Fresh dairy products, breads, and seafood are also widely available. Potatoes are a staple food. Apples, oranges, and pears have long been integral to the Irish diet but are now being joined by a wider variety of fruits that have become available since Ireland joined the European Union . Smoked salmon is considered an Irish specialty, as are Irish stew and Irish lamb. Tea is the most common drink.
Breakfast usually are large, including such foods as bacon and eggs.
The main meats eaten for dinner include chicken, pork, beef, and mutton. The Irish are sports oriented, and most weekends include some sporting activities for the family or individual. Gaelic football is played with a round ball and seems like a cross between soccer and basketball. Players can touch the ball with their hands, but they cannot pick it up from the ground. The ball is punched, not thrown, and it can be kicked.