Killing and Cooking a Herring

Pat Smyth 21^st July 2017 Skylark Centre, Athenry, Co. Galway

Killing and Cooking a Herring

Interviewer: Clare Doyle (CD)

Interviewee: Pat Smyth (PS)

PS: Do you know what we used to do an awful lot? Not now, but they used to use herrings

CD: Oh, right

PS: They used to catch it and clean it and …

CD: Right

PS: Dirty old job

CD: And how would you do that?

PS: Clean it with a knife, sharp knife

CD: Right

PS: Cut the eye, his eyes out

CD: Right

PS: And clean him before you’d fry it

CD: And you could eat that in the bog?

PS: And it was all the aul thorns, ugly aul thorns on it, it’s a herrin

CD: And how would you cook him?

PS: A pan

CD: In the bog?

PS: On the fire

CD: And could you make a fire in the bog and cook him there, or you’d cook him at home?

PS: Cook him at home

CD: Would you