School: Carraig Áluinn (roll number 16.474)

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1. Foods - Colcannon

   

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   Foods -- "Colcannon"
   When colcannon is to be made a number of good boiled potatoes is placed in an iron pot and bruised into pulp by means of a beetle kept for the purpose. The beetle is nicely shaped, generally like the figure at side of page. The small end was held in the hand or hands, and with the large end the potatoes were bruised or pounded up. Sometimes a little warm milk and "chives" were added. The chives were like very small leeks and used to be grown in every garden long ago. They were also used in soups. When the boys and girls came home from school each took a turn at the beetle and it was work they all enjoyed. The colcannon was placed on plates and a round hole was made with a spoon in the centre of each heap. Into this hole a good lump of butter was placed, and sometimes it melted of its own accord, and sometimes, when the lump was rather big, the melting process was hastened by covering it over with some hot colcannon which was removed when the butter had melted. The children sat around with spoons. As each lifted a small quantity of the colcannon he dipped it into the butter in the centre of the heap and then ate his fill. The circle of colcannon around the butter-hole became thinner and thinner until in the end all was gone and generally the last bits were nicest of all for they were well soaked in butter.
   Narrator: Same as for "Boxty" "Potato Cake"

   

   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

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

   Language

   English

   Informant

   Mrs Mary O' Dowd

   Gender

   Female

   Age

   58

   Address

   Druminuff, Co. Leitrim