Dulse and Yellow Man from Ballycastle-o!
Sorry, bloggy friends it has been SO LONG since my last post – life has been hectic in a holiday-kind-of-way! We had some friends staying and I have enrolled in an on-line Digital Photography Course (I will let you know how that is going soon).
I really enjoyed the feedback I received from you following my Question and Answer post, and plan to do it again soon, so get your thinking-caps on for some more questions for me.
I do have a follow-up however, relating to my husband’s amount of annual leave. I may have given the impression he gets 4 weeks holidays a year – but he gets over 6 weeks! (happy days) – currently 32 days, PLUS Public Holidays. He did make the mistake two mistakes a few years ago – First – he did not actually TAKE all his leave (and was not able to carry it over) and MISTAKE TWO – he admitted this to me the following year, and his defense to my incredulity was “but I didn’t want to do anything else”. As a SAHM, who never really gets “days off” I pointed out the error of his ways (!) and explained that if he had taken the days off, then I could have had a few days off from being a SAHM. Needless to say, since then he has always ensured he has taken all holidays he is entitled too!
A few digital layouts to share, using photos from the last week which display our usual natural holiday habitat – the beach and the playground.
For credits, or to read the journaling, click on the images and you will reach my DST gallery.
So today is 12 July – a public holiday here in Northern Ireland. I usually avoid “Norn Iron” politics and parades, but as we were driving along towards Ballycastle today, we came across a small Orange Order Lodge and band which was marching a short distance before it headed to wherever the main “Demonstration” was being held in the area. I am including these photos out of cultural interest only, to share with my international readers!
So what about the blog title? What is dulse and Yellow Man?
They are both local delicacies from Ballycastle – famous for it’s Ould Lammas Fair, dulse and Yellow Man, and this is a well known local song which celebrates all 3.
“At the Ould Lammas Fair in Ballycastle long ago
I met a pretty colleen who set me heart a-glow
She was smiling at her daddy buying lambs from Paddy Roe
At the Ould Lammas Fair in Ballycastle-O!
Sure I seen her home that night
When the moon was shining bright
From the ould Lammas Fair in Ballycastle-O!
Chorus
At the ould Lammas Fair boys were you ever there
Were you ever at the Fair In Ballycastle-O?
Did you treat your Mary Ann
To some Dulse and Yellow Man
At the ould Lammas Fair in Ballycastle-O!
In Flander’s fields afar while resting from the War
We drank Bon Sante to the Flemish lassies O!
But the scene that haunts my memory is kissing Mary Ann
Her pouting lips all sticky from eating Yellow Man
As we passed the silver Margy and we strolled along the strand
From the ould Lammas Fair in Ballycastle-O!
Repeat Chorus
There’s a neat little cabin on the slopes of fair Knocklayde
It’s lit by love and sunshine where the heather honey’s made
With the bees ever humming and the children’s joyous call
Resounds across the valley as the shadows fall
Sure I take my fiddle down and my Mary smiling there
Brings back a happy mem’ry of the Lammas Fair
Repeat Chorus”
Ballycastle today in the sunshine.
The Dulse is (allegedly) edible seaweed – and let me assure you, it may look like pot pourri, but it smells and tastes exactly as you would expect seaweed to taste! If you are unable to purchase this delicacy locally, you can recreate it with these simple instructions:
simply soaking a tough old boot in a bucket of sea water overnight
cut off a bit of the salty leather off
try to eat it!
(Should I submit this for WFMW?!!)
Yellow Man however, is a different thing altogether – it is a hard chewy chunks of honeycomb candy. I am sure it is a dentist’s nightmare, but lets put it this way – we started with a full bag earlier today, and I had to fend the family off so I would have enough to photograph. Surprisingly the dulse is still untouched!
So, my question for you is……… what local delicacy in your corner of the world? …… and more importantly do you like it?!!
Looking forward to some more comments (hint, hint!)
Take care.
I love the By the Sea LO. Thank you for sharing the local interest photos. I enjoy learning about other places. I don’t think I would have wanted to taste the dulse. A local delicacy here is the Saskatoon berry. I use it in jam, syrup and lemonade. It also makes a tasty cider. My DH prefers the blue berry. I think this has given me an idea for a local flavour blog post one of these days soon.
