Message: 1 Date: Sun, 26 Aug 2007 08:41:59 -0600 From: "jj.carroll" <jj.carroll@comcast.net> Subject: [IRELAND] The SPUD! To: <ireland@rootsweb.com> Message-ID: <003001c7e7ef$42b13c20$0b00a8c0@workstation2> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" More from McSorley's book; this time "THE SPUD." "Potatoes were the main food supply for man and beast [and remained so well into the 1900s]. The hard work began when 'father' decided to have the best potatoes hand picked and put in bags. These were called 'seed potatoes'. Bags containing the seed were taken into the comfort of the kitchen, where helpers at the cutting stood like nurses in the theatre. Full 'butts' of cuts had to be left outside in a shed. Butts of rejects were washed and put in a big boiler.[and] were boiled and fed to the pigs. Little sharp knives were bandaged with a piece of cotton rag, just below the handle, to protect the forefinger from pressure when cutting. "The attendants washed and cleaned the dust from off the floor after each cutting session. Cutting could last up to two or three weeks. [Attendants, bandages - what the heck? Patricia McSorely was trained as a nurse!] "Drills were opened with a horse plough and farmyard manure was spread evenly in each drill. Little mounds of manure had been dropped at intervals up to the drills by the men and the family scattered these using graips. "The back breaking job of dropping the potatoes followed. Each 'cut' had to be dropped eye side up and freshly cut side facing downwards and evenly spaced. This was important as father followed the droppers with his bucket of bone manure. With his hand he spread a fine covering of this artificial manure on top of the cuts. Should he find a cut turned the wrong way up, the culprit was reprimanded because the bone manure could burn the upturned spud. "Drills were closed and you anxiously awaited the growth of the new potatoes, which brought a flourishing crop of unwanted weeds. The children had to weed these, up one drill and down the next, acre after acre. The top of each drill had to be lowered, thus aiding the young shoot. This was done using a hoe and was called 'Topping the Drills'. "Before spraying time, a crop of turnips, carrots, mangols and cabbage had to be thinned and kept free of weeds. At spaying time a big wooden 'Porter Barrel" was filled with water and mixed with correct proportions of blue stone and washing soda; 7 lbs. blue stone and 9 lbs. washing soda for the 40 gallon barrel. This mixture was carried to the farmer by the children. He carried a sprayer on his back and it held about four gallons. "Potato gathering 'holidays' came in October, as children were needed to do the hard work of gathering the crop. [The drills} were ploughed open and the lovely new potatoes would roll out and were gathered. They were stored in big clay pits scattered throughout the field and well covered with rushes and soil to protect them from frost. "During the winter months, big boilers were filled with potatoes, hand picked from the pit, washed and boiled. The fire under the boiler had to be replenished all the time and those who weren't helping at the pits were off in the fields finding brosnaigh, or cutting branches with a cross cut saw. Brosnaigh was the dead sticks lying around the hedges." Regards, Jim Carroll ----- Original Message ----- From: "jj.carroll" <jj.carroll@comcast.net> To: <ireland@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, August 26, 2007 10:41 AM Subject: [IRELAND] The SPUD! > More from McSorley's book; this time "THE SPUD." > > > > "Potatoes were the main food supply for man and beast [and remained so > well into the 1900s]. The hard work began when 'father' decided to have > the best potatoes hand picked and put in bags. These were called 'seed > potatoes'. Bags containing the seed were taken into the comfort of the > kitchen, where helpers at the cutting stood like nurses in the theatre. > Full 'butts' of cuts had to be left outside in a shed. Butts of rejects > were washed and put in a big boiler.[and] were boiled and fed to the pigs. > Little sharp knives were bandaged with a piece of cotton rag, just below > the handle, to protect the forefinger from pressure when cutting. > > > > "The attendants washed and cleaned the dust from off the floor after each > cutting session. Cutting could last up to two or three weeks. > [Attendants, bandages - what the heck? Patricia McSorely was trained as a > nurse!] > > > > "Drills were opened with a horse plough and farmyard manure was spread > evenly in each drill. Little mounds of manure had been dropped at > intervals up to the drills by the men and the family scattered these using > graips. > > > > "The back breaking job of dropping the potatoes followed. Each 'cut' had > to be dropped eye side up and freshly cut side facing downwards and evenly > spaced. This was important as father followed the droppers with his > bucket of bone manure. With his hand he spread a fine covering of this > artificial manure on top of the cuts. Should he find a cut turned the > wrong way up, the culprit was reprimanded because the bone manure could > burn the upturned spud. > > > > "Drills were