Because it is an island nation Ireland, unaffected by outside influences, has clung to an older Celtic identity for far longer than her European counterparts and has preserved a unique cultural pattern expressed in music and myth, language and unspoiled landscape.

On the western fringe of Europe this land of unexpected contrasts and pleasing diversity has always remained a land apart. Even to this modern day the Celtic tradition of contact with the land is still a part of the Irish psyche. The countryside is dotted with townland names such as "Tobar na Bhfiann" (The Well of the Fianna), "Cnoc 'a tSíodhán" (Hill of the Fairies), Cnoc na Craobha", (Hill of the Leafy Oaks), Tinneadh (Special place of Fire) and Fullachta Fiadha (Ancient Deer Cooking Places). It is to these places that the people gathered in ancient times to celebrate the special events with sacrifice to the gods and with the dancing and feasting. Most of these festival days remain on the Irish calendar and are honoured in the traditional way with great feasting and merriment.

To this day, while, Irish cities and towns are thriving in an unprecedented fashion, food and the farm are not far from the running of daily life and natural wholesome food has always been to the fore and is never far from hand.

Ireland has survived successive generations of conquests and settlements. The fertility of its soils and the luxuriance of natural ingredients have been instrumental in attracting many outsiders. The Vikings came for its wealth of the great monastic settlements and later the Anglo Normans because of "its fruitful land, rich in soil and plentiful harvests. Crops abound in the fields, flocks on the mountains, and wild animals in the woods. An island rich in pastures and meadows, honey and milk…" These observations on the quality of Irish produce made by the Anglo-Norman historian, Gerald of Wales still hold true to the present day where the availability of the ingredients is guaranteed in a relatively clean, green and unadulterated environment. - The lichen, Parmelia Parlata, an indication of an unpolluted environment of the Irish countryside is a regular feature of the west of Ireland countryside.

Ireland has maintained much of its unique identity and historically has developed differently to Britain and Northern

Ireland's moderate climate of high levels of rainfall and gentle fluctuations in temperature promotes lush meadows in the country's lowlands. The abundant, almost yearlong, growth of sweet grass ensures that the cattle are fed outdoors for the greater part of any year

Such free-ranging activities on diverse and seasonally changing herbage sets Irish beef and dairy produce apart as something distinctively Irish and exceptional in that both meat and dairy produce succeed in capturing the flavours of the landscape.

Irish free range lambs fattened on sea marshes or heather covered mountain lands have a very fine, if not unsurpassed, flavour that is concentrated to perfection with delicate cooking. It is hardly surprising then, that lamb was traditionally the choice meat that was selected to extend hospitality to the honoured or unexpected guest, particularly in western regions where it was an important regional feature of the diet.

High levels of rainfall not only ensure lush green pastures but also make water a characteristic feature of the landscape and numerous lakes and great rivers abound with a range of fish and wildlife. In addition, Ireland's vast coastline is tempered on the western side with the warmth of the Gulf Stream and throws up a wealth of fish and shellfish. 

A plate of fresh shellfish, simply dressed, is still one of the country's most abiding food icons, symbolising the bounty of Irish Atlantic waters. Galway Oysters served with wholemeal brown bread and washed down with a pint of Guinness, Ireland's brown stout, is one of the unique dishes of the west of Ireland.

The cultural fusion of the native and the outsider coloured Irish food patterns and helped to diversify the range of home-produced ingredients. The potato for example was a late introduction, coming to the island at the end of the sixteenth century. In time, this new crop gave us some of our most notable regional dishes, like the potato breads and mashed creamed potato dishes of the north and midland counties. While on the east coast, the concentration on fruit and vegetable cultivation owes much to the influence of English settlers.

Over the millennia, food in Ireland has done much more than simply nourish the body; it has through time soaked up mythological and folk belief, inspired song and verse, dictated the pattern of our working day and helped us celebrate the myriad of religious and secular festivals that punctuate the Irish year. 

In particular, the salmon, as the king of all fish, was imbued with myth and magic. It was the fish that featured in the wonder of Celtic sagas and in miracles of Irish saints.

To this day, it is still selected for festive and celebratory occasions and continues to command a healthy degree of respect from the fisherman and the consumer. The shoreline harvest of fat scallops and oysters, juicy mussels and clams and even razor fish, as well as seaweed, once needed to compensate for the lack of meat on the table on Fridays and "fast days" is still sought after by an expanding and appreciative market.

