Anyone in Ireland?

[Squizz]

Hi, mine are pretty good and lay most days and have been good since they started/we had them (as pullets). Ruby, the brown leghorn seems to vary around the clock- if she misses a day she's the first the next morning. She's supposed to lay 280 average per year and the Daisy Bell 260 for the year. Roisin rarely misses a day.

 

[Squizz]

Hi we mostly have some form of cooked breakfast: rashers (bacon) egg(s) black and or white pudding (a sausage made of cereal and pig bits all boiled up and forced into a plastic sheath that's then boiled at the makers) this is then cut into slices and fried by the consumer. Tinned baked beans or tinned tomato, sausage, toast. Sometimes mushrooms. Sometimes it's just egg on toast. This pretty much keeps us going until evening dinner and that can be what ever, lamb shanks, spag bol, roast; spuds, meat. At the mo we have a second day stew of beef, and a lamb shank "juice" I had in the freezer and some roast squash. I do have a stock of tinned stuff; chilli, "ping" rice, crackers etc. I do cook a bit so have flour sugar etc for crumbles but we're (personally) not big on puddings. I do occasionally just have cheese and crackers or a jam sandwich if I'm home alone.

We do have cereal in the cupboard. Hubly likes the Soda Farls & potato cakes. We have several supermarkets here such as Lidl and Aldi and Dunnes and Tesco if your daughter does a search for these she'll get an idea of what's on offer and the prices. The Irish websites end in .ie

We're in the West of Ireland and a little bit out in the sticks so clothing isn't a big fashion statement. I mostly wear black cords (trousers) socks and mules (shoes) for knocking around at home with a few T shirts and a jumper on top. People would generally make more of an effort if they were working in offices in the city somewhere and I think Irish men make a real effort with smart ironed shirts when going out and mostly they have good shoes I've noticed are well polished!

Hope this helps some, and I'm not too late for the project.
Denise

 

[Irishhenman]

Food
For breakfast most children would have cereal (coco pops, Cheerios, wetabix etc). Adults would normally have porridge or toast. Occasionally People have a fry up (or full Irish) but I have never heard of anyone having them every day. They contain eggs, rashers, white and black pudding, mushrooms, tomatoe, potatoe and baked beans.

For lunch almost everyone will have a sandwich with ham, cheese or salad.

Dinner usually consists of some kind of carb, some veg and meat. The meals can vary a lot from chips and sausages to lasagne. Common carbs are chips (I think you would call them fries), spuds, pasta, noodles, rice things like that. Common vegetables eaten are carrots, broccoli, turnips, bell peppers, parsnips, leeks etc. Meats that we eat normally are chicken, beef, lamb, pork (many different forms).

Everyone will get fast food every now and again usually chips, an Indian, a Chinese, a pizza or fried chicken.

Sweets are eaten by pretty much everyone. Things like chocolate, crisps (chips in America), jellies and fizzy drinks etc.

Cloths
Clothes are pretty normal I guess. Children and teenagers will usually wear a track suit, t-shirt and a hoodie. Adults wear a large selection of cloths (anything really). Most men would wear a shirt and trousers to work or even a suit in more important jobs. Women wear all sorts of cloths.

Sport

The GAA (hurling and football) is a very popular. Hurling and football are field sports. Both are played over two halves of 35 minutes each. Both teams will have 15 players.

Hurling is played with a specially shaped stick called a Hurley and a small ball called a sliotar (pronounced slit-ar). The aim is to score the most in the allotted time. Their are two ways to score by hitting the sliotar over the crossbar on the goal (H shaped) and hitting the sliotar under the crossbar (called a goal and is worth three points). The team with the most points at the end wins.

Football is played with a large ball (roughly soccar ball sized). The scoring is the same but the ball is kicked from the hands instead of hitting the ball with the Hurley.

Other popular sports include soccar, rugby, tennis, cycling, athletics.

Ireland is famous for its thoroughbred industry which is incredibly successful for an Island of their size. Horse sports in general are very popular.

culture
Irish dancing is popular among young girls bit nobody else does it really. Children usually learn how to play the tin-whistle in primary school. Irish music is not very popular otherwise.

The Irish language is spoken as a first language in small areas called gealtachts. Everywhere else English is the first language.

Common culture nowadays
People listen to pop music and other popular music today.

Television and movies are very popular. Every house will have at least one tv and usually more.

Consoles are played by children/teenagers/ gameing adults. Play station, x-box, wii, DS

Housing

Most people will live in either a town or village, a city or in the country side. Houses vary from apartments in cities to large houses in the countryside.

Education

Children start in play school at around 3-4 years old. They go to primary school at around 5 and do eight years there. Then children go to secondary school at around 12-13. Students do two big exams in secondary school, the junior cert and the leaving cert. Teenagers can do either 5 or 6 years in secondary school (there is an optional year called transition year). Then you can go on to college if you want.

Geography
Ireland is broken up into four provinces called Munster, Leinster, Ulster and Connocht. Ireland is also divided into 32 counties (26 in the republic, 6 in the North)
Dublin, Cork, limerick, Galway, Waterford, Belfast, Derry and Kilkenny are the only cities. Dublin is the capital city.
The longest river is the Shannon
The Highest mountain is Carrin Toohill (not sure of the spelling)
Ireland is an Island surrounded by the Atlantic to the west and North, the Irish Sea to the east, St.Georges Channel and the Celtic sea to the south.
Ireland has a population of roughly 4.5 million.

 

[broodyhen2]

Hey guys
Im all the way down in Kerry
Just wondering how did you get your hens

 

[Ray C]

Hi broodyhen2. I've been keeping hens for 27 years since I was 7 years old and I've gotten to know lots of poultry keepers and sourced birds that way. Joining a club is another option. A number of us formed the Poultry Keepers Club of Ireland last autumn and we have members who keep many different breeds. For more info on the club have a look at our website at www.poultrykeepersclubofireland.com or check out our Facebook page.
Ray.

 

[broodyhen2]

Thanks I have 6 myself
1 Rhode Island Red although the more I look at her I think she is a hybrid
I paid 20 for her as she was labeled a pure bread
I have two black rocks
2 brown hybreds
And an amber star
I got all these birds at a poultry sale

 

[Irishhenman]

Post a picture of the Rhode Island Red and we could tell you if she is purebred

I get most of mine from other breeders, and some of the layers from poultry sales.

 

[Squizz]

Hi BroodyHen2

Hope all's going well.

We got our girls from Ballina. Must have been a market on a Tuesday as one of the girls got called Ruby "Tuesday"

Denise

 

[broodyhen2]

Thanks
I will post a pic of the "pure breed" Rhode Island in the morning

 

[broodyhen2]