Kathleen FitzPatrick, Courtnacuddy, Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford - The Blessed Candle

The Blessed Candle Dripped in the Fire
Here's a short story told to me by Kathleen FitzPatrick from Courtnacuddy, Co. Wexford on Friday during a 90 minute interview. It's a lovely version of "dripping the wax" which I normally hear in Newfoundland.
She tells the story of a neighbour who was gone to a fair and in typical fashion had a few drinks and his wife was worried about his return. So she takes out the blessed candle, lights it and drips the wax into the fire and no sooner did she do that, he arrives in the yard. She ends the clip by saying "It was her faith".
The idea of dripping the wax from a blessed candle is strong in some of the Catholic Irish communities in Newfoundland and I've seen it a lot of there with regard to blessing the home, people, tools and machinery.
Text: Michael Fortune