The United States of America has people from all over the world living there. There is a huge and varied mixture of different cultures, languages spoken, and appearance of the people. Because of this, America is often called a "Melting Pot" - the cultures and ethnicities of people mix, just like all the food in a large pot "melts" together.
My family, for example, moved to the United States from Ireland when my great-great-grandmother, Annie Gannon, came over on a ship. While we are of course a family of Americans, we have also hung onto some of the traditions that are part of our Irish heritage.
Below are descriptions of some Irish traditions - some my family has held onto, and others are less common among my family members.
Let's have a cuppa
One basic and very well-known tradition of Irish culture is the importance of tea. The Irish are some of the heaviest per capita (per person) tea drinkers in the world, the second most (after Turkey) as of 2016. In Ireland, it is very common for people to have 4-6 cups of tea a day. These cups are often called "cuppas" - cuppa is a shortened/colloquial way to say "cup of".
Sharing a cup of tea with a guest is a tradition that shows off the friendly and hospitable nature of the Irish people. When inviting someone into your home, it is a good way to make them feel welcome. Some people have speculated that one reason having tea became, and has remained, such a lasting tradition in Ireland is because the weather can be quite cold and rainy there, so having a warm mug of tea can warm your hands and your temperament (mood).
It is usually standard for a cup of tea in Ireland to contain a large amount of milk; this is because when tea was first imported from England, it was a lower quality tea. Because of this, it was usually brewed stronger, and given a large dose of milk to help cover the taste.
It's also customary to also offer everyone around you a cup of tea if you are making yourself one. This goes with the idea of sharing and hospitality that accompany tea drinking in Ireland.
This tradition is definitely one that continues with my family. Everyone in my immediate family drinks tea - both my parents, my brother and I all drink tea. My mom and I drink tea on a daily basis. Before I moved here to Spain, she and I would often have tea together at night, with a cookie or pastry, before going to bed. This has led to another small tradition of our own; when we travel to new places, we will usually bring back mugs from those places as gifts for each other.
A love of music
Like many Spanish people, Irish people love to go out with their friends and family, often to bars or restaurants, and it is very common for musicians to play live music in bars, or even out on the streets in Irish cities. The first time I went to Ireland - with my dad, brother, and stepmom - we stayed in a BNB in the city of Galway, Ireland for a few nights. Galway is famous for its many street musicians. Street musicians are often called "buskers". Just outside the window of our room was a man playing a guitar and singing songs we all knew. We loved listening to him play, and even singing along.
When I was in Ireland most recently, in 2017, I went with my cousin and a tour group we had joined. One night, we went into a pub as a large group, in a town called Ennis, and there was a live musician playing instruments and singing. When he had finished a set, and was taking a break, our tour guide, Conor, asked if he could use the man's guitar, and when he agreed, Conor played and sang a few songs for the pub as well. This comfortable, friendly atmosphere, along with the pure enjoyment of live music, is very traditionally Irish.
My own Irish family is quite musical. My grandmother, Miriam, plays the guitar and sings, and has even written her own songs over the years, including two lullabies that she used to sing to my brother and me when we were children and she lived with us. My uncle, Steve, and my dad both play guitar as well. My mom also used to sing lullabies to me when I was going to sleep as a kid.
Here is a video of a traditional Irish lullaby, called Toora Loora Looral
The lyrics are below:
CHORUS
Too ra loo ra loo ral
too ra loo ra lie
too ra loo ra loo ral
hush now don't you cry
Too ra loo ra loo ral
too ra loo ra lie
too ra loo ra loo ral
that's an Irish lullaby
Over in Killarney, many years ago
my mother sang a song to me in tones so sweet and low
just a simple little ditty in her good old Irish way
And I'd give the world if she could sing that song to me today CHORUS
Oft' in dreams I wander to that cot again
I hear her softly hummin' to me as when she did back then
I I fell her softly huggin' me as in days of yore
when she used to rock me fast asleep outside that cabin door CHORUS
1. What is a lullaby? Describe it.
2. Can you name any lullabies?
Irish blessing
The same grandmother who writes her own songs is the grandmother who has carried on quite a few of the Irish traditions within my family today. At the most recent family wedding, when my cousin Sarah married her husband Daniel, my grandmother got up in front of all the guests and family to sing a musical version of a well-known traditional Irish blessing:
Here are two other traditional Irish toasts or blessings for a wedding:
Traditional Irish Recipes!
