Research

There are many myths, legends and folk customs associated with apples. Here is a small selection extracted from The Irish Apple: History and Myth…

Apples were saved for the last night in January, St Brigid’s Eve, and a griddle apple cake was part of the feast that followed the making of the Brigid’s crosses.

Apple dumplings were served on Halloween, and on that night apple peelings thrown over the shoulder could divine the initials of the person one was likely to marry. In County Down apples were hung from the roof on Halloween.

Apple fritters are served on Shrove Tuesday.

On St John’s Eve, the Celtic festival of midsummer at June 24th, fires are lit in orchards or near fruit trees.

Happy as Larry (Labhraidh) refers to Laurence, ‘the spirit of indolence’ in the orchard, who persuades the apple-pullers to rest and not harvest the fruit.

Peadar MacNeice (RIP), founding director of the Armagh Orchards Trust, tells of seeing a hedgehog carrying an apple on its spines, and a squirrel rolling an apple along the tree branch with two paws, to its nest!

Apple gifting is a remnant of a Druidic custom of giving apples from October to December as a sign of friendship, good health and good luck. These apples, symbolic of sweetness, fertility and immortality were decorated with raisins, hazelnuts, and wheat grains. The apples were put on three sticks and decorated on top with sprigs of thyme, yew and variegated holly.

Again in the spirit of generosity (or lack of it) sayings such as ‘to give an apple where there is an orchard’ and ‘better give an apple than eat it’ were once common.

Extracts from The Irish Apple: History and Myth, available from the Irish Seed Savers Association at €5 to members.