Page-turners for Christmas

Farm diversification is regularly encouraged but is not a new concept, as a recently published book entitled Cottage Industry in Post-Medieval Ireland confirms. The book, co-authored by Liam Downey (former Teagasc director), Muiris O’Sullivan, Derry O’Donovan and Dara Downey, is full of historical and archaeological facts, along with wonderful images of the range of small businesses featured in the
publication. This farm-based diversification revolution began towards the end of the 1600s and provided families with additional income over and above what direct farm production offered. As outlined in the book, many of the cottage industries developed in the post medieval period were based on adding value to farm produce. These included wool, linen, lace, butter and alcohol. The development of lime production facilities is reflected in the many redundant lime kilns still extant around the country. These cottage industries led, directly and indirectly, to the creation of several of our most successful export industries today, including butter and whiskey.

Another noteworthy book for those with even a passing interest in our culinary and cultural past is Irish Food History – A Companion, described by Darina Allen as a ‘landmark publication’. The book, edited by Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire and Dorothy Cashman is, by any standards, a large tome, full of revealing and enjoyable anecdotes and details about Irish food down through the ages. The book takes us from the end of the Ice Age through the development of Irish farming and encompasses feasts and famines, folklore, songs and recipes. There is food-related poetry from Seamus Heaney, Paula Meehan and Antoine Ó Raifteiri. There is a section on placenames – did you know that Clontarf refers to a bull? Or did you know that there are 72 words in Irish relating to the potato? That’s more than there are to describe Irish rain in all its manifestations. This is truly an eclectic compendium, worth browsing, rather than reading in one session. If you want to know what President Douglas Hyde ate at his celebratory inauguration dinner in 1938, then look no further. Add in essays on bog butter, hospitality at an Irish wake and mentions of food in the correspondence of Daniel O’Connell, and you have the perfect Christmas present for anyone with an inquisitive and curious mind.

Our next book recommendation focuses on a topic that is central to all food production – soil. Soil Matters: The Story of Science is written by Noel Culleton, Brian Coulter and Matt Wheeler outlines the story of Johnstown Castle from 1929 to 2024. It tells of how scientists at Johnstown Castle and ancillary research units developed the scientific knowledge that helped Irish agriculture to thrive, and enabled Irish farmers to become efficient producers of safe, nutritious food. The book describes how Johnstown Castle evolved to become an internationally renowned environmental and soils research centre, still committed today to finding solutions to the environmental challenges that modern Irish agriculture faces. We often hear of people standing on the shoulders of giants and the many references to Dr Tom Walsh in the book are particularly appropriate in that regard. The dedication and expertise of Dr Walsh and his colleagues over many years are well acknowledged in Soil Matters. The book would make for enjoyable and essential reading for any recipient over the coming Christmas season.