Big export by Ireland. English gave it the name.“
Never heard that. Maybe it’s true. Again, people in Ireland today are mystified by the Ireland/corned beef connection in America. It wasn’t and isn’t any kind of national dish that the Irish as a people revere. They ate it in America because it was relatively cheap. That’s the same reason the army bought it for the troops. And if it was some big export in Ireland then I’d doubt that the Irish were behind it. I’d guess the British were.
the British are culinary giants! /s
1668
Ireland produced a significant amount of the corned beef in the Atlantic trade from local cattle and salt imported from the Iberian Peninsula and southwestern France. Coastal cities, such as Dublin, Belfast and Cork, created vast beef curing and packing industries, with Cork producing half of Ireland’s annual beef exports in 1668.
Although the production and trade of corned beef as a commodity was a source of great wealth for the nations of Europe, in the colonies the product was looked upon with disdain due to its consumption by the poor and slaves.
https://populartimelines.com/timeline/Corned-beef