This week at the Irish Ploughing Championships a world record has been broken. A very important world record, mind you.
The Guinness Book of Records for the Most Cups of Tea Poured in an Hour now rests with the Irish. A fitting home for such a prestigious honor. As you know, we Irish love our cuppa tea.
Table of Contents
The Irish Ploughing Championships
This week the Irish National Ploughing Championships are in full swing.
I'd love to attend this event, and don my fanciest wellies to mingle the highways and byways of the exhibit tents, learning all about the agricultural wonders of the country of my birth.
Dear American readers, please forgive my Irish spelling of the word "ploughing". I know American farmers do the "plowing", but I just can't bring myself to type it so when referring to "The Ploughing", as this festival is lovingly referred to in Ireland.
Despite growing up in Dublin's Fair City, I hail from two rural Cork families. Farming is in my blood, and I think I'd be in my element at this fantastic festival of Irish farming. Someday I'm going to get there.
Back To The Tea
This year the Tea Pouring World Record caught my attention. You can't beat an ingenious, quirky world record attempt as the basis for a good story.
An expert team of 12 tea-pourers from Lidl supermarket smashed the previous record of 1,608 cups set last April in London.
The Irish tea team poured and poured, until they filled no less than 1,848 cuppas in just 60 minutes. Now that's a lot of tea, 240 cups more than the previous record.
Thirsty Farmers?
Tea, the beloved beverage of my homeland, must be made in teapotfuls, kettlefuls, nay bucketfuls, to quench the thirst of parched farmers at a ploughing championship.
But wait, all that tea just went to waste. Health and safety regulations dictated it was not fit for consumption.
Well I'll be. Why on God's good earth could fine cups of Irish tea not be enjoyed?
Oh let me think over my granny's rules of Irish tea making ....
Fully Boil The Water
Perhaps the water wasn't quite at boiling point.
For a real Irish cuppa the kettle must be hopping off the stove before even attempting to make the tay.
There were no American style singing kettles in my granny's kitchen. But I remember the black kettle hanging on the hook above the lapping flames. It bubbled and spewed steam for a few minutes before the water was deemed "ready for the tay."
Scald The Pot
And what about scalding the pot?
There's no way to properly scald the pot before making 1,848 cups of tea, and we Irish all know from our mammies and grannies that scalding the pot is a prerequisite for a good pot of tea.
Brew The Tea For At Least 3 Minutes
Churning out barrels of tea in an hour could mean the minimum required 3-minute brewing time was probably not adhered to.
Did the Guinness judges test the strength of each and every one of those 1,848 cups of tea, because my granny's tea had to be a perfect shade of mahogany brown?
Black Tea or Milky Tea?
How do you set the rules and standards for a good cup of Irish tea?
- Do you want a milky brew?- Very Irish
- A cuppa with a slice of lemon?- Not so Irish
- How about a dash of milk and a spoon or two, or three of sugar? - Some like it sweet, you know.
- How about a dash of the good stuff? - A little whiskey and honey goes a long way for a sore throat....
The options are endless. I understand fully why the Guinness judges settled on a black brew of plain tea.
Congratulations To The Tea Makers
And so I say well done to all the brave tea pourers at "The Ploughing".
Congratulations on such an outstanding achievement, working together to celebrate one of our favorite Irish pastimes, drinking tea.
And don't mind what health and safety say ... if I was there I'd have enjoyed a cup or two of your expertly poured brew.
I hope everyone had fun breaking this tea pouring record. And a big thank you to the good folks from Lidl who organized this event.
Wishing everyone the peace and relaxation of drinking a nice cuppa tea, and not having to worry about pouring another two thousand cups.
Slán agus beannacht,
(Goodbye and blessings)
Mairéad -Irish American Mom
Pronunciation - slawn ah-gus ban-ock-th
Mairéad - rhymes with parade
Irish Traditions
- Saint Patrick's Day Around The World
- The Religious Significance and History of Croagh Patrick
- The History and Origins of Irish Dance
- Irish Tweed - Characteristics, History, and Tradition
Irish Breakfast
Irish Cakes, Cookies And Desserts
- Kerry Or Irish Apple Cake
- Irish American Mom's Christmas Pudding
- Apple Crumble - Perfect Farm Wife Style
- Saint Patrick's Day Cupcakes
Patricia
I have always loved the expression "tea a cat could dance on." While I don't like mine THAT strong, I do prefer it with just sugar usually. But if the teacup is exceptionally beautiful, I might add a drop of cream, just to make the experience more special, lol!
Irish American Mom
Hi Patricia - Isn't that a wonderful expression. When tea is very strong, my mother always proclaims it's "like porter" as she pours it out. My husband loves strong tea, so in our house I always get the first cup. Any longer than 5 minutes brewing and it's too strong for me. A cup of tea from a fine porcelain cup is one of life's little luxuries in my book. And you're right, a little drop of cream or milk just makes it extra special.
All the best,
Mairéad
Bill Cokas
I've tried it with milk, but that seems more like coffee to me. Still, I've taken to having a big mugga (cuppa's too small) of Barry's at 4pm every day to transport myself to Ireland as I write my next novel. Interesting stuff, Mairead:)
Irish American Mom
Hi Bill - A mug of Barry's tea is a perfect afternoon pick-me-up. I love a cuppa at that time too every day. I hope your Barry's tea continues to give you a moment of relaxation to inspire your writing each and every day. Best of luck with your current project, and may the words of your novel flow effortlessly from your keyboard.
All the best,
Mairéad
Cheryl Barker
I am not a tea drinker but farming is in my blood, too, Mairead! Both sets of my grandparents (and their parents, etc.) were farmers so my Mom and Dad both grew up on farms and we visited the grandparents' farms regularly when I was growing up. So thankful to have had that taste of country life. What a great heritage!
