Hand Series RTE Documentary

I bought the Hands Series for John for his Christmas present, most people who don't know him raised an eyebrow when they heard this. People thought this was an exercise in self gifting in disguise, but I swear he really wanted it, probably because he is an historian, it's just an added bonus that I was dying to see it too!

The documentary is a detailed look at the traditions of Irish crafts, recording methods that are now being lost.Hands was made in the the 70s by David and Sally Shaw-Smith and was aired on RTE, if you are interested in watching it you can buy the 37 episode box set from the couples website. Although be warned it may seem a tad pricey with the hefty tag of €150 plus P&P, but trust me it's worth every penny.

Last night we sat down to watch the first three episode on patchwork, lace making, and embroidery. I thought I knew a fair bit about these disciplines but the level of skill involved literally blew my mind. A few minutes into watching it my jaw dropped and remained open for the remainder of the three shows. The lace episode is awe inspiring, the work is so meticulous and time consuming. We take lace for granted these days because it's made by machine, but to actually see these patterns penned out, prepped and sewn was pretty amazing.

I liked the pace of the documentary too, it is not like modern tv where there is lots of condescending repetition and flashy angles. It's also lovely to have a window into old Ireland too, it made me nostalgic for my childhood with my Mum making curtains/rugs/lampshades. I'm really looking forward to seeing the Silversmith episode as some of it was shot where my Dad worked as a jeweler for his whole life, he swears there is a shot of his hand in it!

I'm sure I'll do another blog post about this after I've watched, and re-watched, all 37 episodes, but I was just too excited not to tell you all about this set. John gave the gift a high compliment when he said it was a better present than the whole box set of The Wire(which I got for him on a previous xmas), from a guy that's saying a lot.

You can also find them on twitter here.

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As Gaeilge Handmade Cards

I've been meaning to make As Gaeilge cards for forever and an age and i finally got around to it the other day. A lot of people have asked me for them over the years as they find it hard to get Irish language cards that aren't twee and 'Oirish'. I made my  cards as normal in my usual style and I made up some As Gaeilge greetings on photoshop and printed them out on photographic paper.
If my Irish school teacher could see me now she would laugh quite a lot as I was a really terrible student and never put any effort into her class. I was renowned for being the kind of pupil that was excellent at the things I liked/was good at and very lazy at the subjects that had no interest for me. I found Irish very hard so therefore I didn't bother. I regret this now in later life, but I think that's stands true for a lot of adults in Ireland. After a quick Google search I came up with the correct spelling for all the phrases. If anyone has any suggestions for other occasions requests are welcome.
As usual I will only be selling my cards at the Milk Market for €4 each or 3 for €10, but in this case if someone wanted to order a few of them then I would be happy to ship, just contact me via email. Above are some samples of the ones I've made already, I don't duplicate cards but similar ones can be made in the same colour schemes etc.

Ps: Sorry for the poor image quality, I had to snap off a few pics late at night before I packaged them to go to the market the next morning.

The Spirit Store Packet and Tripe

I can't believe I nearly forgot to blog about my truely Irish experience on Saturday! 'The Spiritstore', a local arts and culture collective, held an event where they gave out free Packet and Tripe to the curious masses. To those of you who have never heard of this gastronomic monstrosity I shall fill you in on this traditional Limerick dish. Tripe, which is white, is the lining of a cows/sheeps stomach. Packet is a the charming black bit that is a pigs blood type pudding....wait for it, it gets even better! Then it's all boiled for a portion of eternity in milk, butter, and some salt and pepper!! Mmmmm how tastylicious I hear you cry. So after a few pints of Beamish(the tastier alternative to Guinness IMO)I was brave enough to try it.

Verdict: Eating the milky white bit with onions was pretty ok, peppery but nice all the same. I then ventured towards the terrifying looking black meat, it had the texture of what I imagine dead slugs to be like. Too soft to be meat, but too hard for a patte, altogether disturbing. But this texture pales in comparrison to the stomach lining which has a charming stringy/rubbery/chewy texture to match it's insipid white colour. All in all I think I would have to be literally starving before I would eat it again. The taste was fine, but I've always been a bit disturbed by yucky textures in food, and this meal takes the proverbial biscuit as far as gross textures go! But I'm glad I tried it! When I informed the other half that I had eaten it he said it's a good retort when people accuse me of being 'a blow-in' to Limerick...all I have to say is 'Have you eaten Packet and Tripe?'
Regardless of all my bitching and maoning about the food, I just wanted to say fair play to everyone involved it was a great idea, and there was a really fun atmosphere while everyone was tasting it. Watch the above video to get a glimpse at the day. Keep an eye out for what he is stirring in the pot...look at how scrummy it looks!