School: Dunmanus, Toormore

Location:
Dunmanus East, Co. Cork
Teacher:
Helena Lucey
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0288, Page 230

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0288, Page 230

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  1. XML School: Dunmanus, Toormore
  2. XML Page 230
  3. XML “Food in Olden Times”

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  1. Long ago the people ate but three meals a day. And in the very early times they had potatoes for breakfast, dinner, and supper. They used milk and fish with the potatoes and sometimes they used only milk and salt.
    In olden times fish was very plentiful owing to the absence of foreign trawlers. And those who lived by the seaside were never short of fish.
    In some houses where there was a big family, the table was placed in the centre of the floor, and a pot of potatoes were thrown out on it and the family gathered around the table for meals.
    In the olden times the bread the people used was wheaten bread and yellow-meal cake. They called the wheaten bread "black bread". On Christmas and Easter the people used have better food. Easter Sunday and Patrick's day were great days for egg-eating. And at Christmas the people used have a goose or turkey and a currant cake. About 80 years ago tea was first used in this district and then it was used only among the women as tea was very costly. It was said as a
    (continues on next page)
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    Topics
    1. products
      1. food products (~3,601)
    Language
    English
    Collector
    Bridie Walsh
    Gender
    Female
    Address
    Lissacaha (North), Co. Cork