Irish Ancestry Search: Your Irish Family and Mine

Hugh Byrne, circa 1915, my grandfather on my mother's
side, who had roots back to Ireland
Photo -- family photo

By Adrian McGrath

Where did your family come from in Ireland? Do you
know? I’m not an expert in ancestry research or
genealogy, so I can’t help you too, too much.
But maybe I can help you a little to get started

in your search.

Yes, there are places online where you can
search for professional help, and I’m sure they
are good sources. But you can start on your
own too, and see what you can find out.
Then get experts to help you

later on.

To start, ask your relatives where did your
parents and grandparents come, getting as
much detail as possible? Where did their
parents come from, and so on. But
remember, they did not exist in a vacuum.

Historical and even dramatic historical events
may have occurred which

led your distant relatives to leave Ireland and
come to America. And other historical events
happened in America that your

relatives might have participated in.

Did they leave Ireland because of the Famine,

as many did? Were any of your relatives
soldiers in any American wars?

All of this can lead to historical documentation
and more information about your ancestors.

A baptism certificate is
a good source of info
-- my relatives
from a family photo

For many of you, your relatives came during the Irish
Potato Famine

(or Great Hunger as they say in Ireland) or near that time.
Ask your relatives about this.  Some distant relatives
may have witnessed incredible events in American history --
especially for the Irish this

could be the American Civil War where so many Irish
immigrants and early generation Irish Americans served.
(My family had a relative in the Union Army,
although I was born in the South, because part of my
ancestry is from the North.)

Your ancestors might

date back in America even to the time of the
Revolutionary War.

Many Irish were in the Mexican-American war since that
happened around the time of the Great Famine in the mid 1840s.

A relative of mine --
"Hugh Byrne a native of Ireland" --
words written on this legal document
show a clear tie to Ireland
Family photo

Were your ancestors here during World War I, the Great
Depression, or World War II? Just ask your relatives
what they know and make a

list of the facts you find. Military records are a good source
of information.

Other sources of information could be birth certificates,
marriage licenses, and church wedding documents,
baptism documents, school records, and

death notices in newpapers, or death certificates.  

Look at old family photographs. Who are the people in
them? What are

the places in the photos and the surroundings? What can
they tell you about your family’s past?

Old photographs can sometimes
indicate the time of year or an approximate date.
By observing something

in the background of the photo like an old appliance,
a tool, a machine, a car, or certain buildings, or farms,
or the countryside you can get clues.

Hugh Byrne -- A marriage license from 1877
Family photo of my relative

Much like doing a jigsaw puzzle, put all the disjointed pieces
together to see the big picture.

You can also check the history of your last name. Many
last names give us a clue as to where our most
distant ancestors came from.

Some will probably be an Anglicized version of an
ancient Irish Gaelic name or word.

A very old family document
from the 1870s gives us ancestry clues
Family photo of my relative

You might find, most likely, that your ancestors were

Irish and something else. Mine are mainly Irish
(McGrath and Byrne),

but also some German (Bahl) and Scandinavian (Andersen).

But for some unknown reason we seem to cling emotionally
to the Irish.

I can’t explain why. Maybe you know or have your own views
on why we focus our emotions on the history of an exiled
people who were so badly treated for so long,
but who survived and later prospered in America?

One source you can use which is free of charge is the
website of the National Library of Ireland
http://www.nli.ie/ which has

a free Genealogy Advisory Service.
( See more information at NIL )

The website says a good way to start your family history

search is to ask family members, check old photographs,

newspaper articles, old letters, family Bibles, and family
grave sites. Try to focus in on approximate dates, names, and
places your ancestors were. Also, check for religious
or church records for

births, marriages, and deaths.

Map of Ireland, Jeffreys and Kitchen
1804, from Wikimedia Commons

Also check for

census data, the website advises. The website has a free booklet

too which may help in your initial search. You can find the pdf file

link at this site
https://www.nli.ie/en/intro/family-history-introduction.aspx  

To search for where your family came from is a fascinating
puzzle. And it might suggest where you might want your family to
go in the future. The future is built on the past.

As for me, I know only a few things; but I will share some

of this with you and perhaps you will  find it interesting.

Maybe you can use this as a guide in your own search.

From Ireland to Wisconsin to New Orleans

My mother and father during
the War years, World War 2
John and Isabella McGrath
Family Photo

My mother’s side is Byrne; my father’s side is McGrath.

