Many traditional Irish folk songs, such as 'The Hills of Connemara', 'The Rare Old Mountain Dew' and 'Finnegan's Wake' deal with the subject of poitín. The persecution of the Poitín-maker by the R.I.C. in 1880s Cavan is treated in 'The Hackler from Grouse Hall' and its reply 'The Sergent’s Lamentation'. Poitín is mentioned in the song 'Snake With Eyes of Garnet' by Shane MacGowan and The Popes on their album The Snake. The song 'McIlhatton' written by Bobby Sands and performed by Christy Moore is about a famous distiller of illegally-made poitín. Gaelic Storm’s song, 'Darcey’s Donkey' on the album What’s the Rumpus? deals in a humorous way with the consequences of being caught distilling poitín by the Gardaí.
The film 'Darby O’Gill and the Little People' features a drinking and limerick contest between two characters (Darby, and King Brian of the Leprechauns). They drink a huge amount of poitín.
Poitín (1977) was the first feature film to be made entirely in Irish. Written and Directed by Bob Quinn, Poitín is a dark story about a poitín maker in rural Connemara, living in an isolated cottage with his adult daughter. Two local degenerates, played by Donal McCann and Niall Tobin, go about terrorizing the old moonshiner for his contraband poitín, threatening to kill him and rape his daughter, until the moonshiner outwits them and tricks them to their deaths.
Déantús an Phoitín (Poteen Making), by Mac Dara Ó Curraidhín, is a one-hour documentary film on the subject.
Here is just a sample of clips of poitín related songs from 'Youtube'
The film 'Darby O’Gill and the Little People' features a drinking and limerick contest between two characters (Darby, and King Brian of the Leprechauns). They drink a huge amount of poitín.
Poitín (1977) was the first feature film to be made entirely in Irish. Written and Directed by Bob Quinn, Poitín is a dark story about a poitín maker in rural Connemara, living in an isolated cottage with his adult daughter. Two local degenerates, played by Donal McCann and Niall Tobin, go about terrorizing the old moonshiner for his contraband poitín, threatening to kill him and rape his daughter, until the moonshiner outwits them and tricks them to their deaths.
Déantús an Phoitín (Poteen Making), by Mac Dara Ó Curraidhín, is a one-hour documentary film on the subject.
Here is just a sample of clips of poitín related songs from 'Youtube'
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...and some song lyrics & links...
"Now you see he'd a sort of a tipplers way, with a love of the liquor, poor Tim was born, And to help him on his way each day, he'd a drop of the craythur every morn" From 'Finnegans Wake. "My Uncle Nort, he is sawed off short, he measures about four foot two!, but he thinks he's a giant when you give him a pint, of that good old Mountain Dew" From Good Old Mountain Dew. "Gather up the pots and the old tin cans, the mash, the corn the barley and the bran run like the Devil from the Excise man, Keep the smoke from rising Barney". From the Hills of Connemara "Ah here's to the booze and the barmen who brew it, Here's to the ladies that serve up the brew Here's to the craic and the moonshine for ever, Here's to the moonshine, its so good for you!" From the Moonshine Song. "Well he taught me the trade and I learnt it well, I made the finest poitín any Tinker could sell And I used the same still that me Da used before, Aye it's been in the family for a hundred years or more" From The Tinkers Song. "Everybody knew that he made moonshine, now the Revenue man wanted Grandaddy bad, he headed up the holler with everything he had, its before my time but Ive been told, he never came back from Copperhead Road". From Copperhead Road. |
" The poitín is lovely stuff, it removes warts not from those who drink it, but from those who are looking at it. I drank it in Dublin, London, Kildare, Clare, Inverin, Inishmaan, Inishmore, Shirkin, Cork, Kerry, Belfast, Derry, Belaghy and these are the only places I can remember!"
The poitín "Now learned men as use the pen, have writ the praises high, of the rare poitín from Ireland green, distilled from wheat or rye away with your pills, it'll cure all ill's be you Pagan Christian or Jew, So take your coat and grease your throat, with a bucket full of mountain dew." Rare old Mountain Dew "There's a whisp of smoke, to the south of the glen, and the poitín is on the air, The birds in the burrows and there's drunkards everywhere" Mcilhatton "Last night as I lay dreaming, my way across the sea, James Mangan brought me comfort with laudanum and poitín" The Snake with eyes of Garnet "When your sound as a trout, No doubt. Poitín. When your live as a bat, take that. Poitín. Mary, theres a rat on the mat, Oh! Jesus Pat. Poitín. Poitín |
" He'd run pell-mell down into hell to search for poitín there, and wont be loath to swear an oath he found it in Killinkena, He'll search your bed from foot to head, sheets, blankets, tick and all. Oh, your wife undressed must leave the nest for Jimmy from Grouse Hall."
From The Hackler from Grouse Hall. "So stick to the craytur the best thing in nature, for sinking your sorrows and raising your joys. Oh what moderation gives hope to a Nation, or brings consolation like poitín me boys." From The Humours of Whiskey. "Ive been a moonshiner for many a year Ive spent all my money on whiskey and beer, I'll go to some hollow, I'll set up my still, And I'' make you a gallon for a ten shilling bill." The Moonshiner. "Biónn cruithneacht is coerce, fás eorna is lín ann, Seagal I gcraobh ann, arán plúir agus feoil. Lucht déanta poitín gan licence á dhíol ann, móruaísle na tire ann ag imirt is ag ól. As Anois Teacht an Earraigh. "So count your sheep, Mama's singing you to sleep, with the moonshine lullaby, Dream of Pappy, very happy, with his jug of mountain rye." Moonshine Lullaby, from 'Annie Get Your Gun'. "It was poitín that made the funeral pass, The neighbours shovelled out the clay, from his mothers grave. and one dead lover met another, It was the poitín that did it they said. 'The man who never had a visitor' 1991. Michael D. Higgins. |