‘Pattern’ and Field Day

Ballyoughter ‘Pattern’ or ‘Patron’ is held annually on the last Sunday in June and is followed by a Field Day in the grounds of the nearby National School. The church in Ballyoughter is dedicated to the Sacred Heart, also known as the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus or Sacratissimum Cor Iesu in Latin. This dedication is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions wherein the heart of Jesus is viewed as a symbol of “God’s boundless and passionate love for mankind”.

The word ‘Pattern’ is a derived from the Irish word ‘Pátrún’ or English word ‘Patron’. It refers to a time when most Irish parishes had a Patron Saint and parishioners celebrated Pattern Day on the Feast Day of the Saint. Ballyoughter Church may not be dedicated to a Patron Saint but still celebrates Pattern Day and Cemetery Sunday, a day where people pray for their family and friends who are deceased and buried in the church cemetery.

Pattern Day is a long-standing religious festival which all but disappeared during the Reformation. While the church was outlawed during Penal times, Catholics continued to pay homage to Pattern Day in the ruins of their local church or a nearby holy well where people held devotions and made their ‘rounds’. The ‘rounds’ involved a walk around the well a certain number of times while praying. Some people would bathe in the well or drink its water for its curative powers. People left a small token of personal value or a coin at the well and the practice of hanging a piece of cloth on a nearby tree became a tradition.

The Penal Laws of the early 18th century tried to prevent ‘papists’ from gathering at religious sites and holy wells by imposing a fine of 10 shillings on anyone found in attendance. This did not deter the Catholic faithful and the tradition of Pattern Day continued well into the 19th century. There was a decline in the popularity of Pattern Day during the Famine years, and it became a dying custom until a strong revival in the tradition during the 20th century.

The Field Day was always something to look forward to when growing up in Ballyoughter. Once the formalities of the ‘Pattern’ were over, most local people made their way to the school grounds for some entertainment, fun and refreshments. It was an occasion that afforded people who left the area for other climes to renew old acquaintances and stay in touch with their roots.

There was an array of activities such as the ‘wheel of fortune’, pillow fights, rifle range, trailer backing, auctions and many more. Most of these still continue today but some, like the rifle range, have fallen by the wayside due to health and safety concerns. Who remembers when they became old enough to shoot the pellet gun on their own? Did you get the football through the tyre or the basketball through hoop? Can you remember the excitement of winning at the wheel of fortune or maybe you just had a cup of tea and chat with friends? Whatever your memory is, if you have a photo, please forward it to the website administrator.