Midnight
This short speech produced a general bustle in the barn ; many of the elderly neighbors left it , and several of the young persons also . It was Christmas Eve , and the Midnight Mass had from time immemorial so strong a hold upon their prejudices and affections , that the temptation must indeed have been great which would have prevented them from attending it . When old Frank went out , about one-third of those who were present left the dance along with them ; and as the hour for mass was approaching , they lost no time in preparing for it . The Midnight Mass is , no doubt , a phrase familiar to our Irish readers ; but we doubt whether those in the sister kingdoms , who may honor our book with a perusal , would , without a more particular description , clearly understand it . This ceremony-was performed as a commemoration not only of the night , but of the hour in which Christ was born . To connect it either with edification , or the abuse of religion , would be invidious ; so we overlook that , and describe it as it existed within our own memory , remarking , by the way , that though now generally discontinued , it is in some parts of Ireland still observed , or has been till within in a few years ago . The parish in which the scene of this story is laid was large , consequently the attendance of the people was proportionably great .