School: Danescastle
- Location:
- Danescastle, Co. Wexford
- Teacher: Micheál Ó Loinghsigh
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0875, Page 007
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- (continued from previous page)of the water surrounding them in the pot were thrown out in the centre of the table and peeled and eaten without the use of knives and forks.
The liquid food was eaten out of wooden vessels called "goblets" which had generally two handles attached.
Wooden spoons and forks were occasionally used.
It is a common theory held by many of the older people even today that many of our modern diseases are due to the unhealthy foods consumed nowadays.
They claim that the skulls which are sometimes unearthed on the occasion of making a new grave show excellent teeth even in the case of people over 70 and 80 years of age at the time of death. They point to numerous instances of this in the case of Bannow Churchyard especially.
They lay the blame for dental decay and general physical deterioration on the increasing consumption of tea and white bread. They all speak highly of the merits of stirabout and buttermilk as healthy foods especially for the young.
They do not attach the same value to potatoes as a food.
In this, too, their opinions would seem to agree with the most modern medical opinions as it is held that the consumption of much potatoes does lead to certain stomach complaints.(continues on next page)
