School: Ros Cré (B.) (roll number 1594)

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1. Roscrea Distillery (continued)

   

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   flax factory - namely the Birches. The distillery and the flax factory were very near to one another, and were in the district of Birch-Grove.
   There was a great lot of whiskey made in the distillery and it was all sent to Dublin. The farmers who lent their horses to draw the whiskey to Dublin were those who were given the wash from the flax factory. The Birches had to pay a tax according to the quantity of whiskey they had in stock. To make this tax smaller they hid some of the whiskey in a tank in the flax factory. From the tank to the distillery there was a copper pipe.
   In the end they were found hiding the whiskey. When the workers in the flax factory heard that they were found out they let the whiskey out of the tank and into a stream. All the fish in the stream got drunk and all the little boys could get into the river and catch the fish with their hands.
   There was such a heavy fine put on the Birches for hiding the whiskey, that they had to auction the distillery to pay the fine. Miss Scully, who told these stories, and who also worked in the flax factory said that at the auction she got four quarts of whiskey for eight pence.

   

   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Liam Maher

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Rosemary Street, Co. Tipperary

   Informant

   Miss Mary Scully

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Birchgrove, Co. Tipperary