Queens are crowned king of Corca Dhuibhne
THERE must be something about British Queens that has a particular appeal to the West Kerry palate because they wiped the floor with the competition to win the first, second, third and national schools prizes at the Féile an Práta finals in Baile na nGall on Sunday.
Top of the potato heap was Bosco Ó Conchúir, representing Paróiste na Cille Cois Cnoic, who was duly named West Kerry’s Laoch an Phráta 2016 by Féile organiser Aengus Murphy at Begley’s pub.
The final was a close-fought contest. After sampling and savouring the entries, the judges gave Bosco’s potatoes 209 points, Seán Ó Muircheartaigh from nearby Páróiste na Cille Cois Farraige was second with 208 points and, by the narrowest of margins, Tony Ó Sé, representing Fionn Trá, came third with 207 points. In the schools competition things were more clearcut and the pupils Scoil Iognáid Rís in Dingle won by a country mile.
What they all had in common was the invincible British Queen, a variety that has been a consistent winner in West Kerry’s annual potato contest.
Proving that quality is in the breeding, the Queens outchampioned the Champions despite different growing methods. Bosco grew his potatoes on garden compost, chicken manure, and ‘a grain’ of guana (or 7-6-17 to give the artificial fertilizer its technical name) . As for warding off the blight, Bosco goes “the old way” and sprays with bluestone.
Seán’s spuds were grown on seaweed and garden compost with “a small bit” of 7-6-17. He evened the odds in the battle of the blight by spraying with Dithane on one occasion and bluestone on the other. The pupils of Scoil Iognáid Rís were all organic – cow dung and bluestone – but the result was the same at the end of the day, proving that Queens wear the crown in West Kerry.