In 1875, Dublin was flooded with whiskey, literally. When a bonded warehouse in the Liberties district went up in flames, over 300,000 gallons of burning whiskey poured through the streets, turning one of Ireland’s poorest neighborhoods into a fiery river of booze. Firefighters quickly learned that water only made it worse, so they turned to an unlikely hero: horse manure.
Comedians Robert Bacon and guest host Jenna O’Brien (filling in for Mike Kauffman) dive into this bizarre disaster where people didn’t die from fire, but from drinking the flaming whiskey. It’s a true story of chaos, comedy, and cautionary tales about Irish ingenuity gone sideways.
SOURCES
- The Irish Times (June 21, 1875): descriptions of people scooping whiskey with boots, the wholesale poisoning numbers The Irish TimesThe Pot Still Whiskey Blog
- Irish Examiner (June 21, 1875): “in literal torrents from the doors and windows” Wine Enthusiast
- The Pot Still blog: detailed local reporting, including the dog incident and hospital admissions The Pot Still Whiskey Blog
- Wikipedia: overview of the event, location, fatalities not from direct fire but poisoning Wikipedia
- Wine Enthusiast: recounting the burning river and manure tactics Wine Enthusiast
- Historic Mysteries: supplementary context on the chaos and the nature of the response
Keywords: Dublin Whiskey Fire, 1875 Dublin Fire, Irish history podcast, comedy history podcast, whiskey disaster, Liberties Dublin, weird history, whiskey history, Ireland disasters, Mistakes Were Made podcast.
