Wren Boys

In his sermon on St. Stephen’s Day, a priest recalls the now-outdated wren hunting tradition. Boys on the cusp of manhood would be sent out to kill a wren and, later, the parish would gather for the burial of the bird. The tradition symbolized the burial of the past: promising a fresh start in the new year. It was a cruel tradition, Father Conor concludes, and he does not legitimize cruelty. Later that day, Conor drives his nephew to prison to visit a battle-worn inmate. Their visit is one born of a new 21st Century Ireland, which casts a critical eye on tradition. Within the prison walls, progress operates at a different pace and it runs alongside the threat of violence.