Old Irish women know things, like banshees and spirits and other such spells, curses, gurgling beasts and voodoo type incantations that could result in your being stealed away in the night, right out of your sock, knotted or not. I wasn't taking any chances. I ate the candy. I had to. I like that about old women, their purses seem packed to please everyone but themselves.
Young women carry lipsticks, eyeliners and other such things.
Although at times they seem to have combined the two, appearing to have applied their makeup with candy. And besides, I wouldn't spend ten seconds drawing my mug on a frosty window, much less 30 minutes a day for 80 years. Barbara also knitted, and knitted and knitted. She had to, it's an Irish law. I'm actually sitting on a shawl she knitted for me as I write this.