MC’sIrishSodaBreadCompetitionReturns ToCampus

Grace Cardinal Asst. News Editor

The Irish Soda Bread Competition is an annual event organized by Gaelic Society and the Multicultural Center to celebrate Irish culture during Irish history month. The competition has been around for seven years, however had to take a two year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the first year the event has once again been held on campus, coming back stronger than ever.

Nicole Brosnan, senior and vice president of Gaelic Society, explained how the event was revived post-pandemic for this school year.

“This event used to be run annually in the past and it was a big campus wide event, but of course, unfortunately, with COVID and foodsharing, it had to be shut down,” Brosnan said. “So, when we decided to bring it back, we knew that we wanted to work with the Multicultural Center. We’re a cultural club, it just made sense for us. It was a good space to host it and a way to get the word out to more people. We’d love to work with them more in the future.”

The Gaelic Society and the Multicultural Center found this event an important one to revive. Brosnan explained the importance of keeping traditions for students who might be used to celebrating St. Patrick’s Day at home.

“It’s [soda bread] one of those things that’s associated with St. Patrick’s Day,” Brosnan said. “For March, we really wanted to bring it back, make people feel a little more at home on campus, especially if it’s something you’re used to getting every year. Obviously, you’re not getting it in the dining hall. It’s just nice and it makes you feel like you’re represented when you’re on campus.”

Hayden Greene, director of the Multicultural Center, explained that in years past the competition was mostly made up of staff entries, however he noticed a major difference with this year’s competition.

“I’m pretty impressed,” Greene said. “In years past, the majority of soda breads have come from staff members, for obvious reasons, like they have kitchens, they have accessibility to ingredients. This year, I think there was only one staff entry. […] It means that people have either tapped into their heritage and you see a continuation of that heritage, or they’re refining it for themselves.”

Greene continued to explain how touched he was to see young people carrying on the legacies of their ancestors, a main goal of the center he runs.

“I think that there’s something great about younger people doing things that you’ve seen an older generation do with the same vigor and the same enthusiasm,” Greene said. “So it was very, very impactful for me to see that this year.”

Many families pass down soda bread recipes throughout generations, making baking the bread a special experience for those involved. President of Gaelic Society and senior Emma Collins explained that while she was helping run the competition, being a participant had an extra special meaning to her.

“My aunt sent me the recipe after my nanna passed,” Collins said. “So this is the first time I actually got to make it on my own. It’s very special to be able to do it [the competition] today, do it this month and just kind of honor her memory.”

Soda bread represents a rich cultural tradition for those of Irish heritage. Apart from its cultural significance, Irish soda bread is unique from other bread because it uses baking soda instead of yeast as a leavener.

“One fun fact is that most Irish people don’t eat the bread unless there’s a cross in the middle because the cross signifies keeping the devil out,” Collins said.

While March is coming to a close, the Gaelic Society has provided no shortage of events in celebrating Irish heritage. Brosnan explained that the group has held a variety of events, such as the clubs’ annu- al Irish Night event, and they are looking forward to opportunities with other Irish groups in the community.

Students entered their homemade soda bread in the Multicultural Center and Gaelic Society’s Tuesday competition.

“We already had our big Irish Night event which we hold annually,” said Brosnan. “We have the Irish soda bread contest today and we will be marching in the St. Patrick’s Day parade. We’re doing that with the Aisling Center, which is an Irish center nearby. We’re participating in their 5k on April 2 and we’re giving a donation to them. We’ll also be doing a fundraiser at An Beal Bocht on the [March] 31st.”

Hayden Greene commented on the importance of the Multicultural Center continuing to hold events that represent all different identities and heritage.

“The Multicultural Center, by definition, is a place where all identities can grow and thrive, and really get to know any identities that they may or may not have had an opportunity to interact with,” Greene said. “I think that it’s important to look at dominant cultural identities as well as non dominant cultural identities and give everybody an opportunity to tell their story. There are more commonalities than differences between people and so we love celebrating all identities regardless of how they present. That’s definitely one of the main reasons we like to do these events.”