Christmas Food and Stout at the Stations

Martin Monahan 21^st July 2017 Deerpark Social Services Centre, Ballinasloe, Co. Galway

Christmas Food and Stout at the Stations

Interviewer: Clare Doyle (CD)

Interviewee: Martin Monahan (MM)

CD: At Christmas-time, what would you have for the Christmas, do you know the way a lot of people would have turkey for the Christmas dinner?

MM: We used to have a goose

CD: Did ye?

MM: My father used to buy the goose in the market in Loughrea.

CD: And was he alive when ye bought him or did you have to kill him?

MM: We had to kill him

CD: oh, right

MM: My father used to do it

CD: How would he manage that now? That would be a quick job, would it?

MM: It would. Just hold his head down there and put the knife…cut off the hair out the knife over there and…

CD: Right

MM: And he die then

CD: And would you have to hang him for a while or how would you do it?

MM: Leave him there for a while and then pluck the feathers…

CD: Right. And what kind of other food would you have at Christmas time?

MM: Current cake

CD: Oh, very nice. That was a special occasion too though?

MM: And Christmas cake as well

CD: You wouldn’t have that all the rest of the year though, would ye?

MM: Oh, no, would not just the special, the current cake. That used to always be the favourite of the Stations, the current cake. My mother used to make it, with brown bread, no, flour and

CD: And the raisins and sultanas

MM: The raisons, that’s right. Cook it in the range there til it was done

CD: Would there be a drop of whiskey in it maybe?

MM: I don’t remember now

CD: A drop of brandy or something?

MM: I don’t think there was

CD: And if you had the Stations, would there be brandy or whiskey at the Stations? Or there just be the cup of tea?

MM: They used to do that after the priest going, they used to have a drink.

CD: Yeah

MM: But I don’t know what sort of drink they used to have

CD: The priest would have to go home first, though would he?

MM: He would. We used to do it when the priest had gone home. We usen’t drink that much, just a drop [word inaudible]

CD: Just a wee drop

MM: That was the tradition, when the priest is gone like, they have a bottle, maybe whiskey

CD: Right

MM: And a few bottles of stout maybe