Desmond Castle and the International Museum of Wine, Kinsale, Ireland
The story of the Irish Wine Geese 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 restauranteurs and historians joined forces
with the Irish Office of Public Works to
set up the International Museum of Wine in Desmond Castle, once Kinsale's
customs house, recording the travels of the Wine Geese to destinations as
far afield as California and Australia.
The museum is also home to the Order of the Wine Geese, which has members
around the world linked through newsletters, visits, events in Kinsale
and this website.
"Wild Geese" signifies Irish migrants of the 17th and 18th centuries
who fought in the armies of continental Europe. Some left after the
defeat of Hugh O’Neill and Hugh O’Donnell at Kinsale in 1601, but the
term refers particularly to those who left in the years that followed
the Williamite wars and the violated Treaty of Limerick in 1691.
Others left because of laws against Roman Catholics which were imposed
in the late 17th century, including restrictions on their economic
activities. Still others left to search for opportunities to develop
profitable businesses. These adventurers came from all areas of
Ireland and from different religious backgrounds. Many of these Irishmen
attained great distinction fighting in the Irish Brigades in the service
of France. A number of them would attain fame through the wine trade,
such as Hennessy, MacCarthy, Lynch, O’Byrne, Dillon and Walsh.
"Wine Geese" is the name given to the emigrant Irish families who,
from the 17th century onwards, engaged in the wine trade in the various
countries that they adopted. Many of these pioneering Irish families
played significant and enduring roles in the viticultural development
of some of the principal winegrowing regions in both the Old and New
World, such as Michel Lynch of Bordeaux.
The Irish did not become involved with the wine and brandy business
by accident. For centuries there had been trading connections between
Ireland and the wine producing areas of Europe. Irish emigrants were
mainly involved in wine production in France, but they also settled
in parts of Spain, Italy and Germany.
A number of Irish saints are honoured variously in regions of France,
Switzerland, Lombardy, Germany and Jerez, including St Patrick,
St Columbanus, St Fiacre, St Nessan, St Gall, St Fridolin and St Killian.
In later centuries, further generations of ‘winegeese’ settled further afield in North America, Chile, South Africa, Australia and Madeira.