I love Dadih. It’s like yoghurt but it’s made from fresh milk. It’s white in color, normally found a lot during the fasting month.
hugs from Malaysia,
Z.
DEFINITELY should do Dulse for WFMW. For sure.
Great photos, history, cultural stuffs. I learn so much from the internets! (Though I probably could have done without learning of DH’s time off! Oh, how my DH would have suffered if he’d made those two mistakes!)
The pics are beautiful! Ireland is so gorgeous! The honeycomb – yum – not so much for the seaweed!
very neat pictures in your blog!!!
i learned a whole lot of things about ireland today through your blog. i am also awed by the beautiful layouts and photos! keep up the great work.
thank you for visiting my blog too 😀
enjoy the rest of the weekend.
I loved the bit of history from Ireland! The pictures were so good! Thanks for the history lesson!
In the North Carolina, in the USA, we have many delicacies.
Some I like are:
Moravian Cookies from Winston Salem
Dill Pickles from Mt Olive
Barbecue-either pork or beef-Mostly from the eastern part of the state
One thing I DO NOT like is
LIVERMUSH! Never have and never will!
Glad to hear you are still enjoying our holiday!
Thanks for the update and all of the photos :)! I haven’t lived here long enough to know what the local unique foods are, but I know when I was growing up in New England (US) my grandma used to make all kinds of interesting foods including snail salad (which I liked). I have also had escargot a few times and enjoyed it – hmm maybe I have a thing for snails??
Oh yeah, I just rememebred that they have something called hush puppies here that are really yummy (don’t worry, they are made from corn I think)!
Over 6 WEEKS!!!! I’m floored right now…seriously, I’m jealous and envious and all together want to hate you, but I like you to much to hate you… but you get me right?
We get TWO weeks if we are lucky…other than that, ummmm…you vacation without pay! So you get the jealous, hate you, envious part right?
ANyhow…delicacy here? Fry Sauce…a mixture of ketchup and mayonnaise that you dip fry’s in…and I LOVE IT…a little too much, hence the front protruding belly!
Have a good day! Love you blog!
*JUMPING UP AND DOWN* … as soon as I saw the “Yellow” I knew what you were talking about… what we call here a Cadbury Crunchie bar was modleed after it.
The local foods to us here in BC that I can think of are anything from Tim Hortons – its Canada’s Doughnut shops… and Beaver tails, I’ve not had one myself but they are like giant fried donuts you get at fairs etc, supposed to be shaped like a big beaver tail, beaver being the animal on the back of our coins, and then there is poutine, which is a Canadian dish, originating in Quebec, which is fries (chips) with gravy and cheddar cheese on top… and then I suppose theres Indian tacos, the natives make a taco using their own delicious bread as a base.
Miles says to add ‘fruit leather’ which is basically fruit which has been pureed and then sundried in flat sheets.
Your photos are amazing too, and I’m dying to know about your digital photography course?
This is my last comment, promise!
I always enjoy your digital layouts…you do a beautiful job! It sounds like you have been busy and are having a good summer!
~Kelli
Love the thrill seeker layout! Such great color!
Love the photos, as usual. I’ll have to practice, I’m absolutely useless with a camera. I could do a WFMW on what doesn’t work for me.
I’ve the same local delicacies as you although I think your stretching the use of the word delicacy for the dulse. Can not stand the stuff, my dad loves it.
Mrs Miles…even though it is currently 22:40 I may be tempted to run out and get a Crunchie, Friday or not. I have that feeling.
Back to work tomorrow, it’s been lovely having a few days off. I haven’t been to see the parade since I was a child, but your photos might make me have a nosey again in August.
So glad you set your hubby straight on your need to get away! *grin*
But you have me stuck on local delicacies. I can’t think of one. How pathetic is that???
Those pictures are gorgeous!
Kelsey
mysweetlife.org
Hi!
I followed you from Mom Bloggers Club Top 100.
What beautiful pictures!
I’m so glad I found you.
DO TELL about George… thanks for your visit JM! I’ll stay tuned.
Hi there. I found your blog via mombloggers. Love it! I love to scrapbook, mostly traditional, but I’ve also done a few digital layouts. Your photos are gorgeous. Nice to meet you!
Enjoyed your pictures!