@Malarkey or indeed anyone else, have ye tried dunvilles? Opinion?
Some one else must have been buying it @anon67715551
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You’ve hit the nail squarely on the head there a chara.
“His favourite whiskey”. 
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I did from Dick Mac’s. I was surprised when I compared the price to the taste.
I liked both of the PX Cask bottlings, same as many people. But I presume the distillate is Bushmills, since it could not be, due to age, from Echinville.
Cost an awful lot less in McGahern’s day…
Certain public houses used to bottle in house top notch Powers pot still (until about early 1980s, I think). These bottles were known as ‘White Powers’ because of the label colour used.
A big ambition of mine is to try White Powers.
Was he tightfisted?
Extremely. He had a hip replaced around 2001. He brought the original home for the dog.
The sort of man that wouldn’t turn a sweet in his mouth in case somebody spotted him.
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What a pity.
He was very like his father in ways I would say he found deeply uncomfortable.
Lovely turn of phrase
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He was a joyless, morbid kind of man truth be told. In all the years we’d have been in their company he rarely laughed and occasions of him spinning an oul’ yarn were rarer still. He hung in, observed and no doubt noted the nuances and eccentricities of us all as he crafted another exposé in his head.
There’s little doubt but his epic “That they might face the Rising Sun” softened a good few coughs locally, his two immediate neighbours being vilified beyond redemption. But…ancient home truths were exposed ( posthumously mostly) but the stigma lingers.
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As a a man once said ‘pay your fare’
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They’re doing a serious amount of advertising at the moment. Who’s behind it do you know?
Edit - I remember it’s the Gleesons lads now
There was an interview/marketing piece about him in the Times a few weeks ago
Boann are doing some really interesting mash bills. Working on that front with Fionnán O’Connor, who wrote the major book on Irish whiskey a few years ago.
Never meet your heroes… That said, I have often been at his grave in Aughawillan. Drank excellent whisky there.
Although I never met JMcG, I do know people who knew him well or quite well. Your account chimes with what they say of him in personal terms. My gut feeling is that JMcG knew, especially as the first born, he was like his father in certain ways.
A close friend has edited JMcG’s letters and is embarked on the official biography.
Anyone tried the redbreast 10 yr old? Have a bottle of it here that I’ll open if it’s good. If it’s not I’ll put it away for the future.
While I have been critical of his frugal lifestyle there remains a good deed that he personally executed many years ago.
His immediate neighbour had what we’d call a Homeboy. These misfortunates would have seen years of serious abuse in various institutions and their cases have been well publicised in recent times.
His escape from the clutches of the state didn’t improve his situation, they treated him cruelly. They had a creamery run, he’d jump off 20 yds before the can, horse it on and jump back on while the driver barely slowed, day in day out.
A little scheme of houses was built in Ballinamore called Trathnóna, aimed at single, elderly people in their winter years. Our man was maybe 50, looking like 70 and knew nothing about this. McG took the bull by the horns and tackled the PP, the late Fr.Doyle who appeared unaware of the position. The die was cast, McG kept up the pressure on the PP and lo and behold our man was granted a houséén.
The neighbours rallied round and furnished it of the best and he never looked back.
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