School: Muine Dubh (Moneyduff) (roll number 9222)

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1. Folklore - Food in Olden Times

   

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   For the working man he got three meals daily. In the morning the people got a plate of stirabout and at dinner time "bruisy" (mashed potatoes) and Boxty in the evening. They worked two hours before the breakfast of stirabout when they had that eaten they drank a porringer of thick milk. They never drank newmilk only buttermilk because they could not afford to drink the newmilk they had to churn it, and sell the butter. They sat around the basket of potatoes on the middle of the floor and peeled them with their fingers. The tables were mostly hung up on the wall when not in use. The bread used to be oaten bread and Boxty bread. It was baked on a griddle at the side of the fire. The boxty bread was made, the potatoes were peeled and then put in a cloth and squeezed the water out of them and put salt and soda in it, and roll it and make it into farls then bake it on a pan and eat when cold. If people nowadays got that they would as the old people say "cock their noses" at it when they would not have something nice. That is why we are not as strong as those gone before us. My Grandfather could eat a goose and a basin of potatoes at his dinner, but no tea after it like now he only got tea twice a year at Christmas and Easter. People used ate late at night and do yet that is not the case with everybody. Some people if they ate late at night they would not sleep. Old people never went to bed without eating, they used to eat

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. products
      1. food products (~3,601)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   John Fowley

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Kilmore, Co. Leitrim

   Informant

   Mrs Fowley

   Gender

   Female

   Age

   42

   Address

   Kilmore, Co. Leitrim