Connacht Tribune
Great great great grandson of a Gort bootmaker brings his whiskey to Ireland
The great great great grandson of a bootmaker from Gort who emigrated to become a distiller in Minneapolis is now making the opposite journey – by exporting an Irish whiskey back home from the United States.
To be precise, Keeper’s Heart is an Irish/American whiskey – but Patrick O’Shaughnessy is confident that his award-winning liquor will tickle the taste buds of aficionados in the land of his forefathers after his decision to bring it all back home.
Luke O’Shaughnessy was the man who crossed the Atlantic in the opposite direction; he left Ireland at the end of the Famine and landed in Milford, Massachusetts, to embark on a new life in the US.
His great great grandson started O’Shaughnessy Distilling Co. in Minneapolis with the help of his cousin Michael O’Shaughnessy, combined with Cork-born Brian Nation’s Irish whiskey distilling experience – and now Patrick and his mother Cheryl have returned to the homeland of their ancestors to bring their newest creation back to where it all started for their family in the 1800’s.
Brian Nation was formerly Master Distiller for some of the best known Irish whiskeys – including Jameson, Redbreast, and Midleton – and after leaving Ireland in 2021 to move to America to craft Keeper’s Heart with the O’Shaughnessy family, Brian is proud to bring the unique blend of Irish and American whiskeys back home.
Together Patrick and Brian describe Keeper’s Heart is ‘a new style of whiskey, bringing together the best of Irish and American whiskey-making traditions’.
Since it launched in the US two years ago, it has won a string of awards, including International Wine and Spirits Challenge Platinum, Ultimate Spirits Challenge 94, Critics Challenge International Platinum and Proof Award Double Gold honours.
Reflecting on the foundation of the O’Shaughnessy Distilling Co., Patrick O’Shaughnessy said that what started as a family reunion became the birthplace of Keeper’s Heart, a celebration of the family’s Irish/American heritage.
“Our great great grandfather came to the United States from Ireland, and our large extended family has stayed close to our Irish roots. Keeper’s Heart was created to celebrate that,” he said.
“We are extremely proud of the Keeper’s Heart team and the reception the brand has received since we launched. It has made it possible to continue to grow Keeper’s Heart and evolve the liquid offerings, and now – as we begin international distribution – Ireland was at the top of the list,” he added.
Brian Nation, with over 22 years of experience as a Master Distiller, was born and raised in Cork City, and only moved to Minnesota following a meeting with the O’Shaughnessy family to embark on a new adventure and create a new style of whiskey, marrying the best of Irish and American whiskey-making traditions.
“I never thought I’d leave Ireland until I met the O’Shaughnessy family and heard what they wanted to create,” he said.
“Their vision was inspiring, and together, along with American Whiskey visionary David Perkins, we’ve created an innovative liquid portfolio and a brand that celebrates family, and heritage. Keeper’s Heart is my passion project, and I’m proud to return home to share with my friends and family what we’ve been up to across the pond.”
Keepers Heart will be shocked in off licences across the country by the end of the summer – and is also available from WinesoftheWorld.ie
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GARDAÍ and the IFA have issued a joint appeal to all road users to take extra care as the silage season gets under way across the country.
Silage harvesting started in many parts of Galway last week – and over the coming month, the sight of tractors and trailers on rural roads will be getting far more frequent.
Inspector Conor Madden, who is in charge of Galway Roads Policing, told the Farming Tribune that a bit of extra care and common-sense from all road users would go a long way towards preventing serious collisions on roads this summer.
“One thing I would ask farmers and contractors to consider is to try and get more experienced drivers working for them.
“Tractors have got faster and bigger – and they are also towing heavy loads of silage – so care and experience are a great help in terms of accident prevention,” Inspector Madden told the Farming Tribune.
He said that tractor drivers should always be aware of traffic building up behind them and to pull in and let these vehicles pass, where it was safe to do so.
“By the same token, other road users should always exercise extra care; drive that bit slower; and ‘pull in’ that bit more, when meeting tractors and heavy machinery.
“We all want to see everyone enjoying a safe summer on our roads – that extra bit of care, and consideration for other roads users can make a huge difference,” said Conor Madden.
He also advised motorists and tractor drivers to be acutely aware of pedestrians and cyclists on the roads during the summer season when more people would be out walking and cycling on the roads.
The IFA has also joined in on the road safety appeal with Galway IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche asking all road users to exercise that extra bit of care and caution.
“We are renewing our annual appeal for motorists to be on the look out for tractors, trailers and other agricultural machinery exiting from fields and farmyards,” she said.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
