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Some of the equipment found in Cavan Revenue

Poitín distillery discovered in Cavan

Revenue officers seized the poitín-making equipment from the scene and a man in his 40s is being questioned.

A LARGE POITÍN distillery has been discovered in Cavan by Revenue officials.

The discovery of the equipment to make the highly alcoholic homemade drink was made by Customs officers near Ballyconnell on Friday but details of the find have only been made public today.

Revenue said the fully operational distilling unit included 900 empty bottles, 2,000 litres of alcohol liquid wash, which is used in the distilling process, seven 200-litre barrels, one pump and two copper cylinder tanks.

The equipment was seized by officers.

A man in his 40s is being questioned in connection with the find and investigations are ongoing.

image

Some of the equipment found at the scene (Pic: Revenue)

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68 Comments
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    Mute Fergal Kelly
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    Nov 5th 2013, 11:31 AM

    I’m sure they were only for personal use

    336
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    Mute Joanna Lynch
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    Nov 5th 2013, 11:36 AM

    For medicinal purposes : )

    202
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    Mute Paul Somers
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    Nov 5th 2013, 11:39 AM

    Nnnnooooo, I was hoping for a bottle or two for Christmas, I will have to pop down to skibbereen again. Right silly question, I know a man, who makes his own Cider, distributes it to friends and family, not for cash. Could he be arrested for illegal distilling? The cider is mighty.

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    Mute MrMagoo
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    Nov 5th 2013, 11:42 AM

    Well done Garda, keeping this $cum off our streets. Shocking carry on altogether. We can sleep better now.

    71
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    Mute John Lally
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    Nov 5th 2013, 11:54 AM

    Ah sure there’s no harm in a bitta poitin

    186
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    Mute Montys Moonshine
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    Nov 5th 2013, 11:58 AM

    I remember having bad pains in my knees years ago from playing sport. Neighbour of mine gave me a bottle of poitin to rub into the back of them, said it was a great relief. I drank the poitin instead and forgot all about my knee troubles.

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    Mute Shimo Friz
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    Nov 5th 2013, 12:03 PM

    Its the greyhounds that will suffer here

    94
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    Mute Ted Carroll
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    Nov 5th 2013, 12:09 PM

    Paul If this “friend” (wink wink) of yours were to supply us all with some of this cider I’m sure there’d be no reports to the Gardai.

    In all seriousness they sell home wine and beer making kits in supermarkets now so I’m sure there’s no way that you could be in trouble for that unless you were actually profiting from it. Spirits on the other hand it may actually be illegal to distill in the first place so I’m not sure where they draw the line, perhaps the % of alcohol is the issue.

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    Mute Mary Kavanagh
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    Nov 5th 2013, 12:20 PM

    I think cider is made by fermentation, not distillation. Here’s a link to Wiki:

    http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cider

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    Mute Mary Kavanagh
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    Nov 5th 2013, 12:21 PM

    Very good Monty. Like the name too!

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    Mute Paul Somers
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    Nov 5th 2013, 12:50 PM

    @Ted, wink wink, there is the question: ‘perhaps the % of alcohol is the issue’, home made cider starts off at 0% (apple juice) and with no added ingredients becomes appox 9% through fermentation. To make it into brandy means it has to be distilled (through the still) to bring it up to 36%. Right, that’s fine no copper piping here :)

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    Mute Billy Treacy
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    Nov 5th 2013, 1:03 PM

    Johnny Jump up?

    8
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    Mute Simon Jester
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    Nov 5th 2013, 2:15 PM

    Its the non payment of Govt revenue that they want..You can make your own booze so long as you pay the tax on it.

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    Mute Eoin Kearney
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    Nov 5th 2013, 3:16 PM

    You don’t distill cider for starters

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    Mute Paul Somers
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    Nov 5th 2013, 4:05 PM

    @Eoin, you do when changing it to brandy :) Hic Up

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    Mute Brian Dublin
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    Nov 5th 2013, 5:34 PM

    I wonder did a few bottles go into the boot of a Garda car – for verification purposes of the ABV of the spirits, you understand !

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    Mute Breandán Mac Séarraigh
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    Nov 5th 2013, 7:45 PM

    Making cider isn’t distilling. I make it and wine and beer, all perfectly legally. Technically this is brewing. Home distilling is legal in New Zealand, I believe.

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    Mute Graham Mace
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    Nov 5th 2013, 8:22 PM

    Brewing fermented beverages at home is OK – strong drink is distilled and that’s what’s illegal.

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    Mute David Carroll
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    Nov 5th 2013, 11:51 PM

    Party in the cop shop nite I’d say

    3
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    Mute Charisma Kanturk Charleville Mallow
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    Nov 5th 2013, 11:53 AM

    Looks like a Cavan version of Breaking Bad !

