The Christmas Crib

For a long time it might have been considered unthinkable to speak of celebrating Christmas without there being a crib involved. Regrettably, the increasing secularisation of modern society can mean that the crib, and what it represents, is sometimes pushed to one side or, in some cases, completely ignored. However, for many of us, the crib and the memories it evokes of childhood and times gone by still remains a vivid and constant reminder of the real meaning of Christmas.

One of my earliest and fondest childhood memories of Christmas is of going to last Mass on a chilly Christmas morning and visiting the crib in the darkest corner of our parish church, just to the left of the front door. I can still recall the musty smell and the childhood sense of wonder as we stood there and gazed at the beautiful tableau which had appeared overnight, as if by magic. Later, of course, we would learn that the installation of the crib was actually the work of one of our neighbours in Mount Street in Claremorris, the late Desmond Prendergast, or Des as he was better known.

Des Prendergast was born and reared in Mount Street. He inherited his father’s business and raised his family there in the 1960s and '70s. As well as having a general hardware business, he specialised in certain lines of goods such as suitcases, pots and pans and crockery, as well as religious goods such as statues and holy water fonts. At Christmas time he would stock a large selection of toys which, not surprisingly, had a magnetic attraction for all of us children who lived nearby or in the surrounding streets.

Uniquely however, he had another parallel business that related to church statues and, particularly, to cribs. A devout man, Des was gifted with artistic talents and over the years he became widely known for repairing and repainting the figures of church cribs across a broad swathe of the west of Ireland. These figures were generally made of plaster and were notoriously difficult to maintain without suffering chipped paintwork or other more catastrophic damage such as the loss of a limb, or in some cases, even decapitation!

In such emergencies, Des would be called upon to repair and repaint the figures, sometimes at short notice, but often too, he could be found working throughout the year on full sets of figures deemed to be in need of a facelift. Upon entering his shop there was a section of counter to the right where such figures could be seen in various stages of repair and refurbishment.

To a young child this was a matter of great fascination as he worked delicately with his many coloured pots of paint and fine brushes of various sizes. As you watched, the features of an exotic wise man could suddenly begin to reappear or the gentle smile of Our Lady could be restored as surely as if it were the Mona Lisa.

But it was to the Claremorris crib that Des devoted his chief attention. Each year he would ensure that any work that needed to be carried out was done in good time. In order to do this, the figure or figures needed to be brought from the church to his premises in Mount Street, and when completed, to be returned again to the church. However, that was not as simple as it seemed, for the figures were always stored upstairs in the choir loft which could only be accessed by a narrow winding stone stairway that also led to the bell tower.

On Christmas Eve, Des would have a large number of wooden crates delivered to the back porch of the church and stored in the dark back corner to the left, where the outer door was never opened. There would also be a large quantity of black plastic sheeting. This would form the ‘cave’ in which the crib was to be displayed. At that time, confessions would go on until nine o'clock at night before the doors of the church could be closed. It was only after that, and when his own shop had sold its last Christmas item, that Des would make his way to the church to construct the crib. Slowly and painstakingly, one at a time, the heavy figures would be brought down the damp and murky steps to ground level. This arduous task could not be completed single-handedly so Des would have help lined up to assist him, including, in later years, his sons, Michael and Des Jnr.

And so it was, that every Christmas morning the wonders of Bethlehem came to be revealed once again to the eager parishioners of Claremorris and their children. This hallowed ritual finally came to an end following the extensive renovations carried out to St Colman’s Church in the mid-1990s, when it was decided to display the crib in front of the side altar at the top of the church. Nevertheless, in his later years, Des continued to care for the figures until he passed away, about 20years ago.

In time, a new design by sacrista, Pat Gleeson, with a dramatic background and custom-built thatched ‘stable’ came into use. In building that crib with Pat each year, memories of childhood wonder will always come flooding back and, for a moment, I feel I am holding my father’s hand and standing reverently before the crib as if it were 1962. It was fitting then, that when the ‘new’ crib was first displayed we placed a card inside that read, ‘In memory of the late Des Prendergast, who built this crib for many years and who last painted these figures.’ So this Christmas, as we visit our local crib, and the beautiful carols of Christmas ring out above us, let us fondly remember the Des Prendergasts of every parish and the great legacy they have left us. The master’s hands may be stilled but his memory lives on.

Nollaig shona bheannaithe daoibh go léir.