Meal Names
In the early years of my life, I was used to daily meals being called breakfast, dinner and supper. At some point, the three meals became known as breakfast, lunch and dinner. Anything between meals has been/is known as a snack for as long as I can remember. In Northern Ireland (don't know about the rest of the UK and the Irish Republic), there is a different twist for the naming of meals. Breakfast and lunch are the same as used at home. What we normally refer to as dinner at home is often called the same thing, but many people also call this meal "tea" even though it is a complete meal. And, "supper" is eaten in the evening around 9:00 to 10:00 pm. It generally consists of toast and jam with tea. It is not a full meal as might be expected by the name. So, there you have it.
What is Ulster
Northern Ireland is often referred to as "Ulster," even though it is not technically correct. Ulster is one of the provinces of Ireland dating back several hundred years. The definition or area of Ulster was fluid for centuries until James I established more specific geographic areas for each of the provinces. In 1920, Ireland was partitioned into two territories - North and South with the border interestingly passing through the province of Ulster. Northern Ireland was defined as including six counties (Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry and Tyrone) plus two cities (Belfast and Derry aka Londonderry). To confuse matters a bit more, three other counties in Ulster (Donegal, Cavan and Monaghan) were assigned to the Irish Free State or what is known today as the Republic of Ireland. Despite being a widely used term, Ulster has no official function for local government purposes in either jurisdiction. You would need somewhat of a detailed map to see where the areas are located.
In Northern Ireland, Ulster is commonly used and there are at least two major tourist attractions that use this name - the Ulster Museum in Belfast and the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum located a few miles east of Belfast. I have been to the Ulster Museum three times and really enjoyed it - modern and free admission. The museum has many excellent displays and one in particular that I have very educational is the section on The Troubles. Recently, I checked out the folk museum and it was well worth the time.
Ulster Folk Museum
The museum is a significant undertaking and is comprised of two main areas - town and rural. It endeavours to portray life and traditions in the early 20th century. There are a variety of old building - churches, houses, shops and businesses - that have been collected from different places in Ireland and Northern Ireland. These were rebuilt on the museum grounds brick-by-brick; an impressive undertaking. The museum covers an area of about 69 hectares or 170 acres. When I visited about 10 days ago, many of the building were staffed by people in period clothing who were available to answer questions about the specific building and/or traditional activities.
I visited virtually every building that was open on site and found it to be an enjoyable experience. While a few building were under repair of some type, most were open and accessible. It was fun to engage people in conversation and found the man at the coal shop to be especially talkative. Most of the open buildings had coal fires in the fireplaces principally to keep the moisture level low and prevent the interior from deteriorating. Coal is still widely used in Northern Ireland and even at Corrymeela it is used in the fireplaces along with some wood at other times. There is not a lot of forest area in Northern Ireland compared to many parts of Canada, so it is not surprising that wood is not a major source of heat. Most hardware stores and some other retail businesses sell coal by the bag. Also, many people still use peat bricks as a source of heat. When on the road trip to Donegal, there was much evidence of peat bricks having been cut from peat bogs and stacked for drying. In the evening in most small towns, it is common to smell coal smoke from stoves and fireplaces.
Many of the houses in the folk museum have thatch roofs, which are quite attractive. I have also seen this in some rural areas, but I understand that the art of roof thatching is a disappearing trade.
I think the best way to explain the folk museum is to post pictures pictures, so here goes.
In the early years of my life, I was used to daily meals being called breakfast, dinner and supper. At some point, the three meals became known as breakfast, lunch and dinner. Anything between meals has been/is known as a snack for as long as I can remember. In Northern Ireland (don't know about the rest of the UK and the Irish Republic), there is a different twist for the naming of meals. Breakfast and lunch are the same as used at home. What we normally refer to as dinner at home is often called the same thing, but many people also call this meal "tea" even though it is a complete meal. And, "supper" is eaten in the evening around 9:00 to 10:00 pm. It generally consists of toast and jam with tea. It is not a full meal as might be expected by the name. So, there you have it.
What is Ulster
Northern Ireland is often referred to as "Ulster," even though it is not technically correct. Ulster is one of the provinces of Ireland dating back several hundred years. The definition or area of Ulster was fluid for centuries until James I established more specific geographic areas for each of the provinces. In 1920, Ireland was partitioned into two territories - North and South with the border interestingly passing through the province of Ulster. Northern Ireland was defined as including six counties (Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry and Tyrone) plus two cities (Belfast and Derry aka Londonderry). To confuse matters a bit more, three other counties in Ulster (Donegal, Cavan and Monaghan) were assigned to the Irish Free State or what is known today as the Republic of Ireland. Despite being a widely used term, Ulster has no official function for local government purposes in either jurisdiction. You would need somewhat of a detailed map to see where the areas are located.
In Northern Ireland, Ulster is commonly used and there are at least two major tourist attractions that use this name - the Ulster Museum in Belfast and the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum located a few miles east of Belfast. I have been to the Ulster Museum three times and really enjoyed it - modern and free admission. The museum has many excellent displays and one in particular that I have very educational is the section on The Troubles. Recently, I checked out the folk museum and it was well worth the time.
Ulster Folk Museum
The museum is a significant undertaking and is comprised of two main areas - town and rural. It endeavours to portray life and traditions in the early 20th century. There are a variety of old building - churches, houses, shops and businesses - that have been collected from different places in Ireland and Northern Ireland. These were rebuilt on the museum grounds brick-by-brick; an impressive undertaking. The museum covers an area of about 69 hectares or 170 acres. When I visited about 10 days ago, many of the building were staffed by people in period clothing who were available to answer questions about the specific building and/or traditional activities.
I visited virtually every building that was open on site and found it to be an enjoyable experience. While a few building were under repair of some type, most were open and accessible. It was fun to engage people in conversation and found the man at the coal shop to be especially talkative. Most of the open buildings had coal fires in the fireplaces principally to keep the moisture level low and prevent the interior from deteriorating. Coal is still widely used in Northern Ireland and even at Corrymeela it is used in the fireplaces along with some wood at other times. There is not a lot of forest area in Northern Ireland compared to many parts of Canada, so it is not surprising that wood is not a major source of heat. Most hardware stores and some other retail businesses sell coal by the bag. Also, many people still use peat bricks as a source of heat. When on the road trip to Donegal, there was much evidence of peat bricks having been cut from peat bogs and stacked for drying. In the evening in most small towns, it is common to smell coal smoke from stoves and fireplaces.
Many of the houses in the folk museum have thatch roofs, which are quite attractive. I have also seen this in some rural areas, but I understand that the art of roof thatching is a disappearing trade.
I think the best way to explain the folk museum is to post pictures pictures, so here goes.
No comments:
Post a Comment