Both, of course, are Irish names.

Let’s start with some general information which is fairly easy

to find online about the name “Byrne.” It is an English language

variant of the old Gaelic name O’Broin. This was a descendant of

a son of the King of Leinster, a province in ancient Ireland.

(See more about that here.) It might also be from O Beirn

which was from the Northwest of Ireland around Mayo or Donegal.

Variations of the name in English could be Burns, Byrnes, or

O’Byrne.

In general, “O’ means the “grandson of”; and “Mc” or

“Mac” means the “son of”.

It is possible the different locations were the result of various

invasions of Ireland over centuries by different people like

the Vikings, the Normans, and, of course, the English.

(See more on that here.)

What I know is that my mother was a Byrne; and she had

six brothers, a mother, and a father who all lived in New Orleans,

Louisiana. I also know the Byrne family arrived in America after

the American Civil War. But I don’t know exactly when.

Several

of her brothers served in the US military during World War II.

One in the US Army Air Force, one in the US Merchant Marine,

and one was a US Army medic. This information can be helpful

in further research as the US government has information on military

service to some degree.

All were raised Catholic, and so that is

another source of good ancestral research -- marriage certificates,

birth certificates, baptism records, etc. Church records are a good

source of information.

My father, Master Sergeant John McGrath
(center) at the US Army LaGarde General Hospital
c. 1943. "You're in the army now ..."

The other side of my family, my father’s, is McGrath
(which is my name).

This is an ancient Irish name from the Gaelic “Mac Craith.”
It came from

a place called the Kingdom of Thomond in Munster, Ireland.

This was before the Norman invasion in the 12th century.
(See more here.)

The McGraths were Dalcassians, who lived in Southern Ireland.

“Craith” means divine grace, and “Mc” means son of, so

McGrath means “son of divine grace.” How about that!

Different versions of the name in English are McGraw, Mac,

Crae, McKray, and so on.

School records are a good source of info
My father's high school diploma from Highland High School in
Highland, Wisconsin (70 miles west of Madison), 1936 
Family photo

Some sources indicate that the original McGraths were descendants

of a group called “Cenneide.” In English that is Kennedy. And they

were somehow related to the High King Brian Boru, who united

Ireland but was killed in 1014 at the Battle of Clontarf by the Vikings.

(See more here.)

My father,
Master Sergeant
John McGrath
US Army, c. 1943

Some sources say the McGraths were

originally poets, dating back to 1086 AD.

And, of course, as every pub crawler
knows there are at least two Irish pub songs
about McGrath.

One is an anti-war song

called “Mrs. McGrath,” and the other is

about and Irish dog who beats an English

dog in a dog race. The Irish dog and the

song are named “Master McGrath.”

My McGrath side came from Wisconsin;

my father was born in a small town

named Highland, WIsconsin about

70 miles west of Madison. ( See more about Highland
at the Facebook page for the Highland, Wisconsin
Area Historical Society. See more about Highland at
their website and Village of Highland.)

In the mid 1800s,
many Irish immigrants settled in Wisconsin and in the farming
areas west of present-day Madison, where Highland is.

My father was a farmer, a US army soldier in World War II,

and an accountant. He eventually moved to

New Orleans where he met my mother. Tracing his line back,

we can find connections to Boston,

Canada, and ultimately Ireland.

My father had a sister named Mary and a brother named Glen.
Glen went to the University of Wisconsin at Madison and
became a journalist. He was a member of the Wisconsin Press
Association and wrote for newspapers in Madison and also
Sheboygan, Wisconsin.

Like my father, my Uncle Glen grew up in Highland, WI and
graduated from Highland High School. I corresponded with him
by snail mail -- before we had computers and the internet.
Uncle Glen was always interested in Irish history,
and he encouraged me to write more and create a journal.

My father John McGrath (standing)
and my Uncle Glen (sitting)
circa 1991

If you are searching for your family history,

then that is a good way to start. Look for

general information about your Irish last name,

then look for church records and military records.

The search can take awhile and can be frustrating at times.

But give it a try and you might find out some interesting

things about your Irish background.

I hope this helps a bit to get you started in your search.

