146 BRITISH RURAL LIFE AND LABOUR. 



buttermilk, or tea and bread and butter. SUNDAYS Breakfast. 

 Bread, butter, and tea, or occasionally bacon, eggs, or beef in 

 place of butter. Dinner. Bread, tea, bacon and eggs, or 

 occasionally beef, soup, and potatoes. Tea and Supper. Same 

 as on weekdays. 



MONAGHAN. 



WEEKDAYS Breakfast. "Stirabout" (Indian meal or oat- 

 meal), an egg, tea, bread and butter, or preserves. Dinner. 

 Fresh meat or bacon, potatoes and other vegetables, or eggs and 

 potatoes, or porridge " stirabout," tea and bread and butter. 

 Tea. Bread and butter, tea. Supper. Dry bread and tea or 

 milk, or " stirabout " and milk. Note. One correspondent 

 writing from a part of Monaghan makes the significant statement 

 that the food of the labourers in his district is " very superior 

 to that of the small farmers." The food of the latter he describes 

 as " wretched," and as consisting of little else but Indian meal 

 " stirabout," tea, dry bread and potatoes. No doubt the same 

 condition of things exists in many parts of the country, where 

 labourers in good employment are better fed than some of the 

 struggling middle class, who are obliged to keep up appearances. 



