People ate vegetables such as cabbage and turnips. Colcannon was eaten. Potatoes were peeled and put into a pot of boiling water. When they were boiled the water was taken off them. Salt was thrown on them. They were pounded with a beetle. Then milk was put on them. They were lifted up on plates and divided round on the people. Each person made a hole in the colcannon and butter was put into the hole. The people ate biestings and they eat them to potatoes. What people ate on Shrove Tuesday was bacon. There was a man named John Murray who ate thirty eggs on Easter Sunday. Before cups became common there were wooden noggins.

The thirty first of October is called Cabbage Stump night and Colcannon day also. For dinner that day it is a custom to have Colcannon made from mashed potatoes with cabbage leaves over it to keep in the steam. And a few vegetables Money is put into it to see who is the lucky one of the familyIn the evening the boys gather the cabbage stumps after the colcannon and line them up in some special place.
Then they run along and hit the doors in the street. On the day before this they go around hitting the doors to find out the people that will not tolorates their pranks
Then they make sure to go to their door on

The thirty first of October is called Cabbage Stump night and Colcannon day also. For dinner on that day it is a custom to have Colcannon made from mashed potatoes cabbage leaves over it to keep in the steam and a few vegetables coins are put into it to see who is the lucky one in the family.In the evening the boys gather the cabbage stumps after the Colcannon and line them up in some appointed place. Then they run along and hit the doors in the street. On the day before this they go around hitting the doors to find out the people who will not tolerate their pranks.
Then they make sure to go to their doors on "Cabbage Stump night." Two old men that live in the Faythe do be waiting for the boys to come around and when they do they throw water on the boysThe next night is called "Dip Night". We place a tub of in the middle of the floor and then we throw nuts and appels and sometimes money into the water and in turn we

This story was told by Philip Kehoe today.His Father Mr Andrew Kehoe, Ballindoney, told it to him.There was a man passing a rath one Halloween night. When he was passing he got a smell of colcannon. He went in to see who was there and he saw seven or eight little fairies sitting on stools.He said good night to them. The man was hungry and the fairies asked him to have colcannon. He said "Yes".The fairies gave him a big plate of colcannon. When he had it eaten they asked him to have more and the man had more colcannon. He ate so much that he swelled up and he could hardly see out over his stomach.The fairies rolled him home across the fields because he was unable to walk. When they got him to his own door they couldn't get because he was so wide. They sent for a witch that lived near him.The witch came and made the door wide and so the fairies got him in. They asked the witch to make him small. The witch said she couldn't do that because the queer men were still by him.

Colcannon is used for dinner on Ash Wednesday amongst some of the famlies but is not as frequently used as formerly

A Story about the "Good People."
In the townland of Cloughbally Lower - parish of Mullagh Co Cavan, barony of Castlerahan lived a family of the name of Costello (Cush-hill-oe) pronounced locally. One Hallow Eve, in the early eighties when the man of the house and his helpers came in from the field where they were digging the potatoes they sat down to dinner. A substantial dish of "colcannon" was placed on a low table on the centre of the floor. On top of the colcannon was a hole into which was placed a large roll of butter. The men seated on stools spaced themselves round the table and each taking up a spoon inserted it in the colcannon and half immersed it in the bowl of liquid butter before swallowing it. This process was repeated until all were filled to satiety.
When the men returned to their work in the fields the good house-wife set about preparing an appetising supper. Portion of the boiled potatoes not needed for dinner were bruised and mixed with flour, flavoured with salt, wetted with milk and shaped into cakes. These were baked on the pan and left on a dish to cool. These cakes were well soaked in butter which was spread on them while still hot.
On this evening the men arrived home earlier

Long ago when the new potatoes were not very dry and not good for eating the people made food from them which was called colcannon. They got some potatoes and they washed them clean and peeled them and then they put them in a pot of boiling water and put some salt on them and they boiled them quickly. When they were sufficiently boiled the water was drained off and they were pounded with a little wooden pounder and they put some sweet milk on it and they mixed the whole then each person some of it on a plate and they made a hole in the centre of the colcannon and put some butter in it and they ate it with a spoon.

