Poteen: beloved moonshine of Connemara

Poteen is one of the oldest alcoholic drinks in Ireland and has been illegally distilled for centuries. Historian WILLIAM HENRY looks back on a time when makers stayed one step ahead of the law — but respected the little folk.

The name poteen derives from the old Irish word ‘poto’ meaning pot because it was originally distilled in a container called a ‘pot still’. Traditionally distilled from malted barley, grain; or potatoes (in poverty stricken areas) and yeast, adding a ‘pinch of salt’ as required, it is believed to be one of the strongest alcoholic beverages in the world.

There was a huge trade in poteen, particularly in the West of Ireland, during the nineteenth century, with home-made stills in existence throughout Connemara.

The length of time the blend was left to malt was important as this would ensure the best quality poteen. Three weeks was considered to be ideal during which time the mixture was turned each evening.

An 1820 report stated that ‘Whiskey’ (Poteen) remained the Galway drink, morning, noon and night’. The illegal distillers found a lucrative trade and had many customers around the city. It was also reported that distilling was being carried out in cellars and yards ‘all over the town’. One report mentioned the situation was such that poteen was to an extent being produced openly.

It was also produced on country estates and this suited many landlords who ‘turned a blind eye’ to distilling as they were assured of a more regular rent from tenants.

Healy Dutton visited the West of Ireland while working on his survey of the county in 1820-24. He said that Connemara whiskey (poteen) was the staple and recorded, “It is certainly the best I ever tasted … It was nearly without any taste of smoke, and comparatively mild ... and when kept for two years, it was excellent.”

However, in contrast, another source mentioned that many people liked Connemara poteen because of its smoky flavour.

It was also stated that poteen was preferred to Government regulated whiskey; and it was much cheaper. People didn’t necessarily have to travel to Connemara to purchase poteen as some traders brought it into markets in secret and sold it to clients discreetly. Bottles were hidden under the regular produce.

In 1812, Edward Wakefield published a survey stating that he was convinced that no matter what laws were introduced they would never be able to prevent illicit distilleries from producing alcohol.

He said that there were distillers producing alcohol in the ‘kitchens of barons and in the stables of clergymen’. He added that the mountains were covered with stills, and they could be found in the very last place an English excise officer would expect to find them.

District fines

According to Wakefield, a £50 fine was imposed on a townland or parish where poteen was discovered. He described this as a severe penalty on a poverty stricken community that had absolutely no effect on the illegal practice. In fact, it seems to have made matters worse. The system of placing a fine on a district because of distilling was abolished in 1819.

The share scale of the production brought unwelcome attention to the poteen makers. There was always opposition to poteen making, but this became more serious when it began affecting the government ‘coffers’.

Records indicate that production of alcohol was so widespread that over 2,000 stills were being seized annually by the authorities. However, the Revenue Commissioners believed that this only a fraction of the total amount of stills involved in the production of poteen.

The problem was so great that revenue police stations were established in Galway City, Tuam, Oughterard, Clifden and Roundstone. The revenue police were sectioned into groups, each with a duty to watch separate districts. There were thirty-two by 1826; this had risen to fifty-seven by 1833; and by 1838 there were seventy.

Poteen was also severely condemned by the clergy, with distillers being castigated from the altar. This also had little effect as the words from the pulpits were greeted with an uncomfortable silence.

Despite the best efforts of the revenue officers, unlicensed stills continued in use and were said to be thriving throughout the nineteenth century, particularly in the Connemara mountains, valleys and a host of ‘secret places’.

Poteen stills and other production equipment were hidden on islands on Lough Corrib. These locations were ideal as even the poteen-makers themselves sometimes found it difficult to reach the islands.

Pictured: Ready for bottling. Photo: John Bhaba Jaick Ó Congaola / Ionad Oidhreachta Leitir Mealláin agus Gharumna.