What is one thing you can think of that makes you think of Irish people? I am sure many things popped into your head. But, in my family it is drinking tea, morning, noon and night. When you are sick, you drink it even more. So I thought it would be fun to look up some of the history of tea drinking in Ireland.
Tea usage in Ireland amounts to about 4.83 pounds of dry leaves per year per person!
Did you know that tea usage in Ireland amounts to about 4.83 pounds of dry leaves per year per person? Now that is a lot of tea. Tea was brought to the English from India in the 17th century. Because it traveled so far, it was very expensive and only the rich could afford it, and they kept it locked away. But in the 18th century, after the removal of tea tariffs (Boston Tea Party ring a bell?), the price of tea fell by half. This let the rural, less well off people try tea. Also, along the rugged coastline, pirates would smuggle tea to the impoverished Irish.
English Attempts to Control
Yet, the English still tried to control the amount of tea the Irish drank. Pamphlets were even handed out that called the amount of tea the Irish drank “reckless and uncontrollable” and went so far as saying it could “illicit longing and revolutionary sympathies.” But these do gooders really disliked that Irish women drank cup after cup of tea. They considered it a vice and women back then should not have vices because they were expected to maintain their homes and keep control over their families. They even made fake pamphlets with women saying how they would not have tea in their homes and teach their daughters such things. Wow, the English really tried hard to control the Irish tea drinking.
It is amazing some of the things you learn about what happened in the past. I cannot imagine what it would have been like to be told my tea drinking was reckless among other things. I for one am grateful my Irish ancestors did not give up their tea drinking, and I still enjoy my daily cup of tea.
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