Cider , an alcoholic drink made from apples, is widely available in Ireland at pubs, off licences, and supermarkets. It has been made in regions of the island for hundreds of years.
The Irish language term for cider is leann úll (literally "apple beer") or ceirtlís, derived from ceirt, an Old Irish term for an apple tree (cf. the Ogham letter ceirt ᚊ). [1] [2] [3]
Apples have been eaten in Ireland since 3000 BC, with pips of Malus sylvestris (European crab apple) found on a site in County Meath.
The law tract Boetha Comaithchesa of the 7th/8th centuries AD distinguish between wild and cultivated apple trees, indicating that apples were being cultivated at the time.
Traditional regions of production were the counties of Armagh, Kilkenny, Tipperary and Waterford; it was made by monks in Ireland's many Christian monasteries. The first definite mention of cider in an Irish text is in a 12th-century document from Ulster; in 1155, a Mac Cana chieftain was praised for the quality of his cider.
Civil Surveys of the 1650s contain numerous entries regarding orchards and cidermaking. Cider production was a major industry from the 16th century onward, with immigration from Huguenots and German Palatines bringing cider-making skills to Ireland. [4]
Richard Pococke toured Ireland in 1752, noting that Affane, County Waterford was famous for its cider, and that Shannon Grove near Pallaskenry had a cider house. [5] [6]
Cider making went into decline at the time of the Great Famine (1845–49). Government efforts produced a revival in the late 19th century, but the industry was hit hard again by the world wars. [7] William Magner opened his brewery in Clonmel in 1935, producing cider on an industrial scale.
Magners rebranded cider for young people in the early 21st century, to some success.
Today, cider accounts for 7.5% of alcohol consumed in Ireland; the Republic of Ireland consumes 64 million litres a year (about 13 litres or 23 pints per person), three-quarters of it of Irish origin. [8] Craft cider is increasing in popularity. [9] [10] Cider makers complain that they are held back by high excise duty on ciders stronger than 6% ABV. [11] There are 45 commercial apple growers in Ireland, with 29% of the planting area going into cider. The Dabinett is the most common cultivar. [12]
Perry or pear cider is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally in England, parts of South Wales, France, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. There is growing interest in artisanal perry production in the fruit-growing regions of the northwest United States.
H P Bulmer Limited, trading as Bulmers, is a cider-making company founded in 1887 in Hereford, England.
C&C Group plc is an Irish manufacturer, marketer and distributor of alcoholic drinks, particularly cider, and soft drinks. It has production facilities across Ireland, Great Britain and the United States, and its products are sold around the world. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.
The tradition of wassailing falls into two distinct categories: the house-visiting wassail and the orchard-visiting wassail. The house-visiting wassail is the practice of people going door-to-door, singing and offering a drink from the wassail bowl in exchange for gifts; this practice still exists, but has largely been displaced by carol singing. The orchard-visiting wassail refers to the ancient custom of visiting orchards in cider-producing regions of England, reciting incantations and singing to the trees to promote a good harvest for the coming year. Notable traditional wassailing songs include "Here We Come a-Wassailing", "Gloucestershire Wassail", and "Gower Wassail".
Magners Irish Cider is a brand of cider produced in County Tipperary in Ireland by the C&C Group. The product range includes the cider varieties: Original, Light, Berry, Pear and Rosé. The cider was originally produced as Bulmers Irish Cider and continues to be sold under that name in the Republic of Ireland, it is sold as Magners in all other markets.
Felim O'Connor was king of Connacht in Ireland, having been proclaimed king by Richard Mór de Burgh in 1230, he reigned proper from 1233 until 1265. Felim died in that year and was buried in the Dominican Priory in Roscommon which he founded in 1253. On his accession Felim inherited many problems from his predecessors, having his territory limited to essentially County Roscommon and having to deal with an increase of English and Welsh settlers in the kingdom. Felim attempted to maintain both a loyal and personal relationship with Henry III King of England, hoping he would limit the influence of de Burgh and other powerful Anglo-Norman magnates in Connacht, but this policy of appeasement produced few concrete results. During Felim's reign the lands of the Ua Conchobair became limited to the five 'royal cantreds', essentially County Roscommon. Felim notably adopted aspects of Anglo-Norman culture as seen in his English style effigy and seal.
Brewing in Ireland has a long history. Production currently stands at over 8 million hectolitres, and approximately half the alcohol consumed is beer.
Apfelwein, or Viez or Most are German words for cider. It is made from various kinds of sour tasting apples. It has an alcohol content of 4.8–7.0% and a tart, sour taste.
Richard Pococke was an English-born churchman, inveterate traveller and travel writer. He was the Bishop of Ossory (1756–65) and Meath (1765), both dioceses of the Church of Ireland. However, he is best known for his travel writings and diaries.
Applejack is a strong alcoholic drink produced from apples. Popular in the American colonial era, the drink's prevalence declined in the 19th and 20th centuries amid competition from other spirits.
A sagardotegi is a type of cider house found in the Basque Country where Basque cider and traditional foods such as cod omelettes are served. Modern sagardotegis can broadly be described as a cross between a steakhouse and a cider house.
Cider is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented juice of apples. Cider is widely available in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The UK has the world's highest per capita consumption, as well as the largest cider-producing companies. Ciders from the South West of England are generally higher in alcoholic content. Cider is also popular in many Commonwealth countries, such as India, South Africa, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and New England. As well as the UK and its former colonies, cider is popular in Portugal, France, Friuli, and northern Spain. Germany also has its own types of cider with Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse producing a particularly tart version known as Apfelwein. In the U.S. and Canada, varieties of alcoholic cider are often called hard cider to distinguish it from non-alcoholic apple cider or "sweet cider", also made from apples. In Canada, cider cannot contain less than 2.5% or over 13% absolute alcohol by volume.
Mac Amhlaoibh and Mac Amhalghaidh are two different Gaelic patronymic names with different origins and meanings, but which share the same or similar Anglicisations. These Gaelic names are borne by at least three unrelated native Irish clans or septs.
Tirawley, archaically known as Tyrawley, is a barony extending southward from the north coast of County Mayo, Ireland. It was created during the shiring of County Mayo out of the Gaelic túath or territory of Tír Amhlaidh, from which it takes its name.
Stephen de Fulbourn was an English-born cleric and politician in thirteenth-century Ireland: he was Justiciar of Ireland, and Archbishop of Tuam 1286–88. He was a member of the Order of Knights Hospitallers.
Cider in the United Kingdom is widely available at pubs, off licences, and shops. It has been made in regions of the country where cider apples were grown since Roman times; in those regions it is intertwined with local culture, particularly in the West Country.
Kilbennen or Kilbannon is a medieval ecclesiastical site and National Monument located in County Galway, Ireland.
In Gaelic Ireland, a bruiden was a building offering shelter, drink and food, often translated as "hostel", "banqueting hall" or "inn."
Nohoval Drinks Company Ltd., trading as Stonewell Cider, is a craft brewery founded in either 2009 or 2010 in Nohoval, Ireland by husband and wife Daniel and Géraldine Emerson. Stonewell also trades internationally as Finbarra Cider. Daniel Emerson is the chief cider maker. In Ireland, Stonewell is distributed by Classic Drinks. Though their share of the Irish cider market is small (0.5%), Ireland is the biggest cider-consuming nation per capita, and Stonewell is the largest artisan drinks maker in the country. Stonewell distributes to many countries within Europe, as well as to Canada and Australia.
Saul Monastery is a former Christian monastery located in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is traditionally associated with the 5th-century Saint Patrick, who is said to have founded it shortly after arriving in Ireland, and having died there at the end of his missionary work.
