The Marymass Tawnle

In the parish of Dundonald in Ayrshire and round about, people kept up an ancient practice of lighting a large wood fire, called a tawnle, on some high ground and making merry round it. They did it on the eve of the Wednesday of Marymass fair at Irvine, which began on the third Monday of August and lasted the whole week. The minister writing in the Statistical Account of Scotland noted that most fair days had once been holy days whose eves were spent in ceremonies and diversions, so some supposed the tawnles were first lit by the old Catholic parishioners, while others traced them to the Druids.