Sources and further reading:

National Library of Ireland (NLI) Genealogy Advisory Service

George Washington does St. Patrick's Day

George Washington and Lafayette with
the American Continental Army in winter quarters
Photo by Wikimedia Commons,
  original painting by John Ward Dunsmore, 1907 

By Adrian McGrath

What do you do when you command an exhausted and beaten-down army that is ill-equipped, largely demoralized and on the verge of collapse while you are fighting against the most powerful country in the world, Great Britain, and losing? What can you possibly do to lift up the spirits of your desperate troops. The answer, of course, is you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.

That is exactly what George Washington did in 1780. The winter of 1779/1780 was terrible for the Continental Army. The soldiers were ragged, unfed, and unpaid. They wintered in Morristown, New Jersey, which was as bad a place as was Valley Forge, earlier in the war. The American soldiers were malnourished and sick and poorly clothed.

It is true that they had fought the British to a standstill in the North, but the British were making good progress with a new and aggressive strategy in the South in the Carolinas. As the war dragged on and on, the Continental Army could only see a long and bloody struggle ahead of it. The cause of American independence seemed to be slipping away day by day.

American soldiers being trained at Valley Forge,
in conditions similar to those at Morristown
Photo by Wikimedia Commons,
original painting by E. A. Abbey, 1911

To brighten up his soldiers' spirits, George Washington decided to have a holiday for his troops. When the war began in 1775 at Concord and Lexington, the majority of American soldiers were of English heritage. As the war progressed, however, more and more men of other ethnic groups joined the Rebel cause. One of the main groups was the Irish from Ulster, the North of Ireland. These men were mainly Presbyterian and not Anglican or Catholic. (The great wave of Irish Catholic immigration to America would come later. Britain then was officially Anglican.) Sometimes called Scots Irish, these men nevertheless sympathized with the Irish rebel cause for freedom from British tyranny. Many Irish Presbyterians had suffered in Ireland under the unjust English Penal Laws which persecuted Irish Catholics mainly but also non-Anglicans like the Presbyterians. These Ulstermen also honored the feast day of the legendary Irish saint, St. Patrick.

General Washington knew he had to raise the morale of his weary troops somehow, and a celebration of St. Patrick’s Day seemed like the remedy. So, on March 16, 1780, the day before St. Patrick’s Day, Washington produced a proclamation.

Here is part of General Washington’s order for March 16, 1780:

“ General Order

The general congratulates the army on the very interesting proceedings of the parliament of Ireland and the inhabitants of that country which have been lately communicated not only as they appear calculated to remove those heavy and tyrannical oppressions on their trade but to restore to a brave and generous people their ancient rights and freedom and by their operations promote the cause of America.

Desirous of impressing upon the minds of the army, transactions so important in their nature, the general directs that all fatigue and working parties cease for tomorrow the seventeenth, a day held in particular regard by the people of the nation …”

George Washington
Photo Wikimedia Commons
and US Army, original painting
by Charles Peale

(Note: A full text of General Washington's letter can he found online at the American National Archives, archives.gov.)

Washington went on to say that the partying should be of a proper and mild nature with “the least rioting or disorder.”

By all accounts the celebration was properly held. George Washington’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration was not the first one recorded in America -- that was back in 1762 in New York -- and it won’t be the last. It was not the biggest and maybe not the most fun -- although reportedly at least one army officer donated a cask of rum for the event.

George Washington’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration of 1780, might be, however, the most important St. Patrick’s Day event in American history. It lifted the spirits of Washington’s army and saw his men through a very rough time. It made his soldiers admire their leader and feel like he cared about their well-being, that he sympathized with their miserable condition.

The next year, in 1781, George Washington would force march his war-weary men, who were nevertheless devoted to him, hundreds of miles to the south, to Yorktown, Virginia. There with the aid of his French ally, Washington would finally crush the British army under Lord Cornwallis, effectively winning the war for the Americans.

By keeping the morale of his troops up just enough by any means, including celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, George Washington kept the American Revolution alive until he achieved victory.

As odd as it may seem, a St. Patrick’s Day celebration on a bleak and cold day in March of 1780 helped a desperate Continental Army create a new nation and rescue the tenuous cause of Liberty from likely defeat.

