Dad was born in Dublin and raised between there (his mom was a school teacher) and the little town of Ballinamuck (meaning: pig in the mud) where he spent summers on his mom's families farm. He immigrated to the US shortly after WWII on a converted troop ship.
My grandmother was a lovely woman, who was not blessed with any talent in the kitchen. Like my Italian mother, who ironically was an awful cook as well, my grandmother could make any piece of meat chewy with what seemed like little effort. She could however make soda bread and I remember it fondly.
That said dad had an affinity for certain Irish foods and he'd import them regularly. I grew up with a steady supply of black and white pudding as well as Irish bangers.
I have sources for them in the US now and the kids enjoy them with me on a somewhat regular basis.
We took the kids to Ireland for the first time right before Co Vid became a thing and it chased us out of Ireland (the morning after all the pubs in Dublin closed, it was a weird night).
But we'd already enjoyed a little more than a week there. The kids and I spread some of dad's ashes at his grandmother's and great grandfather's grave behind the church where dad and his brother had their confirmation.
The kids enjoyed "modern Irish" cuisine while we were there. They ate lots of Curry Chicken Chops and more than their share of Bangers and Mash.
Which brings me to last night's dinner... we almost always have Banger's and Mash followed by our annual viewing of the Quiet Man.
"I can't say it's true, but I won't say it's not" - Father Lonergan