Maurice O'Connell: Irish Whiskey's Wayward Gentleman

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.