On December 30, 1856, the Limerick Police Court witnessed a comical exchange over bacon that left everyone in stitches. This was reported in The Limerick Reporter and Tipperary Vindicator on the same day.
The case was brought by John O’Keefe, a bacon vendor in the city, who charged a countrywoman from Murroe with what he saw as a devious attempt to waste his product.
A Slice of Trouble: The Woman’s Defence
The woman from Murroe, not to be outdone, arrived at court flanked by five other women from her hometown. She claimed that she had simply asked for four pounds of bacon, but O’Keefe had gone overboard, slicing off five pounds instead. To add salt to the wound, she wanted a nice fatty cut, but what she got was as lean as a “freshly polished poker.” Unable to get her desired slab, she walked out, leaving O’Keefe with the unwanted pieces.
Fat Chance: O’Keefe’s Evidence
In his bid to prove his point, O’Keefe produced the infamous piece of bacon—a luscious slab that was more fat than lean. Any lover of bacon would have found it irresistible, and the magistrates themselves found it hard to understand why the woman would object. It seemed that O’Keefe had cut exactly what she asked for.
Sizzling Chaos: The Courtroom Babel
What followed was a comedic spectacle as the five Murroe women erupted into a chorus of chatter, blending Irish and English in a lively exchange that turned the courtroom into a scene of pure bedlam. The magistrates, caught in the whirlwind, decided that no real harm had been done. They dismissed the case, acknowledging that O’Keefe had indeed “saved his bacon.”
Bacon Saved: O’Keefe Leaves the Court
With his prized slab of fat securely under his arm, O’Keefe left the courtroom, having successfully defended his bacon. He was followed closely by the chattering women from Murroe, their conversation continuing in a language only they—or the truly initiated—could understand.