(Paddy Heneghan writes here about a visit during Christmas holidays in the 1940s to The Square in Tralee where his grandmother bought her turkeys for the Christmas period. The Square in Tralee is first mentioned in records back in 1613. The area was low lying and a marsh developed where, hard to believe now, turf was once harvested. The houses were built on higher ground giving The Square its present shape. It later became a market place and cattle fairs were held there. There was also a thriving fish market.)The Christmas Turkey
In former days one of the adventures of the Christmas holidays in Tralee was to help Grandmother Foley of Moyderwell when she visited the Market to buy some of the provisions for the festive period.
A good Christmas turkey was an essential item on the shopping list. These were the days before turkeys were bought fully eviscerated, ready to cook. Prior even before they were sold “New York Dressed”, that is, with the head, feet, and viscera still intact. Grandmother’s turkeys, however, were bought alive and kicking!
Grandmother usually bought three or four of these birds. They could be bought live from the dealers, mainly country folk, who brought their produce to the town market. One in particular of the turkeys was bought for the Moyderwell Christmas dinner and had to be of the highest quality. Grandmother chose it after careful scrutiny. She poked her finger all over the bird. A good meaty breast was essential! This turkey was usually a 16-pounder, as there were rarely fewer than a dozen present for the dinner.
The other turkeys were selected for later important festive occasions. There was one for the New Year’s Day dinner, and one for the dinner of 6th January (Little or Women’s Christmas as it was referred to locally, or in ecclesiastical terms The Feast of the Epiphany). In between these dates there was the turkey which would be the prize for the annual post-Christmas card-fest in Grandmother’s kitchen. There the card-game of Thirty-One was played out in five rubbers, by the most murderous group of card-players in town. Three of the Foley sisters took part, as well as Grandmother herself who was ordinarily most well-spoken, but in the course of card-play she permitted herself some unbelievable blood-curdling imprecations on those who crossed her. The kids of course were confined to the parlour while the card-games were in progress.
The turkeys were kept live in the stable at the rear of the Foley house in Moyderwell. There were regular specialists resident at home who could be charged with the various preparatory tasks before the turkeys reached the table.
