Our Lady of Second Helpings

In the early 2000′s the technology era was booming and Dublin was open for business. The city filled with young go-getters who shook loose the dirt of their sleepy villages eager to get degrees in computers and technology. After graduation they stayed in the city to work in shiny new business parks springing up in areas formerly home to abandoned industrial sites or tenement buildings. These new buildings were occupied by multi-national corporations like Amazon, Oracle, Microsoft, and many more of the world’s top mover and shaker companies.

My first extended stay in Ireland was on a student work abroad visa. Those months were my first taste of living completely on my own. I had an amazing time. The urban atmosphere of Dublin might seem down right slow to a visitor accustomed to much larger and more bustling cities. None of this bothered me a bit. Within days I was head over heels in love with the Fair City. One of my favorite things about the city was the size of its core. It was not at all unusual for me to walk out of my apartment and spend the next few hours canvasing the entire city center. I wondered up and down narrow lanes discovering nooks and crannies the average tourist would likely never see.

Many unassuming buildings had small plaques noting their significance in Irish history. Once I began to notice these signs the closeness of history buzzed around me – Author James Joyce walked here, Revolutionary Robert Emmet was hung here, A barely honored and long forgotten treaty was signed here. Perhaps this is why I was so comfortable. The presence of history, both terrible and beautiful, was palpable in a way I had never known before. It was hard to feel alone surrounded by all those ghosts.

In a city full of new money, new cars, new business, and new residents it was a comfort to find reminders of the past quietly hanging on. A discussion of Ireland’s past doesn’t take long to make its way to The Great Famine or The Potato Famine as many know it. The Irish people as a whole have a history scarred by deep wounds that are still healing today. Due to the politics of the time The Great Famine lasted on and off for years. The landed British lived comfortably while poor tenant farmers died by the hundreds of thousands while many more abandoned everything to seek a better life in another part of the world.

“During the famine approximately 1 million people died and a million more emigrated from Ireland, causing the island’s population to fall by between 20% and 25%. The proximate cause of famine was a potato disease commonly known as potato blight. Although blight ravaged potato crops throughout Europe during the 1840s, the impact and human cost in Ireland – where one-third of the population was entirely dependent on the potato for food – was exacerbated by a host of political, ethnic, religious, social and economic factors which remain the subject of historical debate.” - Wikipedia

The devastation of The Great Famine took an emotional toll on the people in Ireland that continues to be a part of the modern cultural tapestry. Fortunately potatoes remain a staple within the canon of traditional Irish food.

During my visits I was blessed to receive several invitations to have Sunday dinner in the homes of friends. Each cook put their own mark on the meal but they often featured the same basic components. There was a slow roasted meat, hot vegetables, dense dark brown bread with butter, roasted potatoes, and brown gravy. There must be a national protocol for preparing potatoes, they were always perfectly golden and crisp on the outside with soft pillowy centers. Between the brown bread and the roasted potatoes I would have a hard time choosing a favorite. Luckily I now have recipes to make both at home should the urge strike. The brown bread recipe can be found in this St. Patrick’s Day post from last year. The potatoes are just below.