Sources and further reading:

"A Brave and Generous People: Washington's St Patrick's Day Proclamation of 1780" by Mount Vernon website    and General Order ; "Washington's Army Celebrated St. Patrick's Day to Cure Winter Blues" by Smithsonian Magazine
; 

Easter Rising, 1916: A Terrible Beauty is Born

"Birth of the Irish Republic" -- painting by Walter Paget
depicting the Irish rebels at the GPO during the Easter
Rising Photo from Wikimedia Commons

By Adrian McGrath

Easter is a very important time of year in Irish history. In addition to the obvious religious implications for a land so steeped in religion --- something which has resulted in both good and bad things -- Easter is the time when the modern state of Ireland was born. It was born in rebellion and violence and much destruction and bloodshed. It was born in failure. Stillborn, in a sense. But resurrected just a few years later, in 1919 to 1921, in yet another Irish rebellion and war. This time the birth was for real and an Irish Free State resulted which eventually led to the Irish Republic of today.

In the Easter Rising of 1916 Irish revolutionaries fulfilled the defeated dreams of the Irish rebels from the doomed Rebellion in 1798, The Year of the French. For centuries the Irish struggled for freedom from Great Britain; but with 1916, though it was a failure in itself, the rising brought about the War for Independence which won freedom for the Irish nation. In this sense "a terrible beauty was born" in 1916. The great poet William Butler Yeats would use that phrase in his poem, "Easter, 1916," to describe the birth of modern Ireland.

In April, 1916 (specifically on Easter Monday, April 24) while World War I was still raging a force of largely unprepared and ill-equipped Irish rebels seized by force of arms several buildings in the city of Dublin and proclaimed an independent Irish Republic. Part of the reason the Irish rebels were so ill-equipped was because a shipment of weapons from Germany intended for the rebels had been seized by the British Navy. Because of this the rebellion should have realistically been cancelled, but it went on nonetheless to its doom.

The document proclaiming Irish freedom
from Britain. A type of "Declaration of Independence"
Photo from Wikimedia Commons.

The British sent in an army and proceeded to shut down the rebellion with artillery fire and machine guns, and even war ships. Since Britain was already at war with Germany, it was not hard to image that the British would not hesitate to use massive force against an armed insurrection in its own backyard.   

The Irish public did not at first fully support the rebellion. In fact many Irish men were serving in the British Army at this time fighting the Germans in the trenches in France. So, supporting a rebellion might be seen as aiding Germany.

Something called the Irish Republican Brotherhood instigated the rebellion, and its troops were from something called the Irish Volunteers and the Irish Citizen Army. They were led by poets and school teachers and other citizens who were basically incapable of taking on a British Army already experienced in fighting major wars.

Nevertheless, the rebels were serious despite being hopeless. The Irish men also had a women's auxiliary called the Cumann na mBan, or women's council, whose members acted in supporting roles typically as nurses, medics, and messengers and couriers, although some carried guns.

The main fighting took place at the General Post Office which the Irish rebels held for awhile. But within six days the Easter Rising was crushed by a vastly superior British military force.

The leaders of the Irish rebels were arrested and sent to Kilmainham Gaol (or jail) in Dublin or to internment camps. The British executed many of the revolutionaries by firing squad.

Kilmainham Gaol (jail) in Dublin,
where Irish rebel leaders were jailed
and executed after the Easter Rising
Photo from Wikimedia Commons

They did not kill the man who would become the first president of modern Ireland, Eamon de Valera because he was actually an American citizen, having been born in Brooklyn, New York.  The British did not want to create an unpleasant incident with the neutral United States with a world war going on. After all, the British might need America's help sooner or later during the Great War.

Eamon de Valera,
jailed by the British, became the
first President of modern Ireland
Photo from Wikimedia Commons

Some of the more famous names of the Irish leaders are as follows: James Connolly, a wounded socialist rebel whom the British infamously tied to a chair, since his wounds prevented him from standing, and then used a firing squad to shoot him to death with rifle bullets.

James Connolly, a wounded
Irish rebel leader, who was tied to a chair
since he could not stand, and shot to death
by the British in 1916
Photo by Wikimedia Commons

Thomas McDonagh, a school teacher.

Thomas McDonagh,
executed by the British

Patrick Pearse, was a teacher and Irish language advocate. (He wanted to revive the use of the ancient Irish Gaelic language.) Pearse was noted for a statement, famous in Irish history: " .. they [the British] have left us our Fenian [rebel] Dead, and while Ireland holds these graves, Ireland unfree shall never be at peace."  The British shot him to death.

