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.
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