The story of the Irish Winegeese is fascinating. Their roots lie in the flight of the "Wild Geese", the soldiers who fled from Ireland to France after the Treaty of Limerick in 1691. During the 18th and 19th centuries many thousands followed these soldiers for political and economic reasons. Sometimes they travelled on the French ships that smuggled wine into the west coast of Ireland, described on the ships' manifests as "wild geese", evoking the lonely calls of birds travelling winter skies.

Many made their living in the wine trade, as owners of vineyards in France and Spain, or by trading to the sixteen Irish wine ports licensed by the British for imports to Ireland. Chief among these was the harbour town of Kinsale, now famous as a tourist centre with an unrivalled reputation for fine food and wine.

In 1997 a group of local restaurateurs and historians joined forces with the Irish government's Heritage Service to set up the International Museum of Wine in Desmond Castle, once Kinsale's customs house, recording the travels of the Winegeese to destinations as far afield as California and Australia. The museum is also home to the Order of the Winegeese, which has members around the world linked through newsletters, visits, events in Kinsale and this website.