A poitín maker attempts to avoid the attentions of the Gardaí in Connemara in the west of Ireland.A poitín maker attempts to avoid the attentions of the Gardaí in Connemara in the west of Ireland.A poitín maker attempts to avoid the attentions of the Gardaí in Connemara in the west of Ireland.
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Tom Sailí Ó Flaithearta
- Marcus
- (as Tomás Ó Flatharta)
Mick Lally
- Garda sergeant
- (as Micheál Ó Maolallaí)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis was the first feature film made entirely in the Irish language.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Century of Cinema: Ourselves Alone? (1995)
Featured review
Alcoholism and revenge in the West of Ireland.
Mícheál (Cusack) is an old poitín-maker, distilling illicit spirits near his isolated cottage. His resellers, the shifty Sleamhnam (Toibín) and his dull-witted sidekick, Labhcas (McCann) lose a consignment of poitín to the police, but daringly steal it back. Having told Mícheál that the bottles were lost, they see no need to inform him of their recovery and they pocket the proceeds of the sale for themselves. The fairly simple plot unwinds towards a somewhat predictable end, but it's not unsatisfying. The initial warmth and rustic cheeriness of the opening scenes is gradually replaced by a sense of menace, incoherent anger and hatred, showing the hardship of the lives of people in the West of Ireland at the time. The dialogue is entirely in Irish (Gaelic, not Hiberno-English) and in Cusack and McCann it's a chance to see two of Ireland's finest actors in rare screen perfomances. Worth a look.
helpful•40
- podger
- Aug 2, 1999
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Poteen
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
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