Distillery, Curradrinagh, Co. Cork

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Food & Drink

Distillery, Curradrinagh, Co. Cork

Tucked into a hillslope between two natural ridges of rock outcrop in Curradrinagh, in the west of County Cork, the remains of a small illicit distillery survive with enough detail to make its original purpose unmistakeable.

The structure is modest, roughly five metres east to west and just over three metres north to south, the kind of scale that suggests a deliberate inconspicuousness. Doorways open in the east and south walls, offering two exit points, which would have been a practical consideration for anyone anxious about unwanted visitors.

The most telling feature sits at the western end: a stone-built platform, standing roughly forty centimetres high, with a central fireplace. This is where the still would have sat, the heat from the fire driving the distillation process. A stream runs to the south, and its presence is no coincidence. Poitín production, the illicit distilling of spirits that was widespread in rural Ireland from at least the seventeenth century onwards following heavily punitive excise legislation, required a reliable water source both for the wash and for cooling the condensing coil. The natural rock outcrops on either side of the building would have helped conceal it from view while also providing some structural support by building into the slope. The whole arrangement reflects a familiar logic: use the landscape to stay out of sight, stay close to water, and keep the footprint small.

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Pete F
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