School: Cill Thiomáin, Durrus, Bantry (roll number 15989)

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1. Poteen

   

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   When the Danes occupied Ireland long ago they called it the mountain dew. Their plan for making it was never discovered. But ever since it is made by the Irish people, they make it on the mountain at the edge of some stream or river. They make it out of barley. They first bog the barley until it commences to grow. They then take it up and dry it with the sun. When it is dry they dry it still more in a boiler or a pot over a good turf fire. They then crash it and put it into a barrel, they fill the barrel with water and after three day fermenting they get some yeast, and some treakle and some golden syrup and sugar.
   They put the treakle and sugar into the barrel of mixture, they get an ounce of yeast or a 1/2 ounce according to the quantity of their brewing and put it into the barrel so as to make it ferment. This makes the mixture boil over. They then strain it into another barrel, they have what they call malt; this is put into a boiler and there is a still head put into the boiler, from the still head there is a pipe attached called a worm. This is brought through a pipe in the boiler, the boiler must be made air tight. This worm is placed in a stream so as to cool the vapour or steam that is coming through the pipe. The boiler must be kept boiling until the amount of malt is boiled out. It is the steam that comes through the still head and pipe and not the liquid or malt they put into the boiler. They have poteen

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Bridie Kennedy

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Lissacaha, Co. Cork