School: Baile Dubh (C.) (roll number 2493)

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1. The Meals of the Day

   

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   I am writing now of ninety years ago when the people had to live solely on potatoes. They had potatoes for breakfast, dinner and supper and had to do very hard work then. For instance mowers and reapers had to be out at 6 o'clock in the morning and work until late that evening, and for breakfast they would get a pot of potatoes and a can of fresh milk. For dinner it was the same, only that the milk would be sour or skimmed milk, and they used a fist of salt with them. The supper was no better. Then there came a change, not much for the better, when they brought to this country the yellow meal. The first of this meal was landed at Saleen Quay near Ballylongford. This was given to the people of North Kerry as relief meal. The people made stirabout of it, or as we say today yellow gruel. This they used for some time - together with the potatoes and milk. When they got more acquainted with this meal they began to make bread of it, and this was called "paka". It had to be made with boiling water and mixed with a wooden spoon, and then made into little squares and baked in hot flags in the hearth; this was the food for breakfast for many years together with wooden mugs of milk. Ah, those were the days when they had no appendicitis!

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Mary Sheehy

   Gender

   Female

   Age

   12

   Address

   Ballyduff, Co. Kerry

   Informant

   Patrick Sheehy

   Relation

   Parent

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Ballyduff, Co. Kerry