Let's sing: Dúlamán

Breandán · **Posted:** Wed 18 Jul 2012 9:57 am

It appears that dúlamán is also called caisíneach or "channelled wrack" Pelvetia canaliculata

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelvetia_canaliculata

The more generic word for "seaweed"/"marine alga" is feamainn.

http://www.focal.ie/Search.aspx?term=feamainn

cytex · **Joined:** Mon 05 Sep 2011 10:34 am **Posts:** 64

franc 91 wrote:

I think dúlamán was used as a fertilizer, though I'm not sure about that. Dulse or dillisk (duileasc) as they called when we were in Donegal, is for eating. In the pub we went to the night before we caught the boat to Aran Mór, the fear a tí handed some out (just after an unfortunate incident had occurred - an old man had come in wanting someone to buy him a drink and when he realised he wasn't going to get what he wanted began swearing at everyone and was told to leave). We asked him why and he said it was to make us thirsty. He also said that local men climbed down to the base of Slieve League (Sliabh Liag) to harvest it and it was dangerous occupation. On one occasion, one of them slipped and broke his leg and another had to put him over his shoulders and carry him back up, which was a long and difficult climb.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palmaria_palmata
http://ga.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duileasc

Ah i know what the are talking about know then Dúlamán is the green flat seaweed .

Up at my grannys they always had a pack of dulse (i might be spelling that wrong franc spelling probably more acurate) Rotten stuff i was just wondering was it what they were singing about. I remember collecting both types as a kid along with cockels and musceles.

franc 91 · **Posted:** Wed 18 Jul 2012 10:08 am

But it does seem to be a 'cash crop' of some kind, according to the song, rather than food in desperate times or is the song just all about wishful thinking and plámás?

Bríd Mhór · **Joined:** Sun 28 Aug 2011 8:29 pm **Posts:** 2994

Breandán wrote:

caisíneach

I've heard of that.

cytex wrote:

Dulse

I think we call that "creathnach" in Conamara.
It used to be very popular to eat.
It's spread out and sundried. Then eaten as a snack.

carraigín - is also eaten. You can boil it and make a jelly out of it.

The feamainn bhoilgeach is harvested and sold (I suppose other ones are too).
It used to be burnt to get iodine out of it. But now it's used for cosmetics and the like.

Personally I've never seen any type of seaweed eaten as a main meal.

Annabeth · **Joined:** Wed 14 Mar 2012 8:40 pm **Posts:** 190

Thanks everyone

Redwolf · **Posted:** Thu 19 Jul 2012 2:38 pm

Bríd Mhór wrote: