POTIN - A taste of hospitality

So continuing on my little journey to the west of Ireland at a tender age, low these many years ago, I was in my little car, heading to County Letrim, where resided the first cousins of one of the sponsors of my study in Ireland way back when.

I arrived at their tiny tiny farm, having arranged to visit them with date and time by letter—because they did not have a telephone 50 years ago. These were people who had enough to be happy and enough to give but nothing extra or left over. They had adopted two children, who they were very little. They greeted me as though I was the long lost relative and not simply a friend of their relative, wonderful Jarlath Robert Lane, F.S.C.

The mother and father and a couple of neighbors were assembled to greet “The American.” 50 years ago people from America were sort of ‘golden.’ They feared that what they had to offer would not be “good enough” for a Yank. Not true, of course! I was just a little student and did not come from money myself! At any rate, I arrived in my tiny stick-shift rental car. Looking back, I wish I had brought a small gift; I didn’t know enough to bring a gift at that point in my life!

The “Ban an tigh,” Woman of the house, greeted me warmly, and the “Fir an tigh,” Man of the house, went to the high dresser, which is kind of a cupboard where the dishes are kept in a traditional kitchen in Ireland. Reaching up, well behind the things on the top shelf, hidden from sight, he brought down a heavy earthenware imperial gallon jug with cork stopper. The Host said , “for the Guest —the good stuff!”

A fancy tea cup was produced—the fanciest teacup that they had in the house — and he proceeded to pour a clear white liquid into my cup, filling it to the brim. I looked at them, and at my filled cup, and smiled; they were all nodding and beaming at me! The Host said, “the Best POITIN for you!”

“This is The Good POITIN—have you ever had POITIN?”

I said, “I have never tasted POITIN , no! Thank you!” Everyone continued to watch me with smiling faces and expectation.

They filled up that tea cup with what I came to understand later is the traditional “aquavit” of Ireland. It could probably be used as a paint remover! And… if it’s not “the good stuff,” it might just make you go blind.

This was the good stuff fortunately. It was very, very smooth and it is the precursor to whiskey (whiskey in Irish UISCE BHEATHA which means the water of life in Gaelic.)

So they were welcoming me with the best they had, with the “water of life,” … and I took one sip of it with everybody watching me to see what my reaction was going to be. I toasted them, “Slainte, and go raibh mhaith aguibh!” (Health and Thanks to you all!) I managed not to sputter and not to cough, because this was the strongest of the strong liquor and I thought to myself, “ay yi yi, oh boy, this is a full tea cup. You’re not gonna be able to have more than two sips of this or you are not gonna be able to drive Your little manual transmission car!!”

I took a deep breath, pinned a huge smile on my face and said, “this is delicious! Alas I am young and I do not have a good head for liquor… so please forgive me if I enjoy two more sips of the POITIN! I am so sorry I’m not going to be able to partake of any more of your generosity with this full beautiful teacup!!!”

The host nodded and replied, “sure, that’s all right, Patricia, it won’t go to waste!”

We all laughed, more cups came out and everyone toasted my first time to “the West of Ireland” and beautiful County Leitrim.

So that was my first experience of hospitality in Ireland, offered the best of the house in an entire tea cup full of alcoholic goodness.

Even now I would not be able to drink more than three swallows of the stuff without feeling it! 😇

In future, for those of you who are very brave who come to the studio, I still have a small jug of POITIN, “the good stuff.”

I would be very happy to give you a taste If you become a committed student of your Alba work, after class, IF you don’t have to drive or go into the subway right away, we will go into the library and we shall have a “drop of the craytur” together and toast Ireland and your Alba Technique work.

Cead mile failte rhomhat!

One hundred thousand welcomes