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"Did you ever eat Colcannon when 'twas made with thickened cream, and the greens and scallions mingled like a picture in a dream. Did you ever make a hole on top to hold the melting lake of the heather-flavoured butter that your mother used to make? Oh, you did, so you did! So did he and so did I, and the more I think about it sure the nearer I'm to cry, Oh, hadn't we the happy times when troubles we knew not and our mother made colcannon in the little skillet pot". 'Tis well I remember Sean Og 0 Tuama singing that song by my persvnal memories of our Irish Traditional Cookery only go as far back as a grand· aunt of my own who used to make her 4 As Things Were Then Kay Sheehy brown bread in the pot oven on the open fire. There were still a few places, in my childhood, where the stove hadn't yet been installed, and where we used sit in the chimney corner and "blow" the fan which turned the turf to a glowing red and where we watched the fire being lifted with a tongs onto the lid of the pot oven after the big cake of bread had been laid inside. In my time electricity was making its appearance in many houses and others had the big black ranges with the polished metal trim which had to be black· leaded and emery-papered to keep them clean and shining- hard work they were , but in the days before television we sat round them at night with our faces roasted from the heat they threw out as we listened to old men and women tell stories of how things were in their youth. Memories! When you start to think back isn't it funny the things you re member? Do you remember being sent down to the local shop for bread? It was always wrapped for us in sheets of brown tissue paper then. Did you ever slip your fingers under the soft brown wrapping and peel strips of bread off the loaf on your way home? There was a great flavour from the turnover, es· pecially if it was hot from the bakery. Did you ever get a clip on the ear when you got home and it was found that you'd eaten the whole centre out of the same turnover and there was nothing left for the rest of them but the crisp crust? " The greatest thing since the sliced pan!" How often we say that. Bread wasn't ever sliced in my childhood. In fact white bread wasn't even white. Can you remember the excitement when
A Quest For The Perfect Whistle Pat O'Riordan pictured above at a recent Fleadh Nua in the Banner County is an instrument maker who has come home to his roots, musically . His west Limerick parents moved to Coventry back in 1922, but he adds, "of course I had the experience of holidays every summer in Foynes when I was growing up". Apprenticed to trade as a toolmaker, he did "what every youngster did then, I lied about my age and joined the Royal Navy" . Following time in service, he enrolled in a draughtsman's training fellowship which eventually led to an engineering career in the United States with the R.E .A. Magnet Wire Company of Fort Wayne , Indiana. Having a successfu vocation in engineering, the youthful grandfather of fiftyeight years of age has not failed to cultivate the music in his soul with an advocation towards instrument making. "This is where my original apprenticeship has served me well. It is those skills that I learned as an apprentice long ago that I am putting to use now in my instrument making". Being a resident of the United States and being situated well within the abundant Appalacian Mountain Radio signal belt, Pat began his hobby of instrument making by constru
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Page 9 and 10: hi mo sheanathair ag gui an uile rn
Page 12: SE AN 's A BHRisTE LEATHAIR j' J ·
Page 18: coming jingoistic but at the same t
Page 22: N (Feb. 8) LEEDS (Feb. 9) SHEFFIELD
Page 27 and 28: more public, with special workshops
Page 29: THE DREAM OF A NATIVE PEOPLE Harry
Page 33: THE BANKS OF KILREA One evening for
Page 37 and 38: 5 aol nua, a mhaoineach. Saol nua a

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