nuts cracking, attempting to catch suspended apple in mouth, melting lead, and stories about fairies and the puca give them a great deal of pleasure.
In every home the woman of the house makes a cake and puts a ring in this. The cake is eaten in the evening and all the children find great pleasure while the meals is taking place. It is said that whoever gets the ring will be the first to marry. In some of the homes the ring is put in Colcannon - a special food prepared for the occasion - and a ring is put in it by the woman. All sit round the table on the centre of which is a large dish of the colcannon. All eat from this dish. There is much excitement and talk and merriment while the colcannon is being eaten and now and again is heard "Who'll get the ring?". Cabbage stealing or robbing the garden was a pastime in which boys and young men took much pleasure on Hallowe'en. The men of the house guarded his cabbages as well as he could. Sometimes he was armed with a club or hayfork.
It is said that neither blackberries nor haws should be plucked or eaten after Hallowe'en. It is said that the puca spits on these and that it is not "right" to eat them.
New Year's day is a great feast of the church - the feast of the Circumcision. It comes within the twelve days of Christmas and the Christmas feasting and rejoicing is continued.
On New Year's day everybody makes good resolutions. Superstitious people would not take out ashes, throw out water, clean out byres or spend money on New Year's day.

One day when the holy family were living in Nazareth they were very poor and had not enough of potatoes to eat the blessed Virgin said she would make colcannon and when she did it there was the full of the pot enough to feed ten men.
One day the blessed Virgin and our lord were hiding from the soldiers when they went into a house some put a white mark on that door and the next morning there was a white mark on every door. It is said that one day our Lord was hiding from the soldiers he lay down under a goat and he started to "ma" and tell them he was. He hid under a sheep and covered him with his wool.
One day Mary and Our Lord went into a house and they saw a few potatoes and asked for some of them the woman of the house said that there was not enough for themselves. The blessed Virgin said make colcannon when it was made they had to much.

Tump or ColcannonThe old people of this district were very fond of potatoes. They were often without potatoes during the months of May and June and they were anxious for a feed when the new potatoes came in. They made a mess called tump or colcannon. The new potatoes were washed carefully and the skin peeled off, and boiled in clean water. The boiled potatoes were then bruised into a soft mess with new-milk, salt, butter, onions and pepper. The mess was placed near the fire in a pot and carefully mixed together. It was then served on plates and the flavour of it would make a hungry man's teeth water. Tump is a very wholesome food, and those who ate it were strong and healthy, and were very seldom sick, and the Doctor made very little out of them.

The general food in olden times was stir-a-bout. The stir-a-bout was used in the morning for breakfast. Stir-a-bout is a healthy food. Potatoes also were a general food. On the thirty first of October Colcannon was used. People used to see who would stay eating the longest.
The Colcannon was made from onions, potatoes and newmilk. Oaten bread was alsop used in olden times. The table was places in the floor, and they sat around it and eat a hearty meal.

Mrs Holten tells that on Halloween night it was customary to leave a large plate of colcannon on the table with spoons stuck in it for the "good people".
Also. The house ie the kitchen was left clean especially the hearth and a clear passage was left from the door to the fire. All chairs etc were put back against the walls. Oaten bread baked on Xmas Eve and also on Halloween and eaten with colcannon. This oaten bread was baked on a stand before the fire.

fairy to get away from the capturer would tell them where the gold was. One Hallow Eve night a man was going a journey across the fields and he met with a fairies funeral. The fairies stopped the man and made him carry the coffin. They made his carry the coffin all night for miles and miles across hedges and ditches until day light. The fairy in charge of the funeral would shout now and again "who will carry the corpse" and the rest of the fairies would all shout out "who but Paddy Nelly". The old people would boil pots of colcannon and leave it on the table and leave the door open for the fairies. They would not eat the colcannon off plates, they would all sit around the fire and eat it out of the pot with spoons.Francis McIntyre
Collected from Patrick Donnelly, Newtown Moynalty, Ceanannus Mor

