for thee
And May, dismaid thy coronet must be.”
The form of procession carrying in our hands ivy, sprigs of laurel, rosemary or other evergreens is said to be emblematic of the soul’s immortality. So this bearing of the cross to the point where at the meeting of four roads that road is chosen which leads directly to the grave is emblematic of the soul’s submission; while the laying down the cross upon the thorny branch that made the Saviour’s crown is an instance of Christian symbolism still lingering among our peasantry that ought not to pass unrecorded” Stokes, Margaret. Three Months in the Forests of France: A Pilgrimage in Search of Vestiges of the Irish Saints in France. United Kingdom, G. Bell, 1895.
Stokes records that the tradition exists in parts of France and Spain but in Ireland is confined to Cong and Kilmore in Co. Wexford.
The tradition in Cong continues to this day and the most prominent Crusheen is on the Clonbur Road half a mile north of the village at the Joyce Monument. As each funeral approaches the village, a friend or relative of the deceased will leave a wooden cross at the Crusheen site when the procession stops to pray.
Na Croisíní
Gabhann líne an tseanbhóthair sochraide a théann isteach i Sráidbhaile Chonga ón oirthear trí Ghairdín Kathleen Lynn agus tá an slí marcáilte ar an talamh.
Thaistil sochraidí i dtosach ama feadh bealaí bunaithe isteach i gConga agus stop siad ag áiteanna áirithe le cros bheag adhmaid a fhágáil agus le paidir a rá. Tugadh “Croisíní” (a chiallaíonn crosa beaga, nó “Crusheens” nó “Cresheens” as Béarla) ar na háiteanna seo.
De réir an traidisiúin áitiúil, ba nós le hAb Chonga Cros Chonga mhórshiúil a thabhairt go háiteanna áirithe feadh an bhóthair go gcasfadh sé leis na sochraidí go léir a raibh an corpán á thabhairt acu chun na reilige. Cuireadh Mainistir Chonga faoi chois sa 16ú haois nuair a bhí deireadh á chur leis na mainistreacha. Rinne an tAb Tiarna ag an tráth, Aeneas McDonnell, cros de ghéaga crainn a leag sé ar bhalla nuair a casadh sochraid air agus é ar a bhealach chuig tailte na Mainistreach agus dúirt sé; “Go ndéantar amhlaidh choíche”.
De réir an ársaitheora Éireannaigh sa 19ú haois, Margaret Stokes:
“Is cosúil gur ar mhaithe le hadhradh Ionstraimí na Páise atá an nós Éireannach seo agus go bhfuil sé ceangailte le Páis Chríost. Deirtear gur úsáideadh an sceach, an sceach gheal agus an draighean don Choróin Spíne naofa. Deir Sir John Mandeville, “Rinne siad coróin dó de ghéaga an Albiespyne, is é sin, an Sceach Gheal” agus deir Giles Fletcher:
“It was but now they gathered blooming May,
And of his arms disrobed the branching tree,
To strow with boughs and blossoms all thy way;
And now the branchlesse trunck a crosse for thee
And May, dismaid thy coronet must be.”
Deirtear go léiríonn an nós ina n-iompraítear eidhneán, craobhóga labhrais, maróis nó de chrainn eile shíorghlasa inár lámha, neamhbhásmhaireacht an anama. Léiríonn an chros a iompar ar an nós seo go dtí an áit go roghnaítear an bóthar sin a ghabhann díreach go dtí an uaigh ag an áit a gcasann na ceithre bhóthar géilleadh an anama; agus sampla den siombalachas Críostaí atá sa chros a leagan síos ar an ngéag dheilgneach a rinne coróin an tSlánaitheora atá le tabhairt faoi deara go fóill i measc ár dtuathánach ar fiú é a chur i gcuntas” Stokes, Margaret. Three Months in the Forests of France: A Pilgrimage in Search of Vestiges of the Irish Saints in France. An Ríocht Aontaithe, G. Bell, 1895.
Deir Stokes go bhfuil an traidisiún beo go fóill in áiteanna sa Fhrainc agus sa Spáinn ach nach dtugtar faoi deara in Éirinn é ach i gConga agus sa Chill Mhór i gContae Loch Garman.
Leanann an traidisiún go dtí an lá inniu i gConga agus is féidir an Croisín is feiceálaí a fheiceáil ar Bhóthar na Fairche leathmhíle ó thuaidh den sráidbhaile ag Séadchomhartha na Seoigeach. De réir mar a dhruideann gach sochraid leis an sráidbhaile, fágfaidh cara nó gaol leis an duine marbh cros adhmaid ag suíomh an Chroisín nuair a stopann an mórshiúl le paidreacha a rá.