The Irish tradition of leaving flowers on doorsteps on the morning of May first is alive and well throughout the counties of Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal today.
The first of May traditionally welcomes the arrival of summer and is marked by a variety of customs, most of which were associated with warding off bad luck, and looking forward to a favourable summer.
The most common tradition associated with today is the picking and bringing home of fresh flowers that were gathered before dusk on May Eve by children.
Local historian Joe McGowan says this tradition is dated back to pre-Christian times.
