Mayo cooper to feature on Ear to the Ground

A MAYO cooperage, established to meet the needs of the Irish whiskey revival, will feature on this week's episode of Ear to the Ground, on RTÉ One at 7 p.m. on Thursday, January 25.

Up until the 1960s, getting a job as a cooper was one of the most sought after careers. At the height of it, there were over 500 coopers working in Dublin alone, and the job often ran in families.

The skills needed to make and repair casks or barrels were at the very heart of Ireland’s drinks industry, but in the decades since, the craft all but died out, and now there are only a handful of active coopers left.

But that may be changing, as in Foxford a small cooperage has been established to once again meet the needs of a Irish whiskey revival.

The cooperage is called Dair Nua and employs four craftsmen.

This week's episode sees the Ear to the Ground team visiting one of the craftsmen, Eoin Mangan, who divides his day between working here and helping to run his family's sheep farm.

The programme will be repeated on Sunday, January 28, on RTÉ One at 1.09 p.m.