Irish American Mom
Hi Cheryl - Like you, I really appreciate my rural heritage and all that I learned about country living when I was growing up in Ireland. Farming will always be in our blood. No matter where I go on earth, I always feel at home on a farm whether it be a ranch in Texas, or a small farm on the cliffs above the Atlantic ocean on the west coast of Ireland.
All the best,
Mairéad
Veronica Vatter
Irony is that I was making a cup as I read this! Before traveling to the UK, I only took sugar in my tea. But now I HAVE to have milk too. Not Irish, but I love PG Tips. Was better than Lipton(eww)
Irish American Mom
Hi Veronica - PG Tips are very nice tea bags. They get my seal of approval, but I'm afraid Lipton just doesn't cut it for me either. I was in shock when I first tasted Lipton tea when I came to America in 1988. It took me a while to discover Twinings Irish Breakfast Tea which is quite good.
All the best,
Mairéad
Ward Gahan
Barry's tea is a staple of Irish Society. A great Cork tea! Being from tipperary I have to throw the Republic of Cork a bone now and then.
Irish American Mom
Ward - You can't beat a good cup of Barry's tea - but then, I am a Cork woman at heart, and am loyal to our tea brand.
All the best,
Mairéad
Tom Porter
I love Barry's too!
And green tea, they say it's best for preventing illnesses.
I knew this girl from Cork, Joan Barry.
Irish American Mom
Hi Tom - Over my years in America I've learned to enjoy a nice cup of green tea without any milk. Lot's of Barry's in Cork, but the Barry's tea family are the most renowned.
All the best,
Mairéad
T.M.Johnson
My freshman year at the UW I stayed with my paternal grandparents. After dinner we'd settle ourselves in the living room to watch t.v. My diminutive grandmother, Mary Eagan from County Mayo, would warm her feet before a small electric heater. Promptly at eight o'clock Grandpa would look up from his paper and ask, "Grrrrrrranndma ([G. was Hungarian), would you like a little cup of tea?" A moment of hesitation, a quizzical look, always, and then Grandma would reply, " Well,...ok, I guess." Grandpa would hoist himself from his easy chair, shuffle off to the kitchen and then a few minutes later shuffle back with Grandma's evening tea. As I look back at that year, I believe this was my grandparents' nightly routine, a simple act of love and nurturing that to this day still resonates with me. I believe Grandma would have been in the running for GB of Records' "Most cups of tea consumed in a lifetime" thanks to my grandpa.
Re: Ploughing. (I'm sure you're aware your spellcheck function underscores the spelling). "Plowing/ploughing": I'm comfortable with both. In her book "Lost Country Life" Dorothy Hartley begins her chronological journey of olden English farm life with this quote for January: "Plough Monday, the next after Twelfthtide be past/biddeth out with the Plough; the worst husband is last." In 18th/19th Century in mid-west America, a major ritual of spring was the spring "turning," another term for plowing. The famous Iowan painter Grant Wood rendered a striking painting of this event (entitled "The Spring Turning"). By the way, the furrows in your post photo appear to be "tractor perfect," not those produced by draft horses pulling a bull-tongued plow as per some of our local plowing contests.
FYI, IAM: that "covered bridge" thirty miles away. Just as I thought, it's a pedestrian overpass, covered, yes, but roofed only. Any smooch conducted within would most definitely be a DPA.
One more thing... willing to concede "ploughing" to "plowing," but not quite sure about the use of "hale" as opposed to "hail." With apologies, your fastidious (and picayune), but ever fond and devoted reader. TMJ
Irish American Mom
Hi T.M. - What a lovely memory to share with us. A cuppa brewed by Grandpa in the evening - your Grandma was a lucky woman. That's true love, for sure. As we grow older we appreciate those moments from our past, when we witnessed the true meaning of life and love.
I checked out Google images to see Grant Wood's painting "The Spring Turning". It's beautiful. The ploughed field in my photo was definitely accomplished with a tractor. The Irish Ploughing Championships has categories for vintage ploughing and tractor ploughing. Such skill is required for both.
So it turns out your local covered bridge is definitely not one of those "kissing bridges" of the east. Glad you were able to check it out.
Thanks for some quick editing and for finding my typo. I'm a dreadful speller, and I only get more confused with the differences between Irish and US spelling. I am so thankful for fastidious readers, like you. Thank you for reading my ramblings and for all your wonderful comments.
All the best,
Mairéad
Phoebe Cristina
I'm thankful for a store called Pete's Fresh Market here in Chicago; more than a produce market it is the only place I've found that sells Barry's Tea, Kerry Gold butter and cheese; no Taytos unfortunately though!
Irish American Mom
Hi Phoebe - A cuppa tea and a Tayto sandwich - sheer deliciousness in my book. Glad to hear you can get good tea, butter and cheese nearby in Chicago. In Louisville, there is a Celtic shop near Molly Malone's pub on Bardstown Road, and they stock Tayto's, plus sausages, rashers and many other Irish food favorites. It's lovely to find a treat every now and then.
All the best,
Mairéad
brian@irelandfavorites
Hi Mairead, Nothing wrong with ploughing, it makes for a merry ploughboy, As for tea, I'll take my Barry's with two scoops of sugar and a good pour of milk. The big question that arrises is Barry's or Lyons, and can you find a nice package of milk chocolate hob nobs,
Cheers,
Brian.
Irish American Mom
Hi Brian - Barry's tea wins over Lyons in my book any day, but then again my family all come from Cork so I may be a little biased. Now a package of milk chocolate hob nobs - I could demolish those in a heart beat, especially with a good cuppa.
All the best,
Mairéad