Life is harsh in close-knit community of Dirrabeg a community on the Dingle Peninsula facing extinction in the mid-1950s. Many of the young have left for England or America where there are opportunities & chances for secure lives. Those remaining behind love their land & their independence but fear for the future as the bogs get thin the yields are poor & the children have little hope of success. Donal Hallapy devoted father of a large family is a bodhran player. He is always in great demand whenever the once-a-year wrendances take place a day long festival on St Stephens Day which can be traced back to pagan times. This paganism the secret nature of the celebrations the singing dancing & drinking that takes place & the fact that the church has no control over them has made them anathema to the clan of the round collar " in the person of Canon Tett an ultraconservative & downright sadistic priest determined to bring the free spirits of Dirrabeg to bay by ending the fun of the wrendances. Wickedly funny & full of insight into age-old conflicts & a lifestyle long passed into memory."