    92
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    Mute Tony Flynn
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    Nov 5th 2013, 11:42 AM

    I’d say revenue and the guards had a mighty piss up on Friday night.

    “The evidence must have evaporated Your Honour”

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    Mute Veronica
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    Nov 5th 2013, 1:29 PM

    A neighbour of ours used to sell it to the cops for christmas… They had the perfect excuse, it was for the wife’s christmas cake….

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    Mute Noel Otley
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    Nov 5th 2013, 12:36 PM

    Back in the ’50s, our local Gardai seized a poitin still.
    Later that night, civilians had to intervene to stop the uniformed drunks beating each other!

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    Mute Conor Hickey
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    Nov 5th 2013, 11:59 AM

    Don’t do this at home:
    boil 5 gallons of water and pour it over a mix of ten pounds of rolled oats (unflavored oatmeal) that has had a pound of 6 row barley (ground) and mixed in to it.
    Allow this to sit until it is cool enough to add yeast, then add a dry ale yeast and 15 drops of liquid beano (or three of the pills). When you add the yeast/Beano enzyme to the cooled mash the stuff may be thick – like stiff oatmeal- don’t worry. The yeast breaks it down with the beano as it is fermenting. Within a day it will be a liquid with grain floating in it.
    ferment until dry
    double distill in a potstill.
    Don’t age drink it white.

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    Mute Brian Dublin
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    Nov 5th 2013, 5:39 PM

    ………….. And be sure to use “Super-Yeast” – gives an alcohol content yield of almost 20 % – and that is before the distillation process.

    “McILLhatton you blurt, we need you, say a million shaking men”. Written by B.Sands, performed by C.Moore on the 1984 “Ride On” Album.

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    Mute Breandán Mac Séarraigh
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    Nov 5th 2013, 7:52 PM

    you can also distill by freezing. The alcohol and water freeze at different temperatures too.

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    Mute Kyle O Rourke
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    Nov 5th 2013, 11:41 AM

    Ya don’t expect the mean Cavan feckers ta pay for alcohol surely??

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    Mute Eoghan O' Donoghue
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    Nov 5th 2013, 11:38 AM

    The the christmas bonuses sorted for the Seanad

    58
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    Mute William Mcgee
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    Nov 5th 2013, 11:38 AM

    Selfemployed .

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    Mute Jean Martin
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    Nov 5th 2013, 11:48 AM

    That’s rotten…..boys just trying to get a few €’s for Christmas……looks like I’ll have to find another supplier……not that hard to do…..

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    Mute Falstaff Oldcourt
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    Nov 5th 2013, 11:20 PM

    How much does a bottle go for?

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    Mute Dermot O Dwyer
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    Nov 5th 2013, 12:23 PM

    So much for supporting small local businesses…He was probably employing 2 or 3 local for seasonal work coming up to xmas……

    49
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    Mute Brian Dublin
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    Nov 5th 2013, 5:42 PM

    Yes, Job-bridge – very enterprising indeed.

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    Mute Michael O'Connell
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    Nov 5th 2013, 12:04 PM

    This sort of thing can be great fun but there is a serious side to it. Without sophisticated equipment and a trained distiller there is a high risk of methanol being distilled off with the ethanol. Methanol is toxic and can have very serious long and short term health effects quite apart from the random alcohol levels that can be found in unregulated distillation. So……yes there is a Revenue issue but there is a much more serious health issue. Alcohol poisoning was quite prevelent among young Irish men in the 1950s and 60s apart from blindness etc. However, that said, if you know what you are doing……a little apple brandy or a triple distilled spirit blended and coloured with things like vanilla can make a wonderful home made whisky, unlike those well known low priced Irish brands (coloured industrial spirit) being sold in supermarkets today.

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    Mute Barry McKenna
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    Nov 5th 2013, 3:52 PM

    True that there is a small danger of methanol poisoning mostly if they don’t run off the first few drops of distillate but luckily the cure for methanol poisoning is a heavy does of ethanol, which is present in poitin in spades!

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    Mute Brian Dublin
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    Nov 5th 2013, 5:51 PM

    Sorry to burst your bubble Michael, but you need to acquaint yourself with the basics of chemistry before you start lecturing………

    It is not methanol but Fusil oil that is discarded from the first 100mL or so from a 20Litre distillation, lessening the quantity discarded for subsequent distillations from the initial 20 Litres of ethanol.

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    Mute Padraic O Griallais
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    Nov 5th 2013, 10:10 PM

    Fusel oil actually comes of towards the end of the distillation. It contains higher boiling alcohols. Whoever stated methanol comes off early in the distillation run is correct. Methanol is among the lower boiling alcohols. The concentration of methanol required to cause illness or damage to one’s health cannot be achieved through traditional fermentation and simple pot distillation. It’s somewhat a misconception that poitín caused blindness in the past. Many of the cases in the past of methanol poisoning was due to the use of industrial non-potable spirits to increase the volume of alcohol and not the actual poitín.

