Did Dev once recommend honey, in a speech, as a good substitute for sugar? The question was raised by an old reporter discussing the many ideas springing from Fianna Fail in the 1930s. He was going to look over his cuttings again, he said. Coincidentally, if you live in Dublin and want to know about beekeeping from base, you should go tomorrow, Tuesday, to the course in the craft being held - just starting in fact - at the Litton Hall, Wesley House, Leeson Park, Dublin 6 (at the junction of Northbrook Road by the Co Dublin Beekeepers Association. Short notice, but they still have some vacancies. And think of the interest and the substantial benefit you could get from a very little outlay. The course of five sessions is designed for people with no knowledge of beekeeping and tells you all: how to get a stock of bees, how to look after them and how to collect your lovely honey crop at the end of the season. You will be learning an ancient craft and one which produces a healthy product: a delicious one. You can phone Dublin 2888873 or just come along; there are vacancies. Mr John Killian, a very experienced and practical beekeeper gives lectures and demonstrates with slides.
Quite a few people now use honey in coffee or tea. It's a trend. And if you can't believe, with that old Doctor Jarvis from Vermont, the "Green Mountain State", that honey can cure arthritis, well, be happy that it tastes so good, and, of course, honey from your own bees would be something special. It is fair to say that Irish Heather Honey is among the best you will get, but then, others whose hives are in different vegetation or mixed, can produce excellent honey, early and late in the season, as Sean Cronin with his Woodtown, Rathfarnham produce. Two young boys were once instructed in the art by a friend from Kerry, and practised along the Dodder banks.
It is good to try as many varieties as you can - stimulating to the taste buds anyway. One man has his family trained to bring him back from their holidays or business travels just one jar. A dark honey from New Zealand and a darker one from Finistere, almost black, and just described as Forest Honey were among recent donations. Then there is a firm down in Languedoc/Roussillon from which one friend gets regular deliveries of honey of various provenance. Some come from the high mountains of the region - even from the mountain of the area, the Canigou; some from the scrub along the coast, the garrigues, some specifically from, say, oak or chestnut. A varied crop. Fun and nourishment.