Patrick Pearse, an Irish poet
and rebel, shot to death by a British Firing Squad, said
"Ireland unfree shall never be at peace."
Photo by Wikimedia Commons

The great poet William Butler Yeats wrote a poem about the rebellion called "Easter, 1916." He described the scene in Dublin and the epic nature of the fighting.

Irish rebel prisoners in a British jail, awaiting trial.
The man with the "x" above his head is the future IRA
leader, Michael Collins
Photo by Wikimedia Commons 

At the end of his poem, Yeats lists some of the leaders who were executed and creates the phrase which perfectly depicts the nature of the new nation -- modern Ireland  -- composed of both a positive and a negative term, as only a great poet can do -- "a Terrible Beauty."

William Butler Yeats,
the Nobel Prize winning Irish poet,
who wrote "Easter, 1916"
Photo from Wikimedia Commons

W. B. Yeats wrote:
"I write it out in a verse --
McDonagh and McBride,
and Connolly and Pearse,
Now and in time to be,
Wherever green is worn,
Are changed, Changed Utterly:
A terrible beauty is born."



The British eventually arrested and jailed over 3000 Irish after the failed rebellion. Most of the Irish leaders were put to death.

The harshness of the British suppression, however, backfired politically. It simply made the Irish public, which earlier was not supportive of revolution change their minds and become more sympathetic to future rebellion. A future rebellion did occur with the Irish War for Independence or Anglo-Irish War in 1919 to 1921.

Michael Collins (L) and Arthur Griffith (R). Collins, nicknamed
"The Big Fellow," was the leader of the IRA which gained independence
for Ireland. Griffith was an ally of Collins' and journalist who started the
Sinn Fein (Ourselves Alone) movement for Irish freedom.
Photo from Wikimedia Commons.  

Its new leader was a young man who had played a rather minor role in the Easter Rising, who was jailed but later released. He was, however, to play the main role in the war which won freedom for Ireland. His name was Michael Collins. He was the leader of the Irish Republican Army, the original IRA. Collins brilliantly used guerrilla tactics and a hit-and-run strategy to defeat the vastly larger and much better supplied and equipped British military. Michael Collins is one of the greatest heroes in all of Irish history.

Irish leadership -- Harry Boland (Left), a friend and ally of Collins'; Michael Collins (center), leader of the IRA; Eamon de Valera (Right), the first president
of modern Ireland
Photo Wikimedia Commons

Yet, Collins tragically was assassinated, after securing a peace treaty with the British and partial independence. He was only 32 years old when he died. No one knows who killed him, although it is suspected the assassins were other Irish who opposed the peace treaty he secured with Britain. The IRA, in effect, broke into two parts after the peace treaty, one group supporting it, the other opposing it. The opposing group felt the treaty did not go far enough in gaining full Irish independence since the North (Ulster) remained a part of Britain, and other limitations were made on full independence. Collins saw the treaty as a "stepping stone" to greater independence later on and the best possible deal available under the circumstances.  The Irish populace supported Collins.

Easter, 1916 started a very bloody and traumatic time for the Irish in Ireland and those Irish in America who were concerned about Irish freedom and Ireland's future.

The Irish fought the British for independence; and later on the Irish fought the Irish in an Irish Civil War, brother against brother, over the peace treaty with Britain.

The viciousness and the significance of the fighting throughout all of those bloody years was exactly as William Butler Yeats described it.

Easter,1916 created A Terrible Beauty.

Irish rebel soldiers at the GPO, General Post Office,
in Dublin, Easter, 1916
Photo Wikimedia Commons

Sources and Further Reading:
Painting of "Birth of the Irish Republic;   Photo of Patrick Pearse; Photo of Collins and Griffith[ photo of WB Yeats ; Wikipedia article on WB Yeats ; 

Trifle: An Irish Dessert

Trifle: An Irish Dessert
Photo by Adrian McGrath

By Adrian McGrath

After you have had a wonderful Irish meal of Irish Stew or Corned Beef and Cabbage for St. Patrick's Day -- or any day -- why not have an easy to make and very flavorful Irish dessert?

The solution would be what is called a Trifle. This dessert, popular in England and in Ireland, is a mixture of many things which can change from cook to cook. It is usually made from a pudding or custard, with soft cookies or pieces of cake added, which are sometimes soaked in liquor such as wine or rum. Include some chocolate or fresh fruit, as you like. Whipped cream may be used too. Sometimes small candies can be added. 

