Member-only story
Origins of Corned Beef and Cabbage
Will you be making this tomorrow to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?
My first husband was an O’Hara. His grandfather came to America from the “Auld Sod”. One year, we went to Ireland with his many O’Hara relatives — there were 22 of us. We joked that we were invading Ireland in a reversal of the mass migration from that country to America due to the Potato Famine.
Which was a tragic event, and while we were there we did see gravesites and the remains of cottages.
We also saw ancient castles. At one, my husband kissed the Blarny Stone and then I kissed him. He drank Jamieson; I drove that day. We bought O’Hara pattern crystal in Galway and toured the Ring of Kerry. We visited historic churches and went to a pub which had flyers posted for a Sein Fein meeting.
We also visited some of his Irish relatives, who were impressive people — very well educated, witty, and wise. They royally entertained us with a delicious meal and potent potables.
One thing we did not do — eat corned beef and cabbage. While here in America, my husband and I always cooked corned beef and potatoes, we usually made asparagus to go with it. Or we’d have coleslaw. Boiled cabbage did not appeal to us.
