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Season of the Corn
A complete recording of the year-long project is now available on video as a permanent record of how things were done in days gone by. This is how our forefathers tilled the soil and reaped the crops in an Ireland now long gone. The two-hour videotape has been very successful in Ireland and now the organizing committee is making the tape available worldwide, so that Irish people everywhere can enjoy this remarkable re-enactment of a way of life that is part of our Irish heritage. To order, send Cheque or Money Order to: Prices (including Postage & Handling): For further information, please send an email to: Seamus O'Donnell NOTE: Herself has been in contact with the video-production company and has been assured that tapes sent from Ireland to other parts of the world will be properly formatted so that they can be played on any VCR. She also wants to make sure the reader understands that Irish Culture and Customs receives no commission for any sales generated by this article. However, with the holidays right around the corner, she does encourage readers to consider purchasing copies for gifts. This is a unique way to keep our heritage and history alive, so that we can pass it on to our children and grandchildren. Resources:The paragraph on Threshing was adapted from The Festive Food of Ireland by Darina Allen. All other text and images are published with permission from The Step Back In Time Project |
 The Hill of Slane It had long been known as sacred ground when St. Patrick visited the hill on the eve of Easter in 433 A.D. He lit a Paschal or Easter fire which could be seen from the nearby hill of Tara, the royal seat of power. There, a fire also burned to clebrate the pagan feast of Beltane. Since it was against the law to light any fire in the area while this was taking place, Laoghaire, the king at that time, was furious and rode off with his retinue to arrest the mystery rebel. Miraculously - some say through an earthquake, others by holding up a shamrock- St. Patrick convinced the king of his belief in Christianity and the power of the Holy Trinity. It was a power that St. Patrick thought would be useful to the king who only wished that his soldiers could be as brave as St. patrick and his followers. He took the group prisoner and marched them back to the Hill of Tara. The next day, they were spared and were allowed to preach Christianity to the pagan army. Today, at the top of the hill are the ruins of a Franciscan Monastery built in 1512.
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While we were surfing the net, we came across a fascinating story about a group of Donegal farmers who stepped back in time and used the old ways to raise and harvest the crops.
Using only horses and traditional farm implements, we ploughed a field, prepared the ground and sowed the seed to produce a field of oats.
Doesn't that sound delightful - sitting in a cozy, thatched-roof cottage, relishing a delicious fresh-baked scone in front of an open turf fire? In the old days, it was back-breaking labor to get to that kind of sweet reward. Back then, when the harvesting was done with a binder and threshing machine, first on the agenda was the cutting of the crop. The reaper and binder would rumble into the fields, cut the barley, wheats or oats, bind the stooks and split them so they could be built into conrstacks. A few weeks later, when the stacks were dried out, they were brought into the haggard and built into huge ricks. There, they waited until it was the farmer's turn to have the threshing machine and elevator. On that morning, a group of men on foot or bicycle would arrive from neighboring farms to put in long hours, piking sheaves, clearing chaff and filling the sacks.
It was dry, thirsty work, and one of the great attractions was a barrel of beer or porter set up nearby so the men could refresh themselves. In the meantime, the womenfolk were busy baking and cooking a grand dinner for the men who were fed in relays. Wives competed with each other to provide the season's best "feed." Larger establishments had roasts of beef or lamb with roast potatoes, gravy and vegetables. The more humble farms served bacon and cabbage, or perhaps a pig's head - but always with lots of potatoes and mugs of milk. A sweet treat of apple or rhubarb tart and mugs of hot tea rounded off one of the most satisfying meals in an Irish year. There was a profound contentment in knowing the family and livestock would have food for the long winter ahead.