The whole concoction is mixed in a clear bowl so all the colors can be seen. If you layer it, it makes a very nice presentation. 

A side view of Trifle --
Pudding, cookies, and fresh fruit.
Photo by Adrian McGrath

A bit of research shows us that this dessert first came into being in the 1500s probably in England, but different versions appeared elsewhere in Europe. Over time various things were added like jelly or gelatin. But today there are really endless variations of the dish.

The best way to make Trifle is to find the fruits and pastries you like the best and just mix them up, adding what you like and see what happens. So, it is a great dish for experimentation.

Bord Bia, the Irish government's food board or agency, gives its recipe and a little discussion here. Its trifle contains a fortified wine, nuts, cream, and many other fine things. 

I made my own simple dish with just four ingredients. I never made Trifle before, so I decided to keep it simple. I used sliced fresh banana, strawberries, a vanilla pudding, and soft cookies. 

Ingredients for my Trifle -- vanilla pudding,
soft cookies, sliced banana, strawberries.
Photo by Adrian McGrath


Simply spoon the dish into individual bowls and serve with coffee, tea, or wine for a nice dessert.

Sources and Further reading: Bord Bia on Trifle; Wikipedia article on Trifle.

Coddle

Coddle, also called Dublin Coddle
or Irish Coddle, with sausages,
ham, onions, potatoes, and broth
Photo by Adrian McGrath

By Adrian McGrath

This is the first time I have ever made Coddle. So, if you have any ideas on how to do this differently, please let me know. From the research I did, however, it seems that Coddle is really a great comfort food especially for cold or rainy days.

It is popular, I am told, in Dublin, Ireland and has been so since the 1700s. Legend has it that Johnathan Swift, the famous author of "A Modest Proposal" and "Gulliver's Travels," loved this dish. Some say it was his favorite. The dish is also linked to the great writer James Joyce.

Most people call it Coddle, but it is sometimes referred to as Dublin Coddle or Irish Coddle. The word "coddle" means to cook slowly in a liquid just below boiling, much like simmering. After I made it for the first time, it reminded me a bit of the French dish Pot au Feu, which is a type of pot roast with vegetables which sometimes adds sausages.

I made the dish with just a few ingredients, but feel free to add whatever vegetables you like or change it as you choose. From what I researched, there are many different ways to make this dish.

Basic ingredients for Coddle: Sausage, bacon,
potatoes, onion, salt, pepper, parsley. Also used but not
shown, beef broth and a pinch of brown sugar.
Photo by Adrian McGrath

My ingredients were beef sausage, Canadian bacon, red potatoes, and yellow onion. I added a can of beef broth, salt, black pepper, dried parsley, and a pinch of brown sugar. As usual I do not give a detailed recipe, because I feel the individual reader can best make his or her own version of the dish with just the basic ingredients, a few photos, and a general description of the cooking process.

Coddle, also called Dublin Coddle
or Irish Coddle, an Irish dish of sausages,
bacon, onions, potatoes, and broth
Photo by Adrian McGrath

The dish really calls for Irish bacon which is a type of "back bacon" totally different from "pork belly bacon" used in the USA. Irish bacon, sometimes called "rashers," is not always available in grocery stores in the USA; so Canadian bacon can be a good substitute or even ham.

Then pick the sausage of your choice. Saute the sausage and bacon in a pot just a bit. Add chopped chunks of onion and potatoes and a liquid. I used canned beef broth, but chicken or vegetable broth are fine. Or you can just use some water and let the dish make its own broth. Some people add beer later on, but I did not.

Ingredients with ham,
sausage, potatoes, and
onions. Photo by A. McGrath

Spices are simply salt, black pepper, and dried parsley. I added a pinch of brown sugar to have a little sweetness.

Bring everything to a boil on a stove top burner and cover the pot. Then cook on a low flame or simmer for about 45 minutes.  And that is it.

Some people cook the dish covered in a pot in the oven over many hours. But the choice is yours  -- you pick your own ingredients and your own cooking method. Coddle is a simple dish and can be experimented with. Give it a try.



Serve it with some bread and a beer, and you have a great and comforting meal.

Sources and Further Reading:
Wikipedia article on Coddle; "A traditional Irish cold weather treat: Dublin coddle recipe" by Holly Thomas from irishcentral.com.

