Eily’s Report – 7th September

Dia is Mhuire díobh go léir a chairde, and welcome to my weekly report.

Please be reminded that the weekly 45Drive resumes at the Canon O’Donovan Centre, Millstreet tonight Tuesday at 8.30.  Give it your best support. Proceeds go to the Centre.

Welcome to the month of September, the first week already gone. The time goes so fast, let’s not waste a minute of it. Time lost cannot be retrieved. How do I know that, I wonder. The passage of time has taught me that a missed opportunity could make all the difference between success or failure, joy or sadness, love or not, it doesn’t have to be a major thing. Just saying no to an offer of a day out, or a challenge which required your own endeavour to get something off the ground. Better to try and fail than never to try at all. Sometimes a small failure takes it’s toll in our pride but the lesson learned could be priceless.  No matter how old we get, we never stop learning, never too old to make a mistake nor to recover from it. So we venture on. Like the cream on the milk, the important things keep rising to the top and what could be more important than food. Each one of us have our own preference, be it the taste, or the price and so on. Almost every program on TV these days includes a section of food and cooking. I love watching them even though I never take them on board and for the most part continue what I always did.  I’m rarely without an opinion or gripe these days, this time I’m standing up for one of my favourite meats  Streaky Bacon. Bacon not pork.  I have a few friends who love it also, but can’t get the like in our town. Streaky rashers are quiet common in the local stores and sell very well, but not in a slab like other pieces of bacon. I have never seen streaky bacon used in any one of the cooking programs on TV. Eating out it is not on the menu. It goes under different titles, Belly cut, Side cut. To those of us who appreciate it, it is the most palatable and flavoursome part of the pig. The even  layers of fat and lean complimenting each other. It’s usually boiled with cabbage of turnip, or any veg for that matter. But to give the final result that extra oomph, put it under the grill to brown the top and further enhance to final result. When I asked about streaky bacon in our local stores I was told that they couldn’t sell it. People would not buy it and in places where it is sold in butcher shops in Cork City they have to sell it at half price to move it off the shelf. Maybe one of these days I will contact one of these experts on the box and ask them to do a meal of it to infuse new life into streaky bacon and tell the world how they’re missing out on the best part of the pig.

Still with animals. Now I’m on sheep. Well I have to say that  I’m depending on the knowhow of Tony Healy, from picturesque Curracahil for this. We no longer have the time to sit and muse about what’s going on around us, so we have to make the best use of any chance meeting we have with friends and acquaintances. In meeting Tony after Mass lately we started talking about many things including sheep. It being an important subject for him and all sheep owners he told me he would jot down a few details on the history and present day situation of  their livelihood. It went like this and I quote, “What has happened to our Wool Market . In the 1940’s Mountain Scotch Wool  was making a pound per pound weight. His father used to sell a ton of wool a year, which would come to £2,240.00.  Compare that in todays money.  In todays prices, Mountain Scotch sheep’s wool  is making 5 cent per kg . Or €50 per ton. It costs €2.50  to sheer a sheep, more than what the fleece is worth. ”

The wool industry was big business back then. Local buyers were O’Riordan’s Drapers, Main Street, where our Post Office is now and following the untimely death of Michael O’Riordan the market was taken up by Danny Kelleher at the Bridge. The demand for this locally produced fibre was widespread. Suits of clothes for men, coats and skirts for women. We had woollen stockings, gloves, hats and will we ever forget the beautiful Dripsey wool blankets, white and pure and soft. some of which are still being  used in beds to this day. A pair of wool blankets made a very popular wedding gift. With the onset of winter and the long evenings, we looked up knitting patters and went to Miss Andres shop to choose the colours for the garments which we were going to assemble for family members. The thread came in skeins which had to be unfurled and would into a neat ball before catching any needle. Nobody liked the task of holding the skein which meant the person holding it had to hold the circle of yard out firmly with each hand as another person rolled into a ball. The aching arms and discontent brought many an irritating complaint but to no avail. There was no end to the creations that emerged from the pins and needles of the Winter months. Entricit lace patterns, fairisle, multi colours. Lovely. Old woollen blankets often got a new lease of life when stretched out on to a frame and made into a quilt . This was another diversion, a sort of almost a religion as the women of the area set up their task. No amount of labour was spared and the degree of co-operation and interaction and passing on of folklore and history couldn’t be measured when up to six or eight women gathered in a house to create a work of art second to none. The cover cloth was carefully chosen, or maybe a patchwork piece made of tiny squares all perfectly handstitched made from bits taken from old cotton dresses and other cast-off garments thus bearing memories fondly recalled of a dress worn going to Mass or to a wedding umpteen times in the past. The stitching was meticulous done in circles within circles never in straight rows  while the talk went on .Where the young learned from the old. Listening to stories of how babies were born, (but never how they were made). About who was related to who as well as passing on a wonderful craft, it was  a school without pressure, nor threats. The prime outlook of every young girl that time was to make a home. There was what they called the “Bottom Drawer”. It had to be a big one, some maidens took it very seriously, guided by their mothers ,it was instilled into them the importance of being a good housekeeper, a good wife and a good mother, was expected to have a baby every year. Many of the old wives tales, didn’t live up to their beliefs. Such as that while breast-feeding, a wife would not get pregnant, alas that went by the board in many cases. Because I didn’t have a mother since childhood, I didn’t have a bottom drawer, or know any of the trappings of running a home and all that went with it. But with a great desire to learn and a patient husband, I learned often by my mistakes and it saw me through.

