In the fight for Irish rights in the early 1800s, there is one dominant name - Daniel O’Connell - known as The Liberator or The Emancipator. O’Connell, a Kerryman,  campaigned for Catholic emancipation - including the right for Catholics to sit in the Westminster Parliament, something that was denied for more than 100 years—and repeal of the Acts of Union which combined Great Britain and Ireland.

He was a legendary figure and had an outsized impact on the plight of the Irish two short centuries ago. There have been many intersections between the O'Connell family and alcohol over the years (some legitimate, others not so much) and today one particular descendant, Maurice O’Connell hopes to celebrate his family’s history and impact with the establishment of his whiskey company Wayward Irish Spirits. 

Maurice has great plans for the beautiful family estate near Killarney in the south west of Ireland and I was keen to learn more about what he hopes to achieve and what prompted him to get involved with Irish whiskey.