An illegal poitín distillery near Silvermines in County Tipperary was discovered when a team of four gardaí raided a premises at Shallee early on Saturday morning last.
Sixty gallons of 'wash', prepared for the final stages of poitín distillation, were found in the Christmas raid. The recovered wash was being prepared to make up to 500 pints of poitín. Each pint of the illegal spirit could fetch as much as €10 on the black market.
The garda operation, which resulted in the shutdown of the distillery, came after gardaí used a warrant, under the Illicit Distillation Act, to search an outhouse near a farm building in the Shallee area outside Silvermines.
Samples of the wash have been sent to the State Laboratory for analysis and a file in relation to the matter is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions. No person has been charged in relation to the matter.
During their search gardaí also found a stil and other distillation equipment and cylinders.
Poitín, an illicit spirit that is brewed from potatoes, is thought to have been brewed in the North Tipperary area for many years.
The spirit, also known as moonshine, is traditionally used around the Christmas period in cakes and puddings but is also used in remedies for athletes and race greyhounds.
"There is a tradition throughout the country and in North Tipperary of brewing poitín but people have to realise that these spirits are dangerous," Superintendent Jim Fitzgerald said.
"If someone gets bad-quality poitín, it can have adverse effects making people physically sick and, in some cases, it can cause death," Supt Fitzgerald added.
"Poitín is also dangerous if it gets into the hands of young people. For them, if they are being introduced to alcohol, it can be very potent and very dangerous," added the Superintendent.
"In the past there was glamour attached to poitín and its distillation in days gone by. However, the fact is that poitín can have terrible consequences for people," Supt Fitzgerald said.