Shepherd's Pie and Cottage Pie

Cottage Pie or "Shepherd's Pie"
Photo by Adrian McGrath

By Adrian McGrath

Let me begin by saying that I’ve never eaten “Shepherd’s Pie,” but I always thought I did. I have eaten what I thought was Shepherd’s Pie many, many times. But I just recently found out that I was wrong.

I always thought Shepherd’s Pie was a baked dish made of ground beef, mixed vegetables, mashed potatoes, and cheese shaped like a “pot pie” and cooked in the oven. But I made a mistake, technically. In Ireland and in Britain where the dish originated, the technical term for what I made above is “Cottage Pie.” Shepherd’s Pie is similar, but it uses lamb meat instead of beef.

So, what I will be discussing in this little article is really Cottage Pie, although most people in the USA have never heard of that term but have probably heard of Shepherd’s Pie and, like me, thought they knew what it was.

Cottage Pie, with cheese, right out of the oven
Photo by Adrian McGrath

Much to my surprise this popular Irish dish first got its name around the year 1791 when the potato was becoming a popular food for the peasants and working class in Ireland and in Britain. The term used was Cottage Pie indicating it was food for people who lived in simple cottages. The beef versus lamb distinction was not clear then.

Later in 1854 the term Shepherd’s Pie began to appear in print and was interchangeable with Cottage Pie. As time went on, however, a distinction was made between Cottage Pie meaning beef and Shepherd’s pie meaning lamb. Everything else in the two dishes was essentially the same. And today in Ireland and Britain, Shepherd’s is lamb and Cottage is beef.

I made my own version of Cottage Pie and included a few photographs. There are many ways to make the dish, and you can change it as you wish. In fact in America you can still call it Shepherd’s Pie (even if made with beef) because if you call it Cottage Pie, most people will have no idea what you mean.

Basic ingredients for Cottage Pie,
ground beef, mashed potatoes (instant),
mixed vegetables, Cheddar cheese
Photo by Adrian McGrath

The dish mainly has four ingredients -- ground beef, mashed potatoes, vegetables, and cheese. Many Irish and British versions do not add cheese on top, but it is a popular option. If cooking without cheese, the idea is to brown the top of the mashed potatoes a bit for flavor and effect.

One popular Irish food website, BiaMaith, has a detailed version here. The Irish national television service, RTE, has its recipe here and uses lamb and beef interchangeably. There is even one Irish website -- potato.ie -- devoted just to the potato which has a variant of a Cottage or Shepherd’s Pie recipe.

I try to keep mine simple; and, as usual, I do not give a tedious, detailed recipe because I think people can best make the dish the way they want it by providing just the basic ingredients, a few photos, and a general explanation of how to prepare it. You can add or subtract things and cook differently depending on your own likes and dislikes. Nothing is written in stone.

Unlike most recipes I used a store bought pie crust as the base for the pie. Most recipes just place the prepared ingredients in a baking dish without a crust. In addition to the pie crust, I used lean ground beef, instant mashed potatoes, frozen mixed vegetables, and cheddar cheese sliced. Then you need spices of your choice and a little sauce to go with the ground beef. This could be your favorite steak sauce or a brown sauce. Or just go without that sauce. Just use a little of the sauce and avoid making the dish watery.

Cook the pie crust a bit first in the oven (not totally, just a bit); brown, cook, and season the meat, and add the beef to the crust. Heat up the frozen vegetables and put them on top of the meat. Then add the cooked instant mashed potatoes (or use freshly made mashed potatoes if you have them). Then slice some of the cheddar cheese (or the Irish cheese of your choice) and place that on top of the mashed potatoes. Bake the pie in the oven until the crust is done and the cheese melted and a bit browned.

And that is it. Serve it like sliced pie.

Now you have another great dish for St. Patrick’s Day.

Sources and Further Reading: Wikipedia article on Shepherd's Pie; RTE article on Shepherd’s Pie; BiaMaith article on Shepherd’s Pie; Potato.ie article on Shepherd’s Pie

Irish Potato Cakes

Irish Potato Cakes
Photo by Adrian McGrath

By Adrian McGrath

After I wrote my recent article on Champ (Irish mashed potatoes with green onions), a friend of mine who is a citizen of the United States but is originally from County Clare in Ireland, told me about another potato dish that was very popular in Ireland when he was young. It is Irish Potato Cakes. (I later learned a variant of this is called "Farl" which is typically from the north of Ireland which is made by flattening the cake, cutting into squares, and serving with butter.)

