School: Finiskill (roll number 13075)
- Location:
- Finiskil, Co. Leitrim
- Teacher: Cathal Ó Floinn
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0219, Page 379
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- (continued from previous page)Meat was not so commonly used as it is nowadays, and pigs were much less plentiful than at present. Vela, however, was used comparatively often and I have been told by old men that long ago people often killed young calves and salted the veal. This meat was not so nutritious so that of a more mature animal would be, but people did not rear calves in those days except very rarely.
Creameries were unknown then and farmers' wives used to churn all the milk and make butter from it. The butter was packed firmly into a tub or firkin and when this was full after a period of a few months the farmer took the firkin to market.
The two nearest butter markets at that time were situated in Longford and Belturbet of which the farmer was nearer to this district. The price realised for the butter tubs depended largely upon the quality of the butter but even butter of the worst quality was usually bought although of course at a greatly reduced rate. This trade in butter probably accounted for the slaughter of calves and the use of their flesh as food. Later, of course, pigs became common, with the advent of creameries, but at the time of which I write bacon had not yet displaced eggs potatoes and oaten bread as the staple diet of the country people(continues on next page)
