The Irish Social System
In the Farming Community.
In the 80’s and 90’s farmers’ sons had no regular pay and slaved all year round just for their board and lodgings with no further remuneration or pocket money. However, the young men had to find some money for the odd day to enjoy themselves. It was an understood custom for young men to steal a few sacks of potatoes or oats from their parents and sell them surreptitiously to a neighbouring shopkeeper, often at a reduced price because the shopkeeper knew that the seller wanted to sell at any price.
Often the parents may have missed the produce and kept their eyes closed and tongues quiet on the matter as it was what they had done themselves when they were of the same age. The girls of course had to rely on the few eggs, which they could put aside. Things have changed immensely in latter days, sons and daughters too have to get a decent wage but in some cases there is room for improvement.
Some complain that it was a wretched system and the farmers were to blame. Also the farm was intended for the eldest son, but alas he had to wait many years until the rest of the family had moved out. He also had to provide a bride with a fortune or dowry or otherwise ha had no hope of getting possession of the family holding.
Another item which sometimes caused irritation was that the new bride and her mother in law had to share the same kitchen and cooking facilities and in spite of the sean – fhocal ‘bean Mhic is mathair cheile mar a bheadh cat is luch in aghaidh a cheile’’,
(The Son’s wife and mother are like a cat and a mouse batching each other), most Irish marriages proved most happy in those difficult circumstances.
But who was to blame? Not the people surely, but the system, but it worked. Yet there was no divorce in those days and no outcry for it.
P.S. Matchmaking was regular feature in Irish life, in all stock, of life from the poorest to the richest in the nineteenth and up to the middle twentieth century. In very district was a “stocach” or go – between who brought word to the interested parties and arranged a meeting between them at some neutral venue and then left it to themselves to complete or break the ‘match’.