avatarKatie Michaelson

Summary

The text recounts the author's journey to uncover the origins of their family's Irish stew recipe, tracing back to their ancestors in Kilkenny, Ireland, and exploring the historical context of their ingredients and cooking methods.

Abstract

The author, along with their cousins Terry and Kathy, embarks on a genealogical quest to understand their family history, particularly focusing on their grandmother Hilda's Irish stew. This exploration leads them to their ancestors, John Collins and Mary Anne Fitzpatrick, in Kilkenny, Ireland, during the 18th century. The narrative delves into the socio-economic conditions of their Irish ancestors, the types of meat available to them, and how these factors influenced the traditional Irish stew. The author reflects on the transition of the recipe from Ireland to America, the impact of the Great Famine, and the role of tavern ownership in their family's culinary practices. The article concludes with a detailed recipe for Irish stew, emphasizing the use of available resources and the evolution of the dish over time.

Opinions

  • The author suggests that their ancestors' status as poor tenant farmers likely meant they used mutton, rather than lamb or beef, in their Irish stew due to economic constraints.
  • There is a sentiment of pride and resourcefulness in the way the family adapted their stew recipe based on the available meat and produce, both in Ireland and after immigrating to America.
  • The author implies that tavern ownership in their family history may have provided access to a variety of meats for the stew, which were otherwise reserved for the wealthy.
  • The text conveys a sense of nostalgia and connection to the past through the act of preparing and enjoying traditional family recipes.
  • The author values accuracy and invites readers to contribute any corrections or additional information about their family's history and the evolution of their Irish stew recipe.

WE THREE: Kilkenny, County Kilkenny, Ireland

Authentic Irish Stew: Lamb or Beef?

To find the answer, I traced my family roots to Ireland. There I found a charming story and the secret of my grandmother's recipe.

Photo by Tomás Robertson on Unsplash

My cousins Terry and Kathy and I have been tracing our family history for our book, We Three. Kathy is the youngest so she will likely finish it. In the meantime, we are trading stories and digging up the past as we weave our life stories.

For the case of our family's Guinness Irish Stew, we took a trip to our grandmother Hilda’s family. We pieced together our family memories and used my life experiences as a farmer and gardener to understand the information we found.

The end (or beginning) of Grandmother Hilda’s family line so far is our:

Great great great great great great grandfather John 1741- 1813/ Born in Kilkenny Ireland immigrated with his Father John Sr between 1747 and 1770.

And his bride our: Great great great great great great grandmother Mary Anne Fitzpatrick, (1741–????), married between 1757 & 1770 going by the known dates of the children’s birth. We have not confirmed Mary Anne’s father, yet.

Mary Anne Fitzpatrick was born in Kilkenny, County Kilkenny, Ireland.

If my homeland were a wee lamb sitting on her hind end, Kilkenny would be her bottom.

You could say, my homeland is resting on my kinfolk.

The image is from a relative who could not remember where it was from. I did not find a Wikipedia source. I can only assume Kilkenny was highlighted by another relation of Mary Fitzpatrick Collins.

Mary was from a poor family living on the land. She was born in 1741 and may have made her First Holy Communion in Kilkenny.

She married John Collins, also born in Ireland, but we have no idea where she found him. We trust he was a good husband as he fathered her four children. We hope he did, what with his being a tavern owner. I mean we hope he didn't father some others with floozies. My family never liked the floozies.

They were wed in The States Because John immigrated with his father, John Collins.

John’s brother, Thomas, also owned and operated a tavern. Interestingly, we found tavern owners in our other Irish family lines.

Three things are relevant to our family stew.

  1. No one in the family was a big drinker. Do you think that means they took advantage of the weaknesses of others? Surely not.
  2. It was likely that Guinness was added to our Stew Recipe after we got to the States and not brought here from the old country.
  3. Family tales reveal a matriarchal tradition. Do you suppose the woman kept the men from drinking all the booze?

Did my ancestors in Ireland use Mutton, Lamb, Beef, or other animals for their Irish stew?

My family immigrated well before the potato famine of 1834–1852. They may have been tenant farmers. 1 to 4 acres and may have suffered under the early crop failures going back to 1728.

It’s possible they were well-educated, skilled workers. Even if they were involuntary or voluntary indentured servants were likely equipped to lead independent lives when their servitude ended.

However, since my family was Catholics from southern Ireland it is most likely they were from the poorest tenant farmers or even rootless undesirables and in Mary’s case sent unwillingly.

All the above plus pigs, other animals, and birds were plentiful but not for the common tenant farmer. Even rabbits were considered the property of the Lord. But, I’d bet my last quarter many a pot of rabbit stew simmered over the fire on a cold winter eve.

