Potatoes

In this district the farmer sows potatoes every year. Before he sows them he ploughs and harrows the land. Then he makes drills or ridges with the plough. In order to make the land good he puts stable manure in them and then he leaves the slits on them. Some farmers covers the slits with the plough. Others cover them with the shovel by putting the clay on them with it.

After the potatoes are sowed a while the farmer puts more clay on them. To protect them the blight he sprays them with blue stone and washing soda mixed together. Long ago they used to make potatoes cakes. They used to mix boiled potato and flour and soda together. When it would be made they used to bake it in an oven.

White flowers usually come on the gases of the potatoes. The old people call them (bláic bán). The remains of the potato that are left over after the slits are cut are called (liacáns) [sic]. Some people call them slits in Irish (scilleóga). Potatoes are also used for a stone bruise. They keep the skin of the potatoes and then bruise them up and then put it on the sore foot and it will cure it. People usually dig the first potatoes on Garland Sunday that is the last Sunday in July. After the Sunday the people dig potatoes every day. When the people dig the potatoes they pick the small ones and put them in a hole for themselves and do the same thing to the big ones. They cover them then with bog scraws and bring them home when they begin ploughing the year after. They use the small ones for pigs and fowl and the big ones for their own use.

Collector: Delia Kennedy

Informant: Stephen Kennedy, Tonmoyle

Place: Kilgeverin

Footnote: Duchas, http://www.duchas.ie