Pigs cheek sandwiches and "crubíns" once the traditional treat of the Irish peasant on a fair day is now a delicacy throughout the country while to eat beef is still the tradition on in rural areas on St. Martin's Day - 11^th. November. “Mise Máirtín Mór na Mart, ar mo shonsa itear feoil”! (I am Big Martin of the Beef, eat it in my honour!)

The production and appreciation of good food is a dynamic affair and in Ireland it is ever subject to change. Here, the diversity of ingredients is constant, and is supported by the country's regional diversity and safe environment. However, attitudes and methods are changing, we are no longer reticent about promoting what we do. The emergence of a body of artisan small food producers, who make the production of the finest foods a lifestyle concern, have succeeded in bringing our food to an ever expanding and appreciative market. Now more so than ever, we value and rejoice in the bounty and diversity of ingredients that we are naturally afforded, albeit from Irish shore, the lake, the sea, the pasture or the upland mountain tracts.

While our changing attitudes and methods are succeeding in creating a world-wide market for our food we ourselves are undergoing the world-wide change. Ireland, no different from any other progressive country has succumbed to the global influence of fast living and fast foods. Our supermarkets, the "gauge" of our alimentary habits, stock the international tastes of convenience foods and prepared meals while cuisine from all over the world compete for space on our restaurant menus.

Having strayed from the traditional family cooking to embracing all things foreign we are now slowly returning to quality Irish food. While meat and fish are still the favourites the vegetarian is also very well catered for. The Irish people now expect top quality ingredients grown in environmentally friendly methods with "tracability" and "accountability" being key words in insuring consumer confidence.

There is a growing demand for organically produced food in Ireland. "In Ireland the organic food market continues to lag behind the more developed European markets. However, the level of growth has accelerated in the last few years. The rise in the area that is being farmed organically, which has more than doubled recently has resulted in increased volumes of Irish organic food becoming available, although like most European markets imports are prominent especially in the fruit and vegetable, spices and pasta markets". 

 [Report - An Bord Bia – 2000]

Simplicity was and still is the hallmark of Irish cooking and the availability of pure fresh wholesome ingredients treated with respect.

Potatoes

The potato, once the staple diet of the Irish peasant and the cause of a population reduction of 50 % in the mid 1800s, during "the great Irish famine" still continues to be the main ingredient of Irish dinner dishes today.

"Potatoes are really important to Irish people. Home Guards and British Queens are the variety most popular in early summer and Kerr's Pink followed by Golden Wonder in the winter. They are very floury and inclined to break in the cooking water. They should never be peeled before cooking and if they break, the water must be poured off before they are quite cooked and left to finish cooking in their own steam. They are pealed at the table and, ideally, eaten with a big lump of golden butter".
[Myrtle Allen - The Ballymaloe Cookbook, 1989]

Children’s food

Dr. Clare Corish, a consultant dietician/nutritionist who gave a lecture in Galway on Improving Family Eating Habits recently says:

“The eating habits your children develop when they are young influence their chances of a healthy life when they are older, Children tend to follow their parents example so if you want them to eat healthy, then you must watch what you eat, she says. Many are influenced by their peers, even at pre - school age, and prefer to snack rather than eat full meals. Chirps coke and chocolate are firm favourites. While children’s diets ar better than in the past they still have a high intake of saturated fat, which can sometimes be attributed to too many convenience foods”.
[Galway Advertiser 18 January 2001]

For this article we found very little data on “the Alimentary Eating Habits of the Irish People but according to Maria Harrington of NUIC (National University of Ireland, Cork) "A National Nutritional Survey has been carried out through UCC/TCD and UU, Coleraine. The results of this survey will be available from February 2001”. Hopefully we will then be able to add some data to this article then.

Bibliography

Compiled and edited by Finbarr O'Regan, Carnaun School - January 2000.
Research, typing and scanning: Martin, Marion, Séamus and Terry in 6^th Class Carnaun National School, Athenry, Ireland.
Web Pages - http://homepage.eircom.net/~foregan 
We thank Stephanie, and Cáit and John Reidy (Teagasc, Athenry) for their help.