Like any country, Ireland has many traditional food dishes. Three of the most famous Irish foods that are made by many Irish-American families in the United States today are
1. Irish Soda Bread,
2. Cottage Pie, and
3. Corned Beef and Cabbage
Irish soda bread
Irish soda bread is a dense (thick/heavy) bread made with flour, buttermilk, salt, sugar, and baking soda in place of yeast. This use of baking soda is why it's called "soda bread".
A very significant piece of Irish history includes a massive period of starvation and disease from 1845-1849. This time is often called the Irish Potato Famine, but in Ireland it is usually called The Great Famine, or The Great Hunger. The famine was partially due to a natural disease of potatoes, potato blight, but the situation was made worse by political and economic policies at the time.
Irish soda bread was introduced during this time, when food was scarce (rare/hard to get - there was not a lot to go around). The bread is filling (because people were very hungry and did not have a lot of food) and does not require yeast/leavening to make the bread rise.
Modern recipes may include extra ingredients like raisins and orange zest, but the traditional recipe is very simple.
This video shows how to make a simple loaf of irish soda bread:
1. To what temperature should the oven be heated?
2. How many of the ingredients can you name?
3. Look up the English word "knead". What does this mean?
4. If I say "score" the loaf, what does this mean?
a. Form the dough into a round loaf
b. Place it on the prepared baking sheet
c. Brush buttermilk over the top of the loaf
d. Use a sharp knife to cut an X into the top of the loaf
5. How long should you bake the loaf of bread?
Cottage Pie
In the Irish language this dish is known as pióg an aoire. Cottage pie is a pie made of minced or ground red meat, like beef or mutton. This meat is cooked in a sauce or gravy, with onions, and then topped with mashed potatoes before baking. Sometimes peas, celery, and/or carrots are added to the meat mixture. Historically, it's a dish that was made to use leftover cooked meat, so as not to waste it. Many different countries have their own variation of a cottage pie. In some places it is also called shepherd's pie, although shepherd's pie is usually made with lamb instead of beef.
The video below shows you how to make your own cottage or shepherd's pie:
1. How many potatoes do you need?
2. Do you cut the potatoes first, or peel them first?
3. How long do you simmer the potatoes?
4. What 3 things do you add to the potatoes after mashing them?
5. How many medium-sized carrots do you need?
6. What ingredient is added to the beef for sweetness?
7. How long do you bake the pie?
Corned beef and cabbage
Corned beef and cabbage is a popular dish for Irish-Americans to cook in the United States, but it's not actually a traditional Irish dish. It is an Irish American version of the traditional dish of bacon and cabbage.
Corned beef and cabbage, or bacon and cabbage is often associated with celebrating St. Patrick's Day. This is because St. Patrick's Day often falls during the fasting season of Lent. In the Catholic tradition, meat is given up during all of Lent, or sometimes only Fridays in Lent, but on St. Patrick's Day, an exception is made in Ireland for meat to be eaten, and to indulge in other things given up during Lent. This meant that families and friends would gather and eat meals together. This didn't always mean bacon and cabbage, sometimes it was roast beef, or Irish stew.
Historically, beef was too expensive for peasants in Ireland to eat regularly, so they raised pigs for consumption, and this is why bacon was the meat of the dish. When many Irish people moved to America following The Great Famine, corned beef was much cheaper and more easily available to poor people in the United States than it was in Ireland. It's likely that corned beef and cabbage was so popular amongst Irish-Americans in the United States because of how inexpensive it was.
Traditional Irish-American corned beef and cabbage
Traditional Irish bacon and cabbage
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