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    Mute Michael Hodges
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    Nov 5th 2013, 11:52 AM

    Breaking Bad.

    29
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    Mute Montys Moonshine
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    Nov 5th 2013, 11:59 AM

    Cavan shtyle

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    Mute Kian David Griffin
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    Nov 5th 2013, 11:48 AM

    They still didn’t find mine…

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    Mute Dee4
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    Nov 5th 2013, 11:40 AM

    hope it makes Baldie sweat a bit , high taxes encourage this and while I applaud their efforts quality control might be an issue. Homemade bear can be pretty good though.

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    Mute Mary Kavanagh
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    Nov 5th 2013, 3:28 PM

    Homemade bear?! Do tell! Just kidding. Lol!

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    Mute Donal Reynolds
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    Nov 5th 2013, 11:47 AM

    No way man a bear would eat you

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    Mute Ciaran De Bhal
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    Nov 5th 2013, 12:10 PM

    Can’t believe it took them this long. There’re dozens of them dotted about.

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    Mute Jamie Leask
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    Nov 5th 2013, 12:12 PM

    Potatoe drink feck gerls

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    Mute Tony Flynn
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    Nov 5th 2013, 12:18 PM

    You spelt ‘potato’ wrong. Twonk.

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    Mute Christopher Doyle
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    Nov 5th 2013, 8:07 PM

    No, just the Dan Quayle variation

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    Mute Jamie Leask
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    Nov 5th 2013, 12:29 PM

    And girls twonker but you never picked up on that

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    Mute Andy Farrell
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    Nov 5th 2013, 6:12 PM

    Fair play! With alcohol prices rising and this fella doing the country proud showing his skills and initiative, he has drive, it’s not drug dealing like?! Sure there are people ruining this country robbing us blind but when an ordinary joe soap shows some balls they see an easy opportunity! #Legend!

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    Mute Patrick O'Rourke
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    Nov 5th 2013, 8:28 PM

    Sean Quinn said he’d be back. He has some style.

    9
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    Mute Gerry Duffy
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    Nov 5th 2013, 6:25 PM

    Poitìn making a come back … The price of a half ain’t that bad

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    Mute Falstaff Oldcourt
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    Nov 5th 2013, 11:22 PM

    How much is it

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    Mute Pádraig McCarrick
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    Nov 5th 2013, 1:24 PM

    Someone was watching Boardwalk Empire.

    6
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    Mute Eoghan O' Donoghue
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    Nov 5th 2013, 11:39 AM

    *Thats the christmas bonuses sorted for the Seanad

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    Mute Christopher Doyle
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    Nov 5th 2013, 7:53 PM

    what a shame

    4
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    Mute Patrick O'Rourke
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    Nov 5th 2013, 8:26 PM

    Breaking Ballyconnell

    3
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    Mute Barry Gormley
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    Nov 5th 2013, 12:42 PM

    Think this is apropriate here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dHupFqLvaw

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    Mute Trevor James Hewitt
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    Nov 5th 2013, 12:59 PM

    Nice tune that

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    Mute Declan Mulligan
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    Nov 5th 2013, 1:08 PM

    Oh me Knees Me Knees !

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    Mute Kevin Cusack
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    Nov 5th 2013, 5:30 PM

    Oh shit.looks like the christmas party is off.

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    Mute Patrick Lyons
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    Nov 5th 2013, 1:59 PM

    Nice work by Customs. The kids posting here obviously do not understand the dangers involved in drinking poison.

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    Mute Tim
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    Nov 5th 2013, 12:23 PM

    Cider is brewed (fermented apple juice)
    Not distilled.

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    Mute Barry Maher
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    Nov 5th 2013, 1:05 PM

    Somebody was watching too much of the simpsons

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    Mute Derek Lyster
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    Nov 5th 2013, 6:05 PM

    Hope it’s not the guy i get my stuff from!

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    Mute Lou Mccormack
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    Nov 6th 2013, 1:49 PM

    How else are you supposed to make money in Cavan shur!?

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    Mute Dòmhnall Mac Brádaigh
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    Dec 14th 2015, 1:16 AM

    Ah jaysus it was only for the calfs

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    Mute John Byrne
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    Nov 5th 2013, 10:43 PM

    Ah the Irish love affair with the piss , you can go blind from detached retinas from drinking that shit , but sure that’s grand . Smoke a joint on the other hand .

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    Mute Seamus Doohan
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    Nov 6th 2013, 9:58 AM

    Lawless

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