So, I decided to try my own version of the Irish potato cakes. Mine are round and a bit thick. But you can get the general idea from the pictures I included and design your own, as you choose.

I used only a few ingredients -- large Irish baking potatoes, canned milk, flour, a bit of baking powder, and cooking oil. You will also need butter and the spices of your choice for flavoring. I used a Creole spice, since I'm from New Orleans, and parsley.

As per usual I do not give a precise recipe since I think people can best concoct their own version at home, using a little imagination from the list of ingredients and pictures.

Basin ingredients for Irish Potato Cakes:
baking potatoes, milk, flour, spices -- Creole spice
and parsley. Photo by Adrian McGrath

To fix the cakes, cut up the potatoes with the skin on and boil in water until soft.  Drain, mash, and mix the potatoes with enough milk to moisten the potatoes. Add flour to the potato mix, in proportion of five potato to one flour, and maybe a little baking powder, if desired. Form the potato cakes into balls and smash down into cakes.

Fry the cakes in a little butter or oil for about five minutes on each side. When done, serve with butter and season to taste.

And that is it. It is a very simple and flavorful dish.

The Irish Food Board called Bia Bord has a recipe and description of the cake here . They use a different type of potato and different spices from those on my cakes, but nothing is written in stone. Use whatever variant you like.

By the way, if you cannot find a New Orleans Creole spice near where you live, you can make your own. There are many ways to do this. But an easy way is to just mix in a bowl ground black pepper, white pepper, and a very small amount of red cayenne pepper. Cayenne is very powerful. Add salt, garlic powder, and onion powder.

Irish Potato Cakes can be a great addition to any meal -- breakfast lunch, or dinner.

Why not give them a try.

Sources and further reading:
Crispy Potato Cakes at Bia Bord; Wikipedia article on Irish Potato Cakes ; Wikipedia article on Farl .

Champ (Poundies): Irish Mashed Potatoes with Green Onions and Butter

Champ: A great and simple Irish dish
Photo by Adrian McGrath

By Adrian McGrath

The Irish and potatoes go together. There are many dishes where the potato is prominent, but this one is really a wonderful and easy one to make. It tastes great, is inexpensive, and is probably pretty nutritious. It is called Champ. (The Irish also refer to this dish as Poundies.) It is really a side dish, but it can become a main dish depending on what you add to it.

Most likely it would make a great side dish along with sausages (or "Bangers") or maybe a steak or a chop. (See my earlier article on Bangers and Mash.) It makes excellent Pub Food across the USA.

To make it you just need Irish potatoes or baking potatoes or any type of potato you prefer. Then milk, butter, and salt and pepper. And most importantly you need lots of green onions (or scallions). You can also add the cheese of your choice.

I made some by using the following items: baking potatoes, canned milk, cheese (Monterrey Jack and some Blue Cheese crumbles), salt and pepper, butter, and lots of green onions.

Basic ingredients for Champ
Photo by Adrian McGrath

As per usual, I do not give a precise recipe because I feel people can best make their own version just by giving the basic ingredients and basic plan.

I simply cut up and boil my potatoes, with the skins on. I do not peel them. Drain and then mash the potatoes. Add milk, cheese, butter, and chopped green onions. Save some of the green onions to add to the top of the dish as a garnish. Mix everything up and serve hot.

That is it. Simple and great.

If you grill a sausage, a pork chop, or a hamburger steak and add a salad or a favorite vegetable, you will have a great meal.

Some recipes might call for "scallions" instead of "green onions." These are similar items, but they might not be exactly the same. Some sources say green onions and scallions are the same thing by a different name. Other sources say "scallion" means a broader category of "onion" to which green onion is just one part. So, there is some debate on this fine point. But either one will do for our purposes.

I am using lots of green onions because they are easy to find at my local grocery and are inexpensive. Plus, I like the taste of green onions and their bright green appearance.

Bord Bia, the Irish Food Board from the Irish government, has a recipe for Bacon, cabbage, and Champ. "Bacon" for the Irish is similar to what we call in America, Canadian Bacon. But you could probably use ham too.

So, why not give Champ a try the next time you want a nice and easy Irish potato dish.

Sources and further reading:
Wikipedia article on Champ; Irish Food Board, Bord Bia for bacon, cabbage, and Champ.