Dublin to Cork Coach
1826
Courtesy British Newspaper Archive
Dublin to Cork by road in 1826 a twenty one hour journey!
Just checked my Satnav.. M8. Dublin to Cork 3 hours and 19 Minutes.
David Stroud ramrodantiques.co.uk
Belfast Stage-Coach
Belfast to Dublin
1752
Belfast Newsletter of October 1752
Courtesy of British Newspaper Archive
This being the period when the blunderbuss held sway while driving or riding the roads and turnpikes of this period.
NB: "Outside passengers and children on lap half price"!!
Fabulous social history from the mid 18th century.
David Stroud ramrodantiques.co.uk
Thomas Cather
Whitesmith & Gunsmith
Raphoe
Co: Donegal
Details from the 1846 Slaters National Commercial Directory of Ireland p. 525
David Stroud. ramrodantiques.co.uk
A Christmas cake or stocking filler…
Poitin (Potcheen)
Picking up on the spirit of Christmas we can have a quick snifter at the history of the making of this illicit brew.
The making of Poitin was banned by King Charles 11 in 1661 and then finally made legal in 1997.
This clear beverage has a blurry
300 year history and the hangover lives hand-in-hand with traditional Irish folklore.
From the Ballybay Affray of 1797 through to the deployment of “Gaugers” and later the Irish Revenue Police (1832-1857) the production and supply of this illicit liquor became a game of cat and mouse between those of the needy (Irish peasants) and those of the greedy
(British Government).
As late as the 1960’s the penalty for being caught red handed distilling Poitin was a single £10.00 fine. For a second offence the fine was doubled and interestingly it was very rare, if ever, that anyone was imprisoned for this pastime.
Not until 1997 was the ban lifted relating to the production of Potcheen in Ireland and finally in 2008 the European Union issued full Geographical Indication status (GI) to Poitin and its licensed production in Ireland. This was further endorsed by the Irish Government laying down production and bottling regulations in 2013.
NB: It is still illegal to make the illicit version!!!
The apparatus for making Illicit Poitin was easy and cheap to acquire and the profits were vast and therefore when the authorities were involved sometimes violence raised its ugly head. During the period 1832-1857 the Irish Revenue Police sadly lost four servicemen in the course of their duties.
An online search is advised to all readers as the history of Poitin/Potcheen is a long and very interesting part of Irish culture.
Merry Christmas to all.
David Stroud.
NB: Our sincere thanks to the owner of the above pistol for photography, specifications and permission to publish.