closed and you anxiously awaited the growth of the new > potatoes, which brought a flourishing crop of unwanted weeds. The > children had to weed these, up one drill and down the next, acre after > acre. The top of each drill had to be lowered, thus aiding the young > shoot. This was done using a hoe and was called 'Topping the Drills'. > > > > "Before spraying time, a crop of turnips, carrots, mangols and cabbage had > to be thinned and kept free of weeds. At spaying time a big wooden > 'Porter Barrel" was filled with water and mixed with correct proportions > of blue stone and washing soda; 7 lbs. blue stone and 9 lbs. washing soda > for the 40 gallon barrel. This mixture was carried to the farmer by the > children. He carried a sprayer on his back and it held about four > gallons. > > > > "Potato gathering 'holidays' came in October, as children were needed to > do the hard work of gathering the crop. [The drills} were ploughed open > and the lovely new potatoes would roll out and were gathered. They were > stored in big clay pits scattered throughout the field and well covered > with rushes and soil to protect them from frost. > > > > "During the winter months, big boilers were filled with potatoes, hand > picked from the pit, washed and boiled. The fire under the boiler had to > be replenished all the time and those who weren't helping at the pits were > off in the fields finding brosnaigh, or cutting branches with a cross cut > saw. Brosnaigh was the dead sticks lying around the hedges." > > > > Regards, > Jim Carroll > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > IRELAND-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message ------------------------------ Message: 3 Date: Sun, 26 Aug 2007 09:27:15 -0700 From: "Jean R." <jeanrice@cet.com> Subject: [IRELAND] Discussion of Famine To: <IRELAND-L@rootsweb.com> Message-ID: <056301c7e7fd$f72f1ab0$4d1ecac6@jean> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1"; reply-type=original SNIPPET: "Famine has afflicted societies since the beginning of history," per Margaret CRAWFORD, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Social Research, Queen's University, Belfast, and editor of "Famine: The Irish Experience 900-1900" (pub 1989): "It may be defined as a persistent failure in food supplies over a prolonged period. It is something experienced by society, whereas starvation is something that affects individuals. During famines more people are likely to die of famine-related diseases than from starvation. The causes are complex. Adverse weather conditions (drought, excessive rain, intense cold) at crucial times, effects of war (scorched earth policies, the provisioning of armies, disruption of trade), pestilence and disease: all these individually or in combination may to be blame. Famine is generally perceived as the result of a failure of food supplies, typically arising from the Malthusian pressure of population on resources. However, some analysts, following the Indian economist Amartya Sen, argue that famine is less commonly caused by an absolute shortage of food than by the lack of 'entitlement' - that is, the existence of large numbers of persons who do not possess the means either of producing food or of acquiring it through purchase or through transfer payments sanctioned by the state or by custom. Famine thus becomes a product of political and social structures, rather than of neutral economic forces. In Ireland over a period of six centuries from 1300 to 1900 there were up to 30 episodes of severe famine. Between 1290 and 1400 there were around a dozen, mostly clustering in the decades before and including the Great European Famine of 1315-17. Another dozen or so occurred between 1500 and 1750. After 1750 there were several periods of acute regional shortages, culminating in the Great Famine of 1845-9. The famines experienced in Ireland over the centuries illustrate their nature both as event and structure. Bad weather in 1294-6 and 1308-10, for example, damaged grain crops, resulting in many deaths. In 1315-17 wet weather produced devastating famine throughout Europe, exacerbated in the Irish case by Edward BRUCE's scorched earth policy. Heavy rains destroyed crops in 1330-1 and the price of wheat and oats rose manyfold. A century later in 1433 a severe famine led to 'the summer of slight acquaintance.' In 1504-5 continual rain and storms ruined crops, and cattle disease decimated livestock. The 17th century was also heralded by bad weather, famine, and disease. The rising of 1641 ravaged crops and precipitated famine. Two famines in the 18th century, 1728-9 and 1740-1, caused great suffering. The famine of 1740 is noteworthy as the first potato crisis; in terms of mortality rates, it may have been greater than the Great Famine of 1845-9. The latter earns the sobriquet because it was the last and best remembered. But for 'this great calamity,' it is doubtful that Ireland would be regarded as more famine-prone than other European countries."

Thanks Ray: Now I can understand why the Sweeney's adopted farming as a "last resort" when the Galloglass business went bust. Love, Jack Sweeney in bright and pleasant Palmer, Pennsylvania.