Sheep were raised for their wool and live up to 10 years. I never raised sheep, although it was a dream of mine. I raised goats for the milk and cheese, and goat milk soap. They live a bit longer than sheep, which gives me to know that they did not put down a sheep for the table — until it was of no further use for breeding or wool.

Meat from grown sheep is mutton and it is very tough and requires a long slow cooking time with lots of seasoning.

Meat from lamb is very tender. Lamb would have been reserved for the wealthy and powerful. Only extra rams and less desirable lambs would be put down.

Beef was raised for milk and cheese but the beef was mostly eaten by the wealthy. Peasants, like all free labor, only got the leftover bits. Corned beef is made from brisket and is tough but can be made tender with slow cooking.

Tending animals is a complicated skill passed down through the generations. There are some truths; except for injury, illness, herd health, or the order of the rulers, you don’t eat the critters. Spring is the season when the herds are culled. Culled means sorting out the keepers, traders, and those to be food.

Beef and pork were mostly exported to England.

The King and Lords may have a leg of lamb, but the peasants would be lucky to get leftover bits for stew.

Mutton would be the least treasured meat. It is the farmer/gardener old lady who says: “In the old country my ancestors made stew from bits of mutton and mounds of potatoes. That would be before the potatoes started rotting in the fields.

Being Catholics, which were the lowest class, they could not do much of anything as they had no rights. They were allotted the rockiest land. Their Irish stew would have mostly been boiled potatoes with milk. The milk made it a nourishing dish.

Any bits of meat for my ancestors would have been a feast and cause for celebration.

Mary Anne Fitzpatrick Collin's Irish Stew

My great, great, great, great great, great Grandfather from Ireland and his bride, my great, great, great, great great, great Grandmother Mary from Kilkenny, County Kilkenny, Ireland; would be having their Irish stew from sheep when they came to the states.

But I know from living on the land that deer, rabbit, and squirrel would find their way to the Irish Guinness Stewpot, especially for the common folk. Just as in the old country, the prime cuts would go to the wealthy.

However, with my to-the-sixth grandfather and his brother owning and operating taverns where travelers would be sleeping and eating, my granny would be smiling at the cleverness of the menfolk. Mutton, lamb, and beef would be in the stew pot for the guests, and the pots cleaned to shining by the family.

My Grandmother Hilda’s Irish Stew (1892–1966)

My father was nine when the Great Depression began in 1929, like most families in those days, my grandmother would often not have any meat to put in the stewpot.

In those days people used what they could get and felt lucky to have a spoonful of anything.

Here is the recipe for the best of times. Alter to your heart's content based on diet and resources. Remember to kiss the cook and give thanks you have food to put in your belly.

Photo by Katie Michaelson

Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 3 lbs beef chuck roast cut into chunks.
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • Salt and pepper
  • 5 tablespoons bacon fat
  • 3 large onions, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 cups beef stock
  • 1 bottle (12 oz) Guinness stout
  • 5 large carrots, peeled and sliced
  • 3 large parsnips, peeled and sliced
  • 3 turnips, peeled and sliced
  • 9 large potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 2 bay leaves

Instructions:

  1. In a bowl, toss the beef chunks with flour, salt, and pepper.
  2. Heat bacon fat in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the beef and brown on all sides. Remove the beef and set aside.
  3. Add the onions to the bacon fat, stirring until clear.
  4. Add garlic.
  5. Pour in the Guinness, stir, and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
  6. Add beef stock.
  7. Return the browned beef, turnips, and parsnips to the pot.
  8. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer for about one hour.
  9. Add the potatoes.
  10. Cover and cook for about 1 to 2 hours, or until the beef is tender.
  11. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste and remove the bay leaves before serving.

Enjoy

The answer?

The answer to the question; is your Irish Stew made from lamb or beef? Ireland's national dish may be Irish Stew made from mutton potatoes and onions. However, Mary Anne Fitzpatrick was from a poor family living on the land. Her family would have used anything they could find.

Make your stew with any meat you can afford.

As my cousins and I dig into our family's history, we often find information requiring us to review our notes. We are finding amazing stories. I may have made errors in this story, so drop me a note. Any help is appreciated.

Thank you for reading.

It appears the luck of the Irish is that we are still here. So may the luck of the Irish be with you.

Uncle Tom, Grandpa Joe’s brother — just a little ditty bit.

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1900 Nelson’s Biographical Dictionary and Historical Reference Book of Fayette County, Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania Agricultural History

What Poor and Rich Irish Ate

We keep sharing stories, photos, and searching records. The most reliable information comes from gravestones, church records, government records, and local newspapers. Public search sites seem to have questionable information repeated and passed around. I endeavored to be honest with my account by using the nasty “May Have.”

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