But to return again to Tony’s account of the wool trade. Synthetic materials took over as the years went on. They came in non iron, non wrinkle, the colours didn’t fade so we took to them like the proverbial duck to water, to the cost of the wool trade. But time proved them to be past their hay-day now also when in the interest of global safety and preservation, the experts tell us that these materials cannot  be recycled  because of their plastic or other content and will be stuck in our drains and landfill sites for hundreds of years to come. So maybe trade and demand for natural wool  could make a comeback before we know it. So hold on.

The out-of-doors is looking very well at the moment and a great deal of work in progress. Now that the silage and hay and turf is out of the way land owners are making full use of the weather to reclaim and plough land and seed it for the seasons ahead. Nearer home the domestic garden still has a lot to offer and now that the few stalks have yielded some lovely flowery potatoes, and peas and carrots are done, we look to the flower section, where the bees are very busy. I must say that there are more honey bees than for many years. I have a bunch of wild mint on one of the beds. Not the nicest blossom in the world, and I was tempted to dig it out until I saw the clusters of honeybees working hard on it’s purple flowers. There was a time when such matters were of no importance but recent times have thought us that the bee gets priority over our likes and dislikes. The straggly Buddleia bush  is an absolute magnet for butterflies  and it would pay anyone to remain either standing or sitting on a comfortable seat and observe their  joyful antics. It’s Blackberry time and the ditches and hedges are full of fruit free for the picking. Little children love to go blackberry picking and a simple picture taken of them filling up their cans, could be an heirloom in years to come. A bowl of blackberries crushed with sugar to taste makes a wonderful refreshing dessert. Some people like to freeze them and recreate a summer sweet in the heart of Winter with steaming berry pies or used as a garnish on custard pies. Of course Blackberry jam can stand on it’s own two feet with any of them, So get picking while they are available. Jam makers say that it’s easy to make jam this year because the fruit is drier than usual.

Here are the results of this weeks lotto draw which was held on Sunday night. Numbers drawn were, 8,14, 21, 30 and the Jackpot was not won. €100 went to Joan Cremin, Drishane View. The seller was  Mary O’Connor, Minor Row and she got €50 sellers prize. €50 went to Breda Cronin, Priests Cross. €20 each to Patrick Cronin, c/o Pat Randals. Margaret Hartnett c/o Mary O P.J.OSulivan c/o Jackie, Amanda Kelleher, c/o Eily Buckley. Deridre & Joan, c/o Joan Casey, Marie Murphy,Pound Hill, Pat McCarthy,c/o Malpaso, and The Healy Family Keale, c/o M Healy. Jackpot for next week €15,400.  The Draw on Sunday Night.

Many thanks to all those who support our Millstreet Lotto. The proceeds are divided between the Town Park Committee, the Millstreet GAA Club and the Community Council for the Youth complex. All monies raised go into maintaining these facilities in tip top condition for all sections of our community.  It can only be done by the support that is given to our weekly lotto. Maintenance is ongoing and from time to time, improvements have to be added and the proceeds of out lotto goes to meet all those things plus insurance . Thanks to you ,our supporters.

A community Council meeting will be held tonight starting at 8.30 at the Wallis Arms Hotel. All members please attend.

Our sincere sympathy goes to the families of those who passed away recently. In the absence of traditional funerals, those who want to show their sympathy stand in line along the route. It’s the only way they can be a comfort and support to their dear friends. R.I.P.

Say a prayer for people of the area who are sick at home or are in hospital  and ask God make them better and to comfort them in their distress. This week we look forward to the return of our people who spent the week in Medjugorje with the Tom Dennehy pilgrimage.                                                    Many thanks to  Fr. Billy Radley who celebrated a beautiful Mass on Monday night organised by the Active Retired Group. With Deirdre as organist. Many thanks to all those who arranged it. Because of Covid there was no cup-o-tea to follow but members gathered outside for a chat in the warm evening sun.

Slán agus Beannacht libh go léir.