colcannon was made and eaten at supper. The colcannon was put in a dish, a deep well was made in the centre and butter put into this well. The dish was placed on the basket in the middle of the floor. The whole family sat round and ate it with spoons. On Shrove Tuesday night (the old people called it Sevaft Tuesday) Pancakes were made and a ring was put in one of them. These were eaten at tea that night. The person who was lucky enough to get the ring was supposed to be the first of the family to get married. Apples were eaten and nuts cracked on the night also.
On Easter Sunday morning the whole family had a feast of eggs. They would eat as many as they liked. Eggs were rarely used except on Easter Sunday, and in some houses the mother would put an egg on the hob the night before in order to see which of the children would be up first to get it. Children in those days looked forward to Easter Sunday, as they liked to get eggs for their breakfast, as it was the only day in the year they got any. My father cannot tell when tea was first used in the district, but he said, when he was

colcannon and eleven spoons at this fort. When he would go there in the morning the empty plates would be there. If this old fellow was in any trouble he'd whisper into the mound and a valuable jewel or diamond would be left at the mound. These he would take to a castle of gentleman's place and get a large sum of money for them. It was said that on one occasion he got a bar of gold which he took to Dublin and sold for a large sum of money. This was a great secret of Miceál's which he kept for years. When death cam eupon him he called his brother to the bed-side and said "Séamus a mic I feel as if I am going to die". "I am going to tell you a secret and never divulge it to any one else." Be sure and leave four plates of colcannon, and eleven spoons at Cornúa each hallow e'en night. When you are in trouble whisper into the mound and whatever you want your request will be granted. Séamus did as he was told and when death came upon him he called Donnacdha to the bed side and repeated the same words as Miceál. Donnacdha did not do as he was told.

Colcannon is made on the thirty first of October. Here is the way it is made:- You get a pot of potatoes and peel the skins off them. Then get a pot of boiling water and put the peeled potatoes into the pot to cook with water and salt. When they are done well, get the pounder & mash up the potatoes well adding pepper & salt & milk mix all well up together. When all that is done divide it out to each person. Sometimes people put a hole in the middle of it. A little cold cabbage, parsley, or onion chopped may be added also to colcannon.

people went to the farmer's houses and collected potatoes and milk to make the Colcannon. The colcannon was made with peeled potatoes boiled together with chopped cabbage. Then these were pounded with a thick "pounder". Then cream or milk was used to wet it and salt (and pepper sometimes) were put on it. Tea was only drunk on Christmas Day and only towards the end of the century was it common to have tea on a Sunday.
The people had to work before they got breakfast. They had to pick potatoes for a couple of hours while a pot of potatoes was being boiled for their breakfast.

The feast days which are observed in the Rower district are St Martin's night which is kept on the 10th November. On that day a fowl was killed and the blood was spilled on the hearth. This is also done to-day. The belief is that St Martin was killed on a threshing engine. Because of this the people of long ago did not thresh on that day.Colcannon Night
Colcannon is made on that night. It is made with peeled potatoes. First the potatoes are boiled. When the potatoes are soft, they are mashed up, milk pepper onions and salt are added. It is then left boiling for a few minutes. A lump of butter is put into the middle of it. It is

On this night, the old people used to have colcannon, boxty and tea for supper. Colcannon was made by mashing boiled potatoes and adding new milk. Boxty was a kind of bread made from potatoes and (bread) flour.
On this night the young people used to "dress up" to prevent their being known. The boys used to be dressed as girls and the girls as boys. The would go into some neighbour's house and steal the cake of boxty. Then they would go to some other house, make tea and eat the boxty.
The souls in Purgatory were supposed to be let loose on this night so as to return to the homes of their living relatives. Many of the old people would not bolt the doors on this night. The hearth would be cleanly swept, a fire left burning and a supper left ready for the dead.

The "feasting" days were, "Seraph" night the eve before Ash Wednesday, where they had a great feast of meat that night, that did them till Easter, when they had another great "feast" of eggs and butter that brought them on till Holintide that was the eve of the first of November when they had another great "feast" of colcannon and boxy and sometimes tea. They also played tricks, a ring was hidden in the colcannon and whatever lucky person got the ring was sure to be married first. They also played other tricks.
Tea was not commonly used in those times, and some of the cooks boiled the tea, and poured off the water and left the leaves for using.
The next "feast" was on Christmas day the greatest "feast" of all, where they had meat, puddings and whiskey. This great "feast" ended with a spree, and the neighbours gathered to certain houses and joined for the spree.. Whiskey