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Ann Murray, the illegal poteen distiller who lived in a cave

By Emily McGarvey 6-7 minutes 7/18/2021

By Emily McGarvey
BBC News NI

Ann Murray's cave, Red Bay Caves, County Antrimimage copyrightDonnell O'Loan

image captionAnn Murray lived in the Red Bay Caves until 1847

Getting away from the rat race and spending your days spinning, knitting and distilling your own alcohol might sound like the ideal existence for some.

It might be less appealing if it involved living in a cave.

But that was the reality for some people in Ireland in the 19th Century, including Ann Murray.

She spent 50 years living in a cave in Country Antrim until she died aged 100.

As well as spinning and knitting to support herself, the Glenariff woman distilled her own poteen, which was illegal at the time.

She evaded the liquor laws by charging customers for an expensive glass of water and giving them the poteen for free.

Her story has come to the fore after the Glens of Antrim Historical Society received funding from the Community Arts, Culture and Heritage Fund to publish the cave's rich history.

Hedge schools

Ann took up residence in one of three caves on the County Antrim coast, known as the Red Bay Caves.

The adjacent cave was used as a hedge school, a type of small, illegal school which operated during the time of the penal laws when only Anglican schools were allowed.

Catholic children attended the school, notably James McDonnell who went on to found the Belfast Dispensary and Fever Hospital in 1792.

It is now known as the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.

image copyrightDonnell O'Loan

image captionAnn Murray's cave looks on to a view of Waterfoot beach

Ann was popular with locals and travellers passing by wanting a drop of her illicit poteen.

Production of the spirit was criminalised in 1661 and driven underground.

Ann only faced two encounters with the law for her illicit dealings when she was lodged twice in the county jail.

Donnell O'Loan of the Glens of Antrim Historical Society said avoiding excise duty would have been considered a "fairly major crime" in those times.

Those found to be committing "minor crimes, such a stealing a loaf of bread, were often transported to Australia," he said.

Ann's penalty, he said, was mitigated "by an influential gentleman thought to be Lord Antrim" and she continued with her work.

The Belfast Vindicator newspaper wrote in 1847 that "few tourists to the causeway have passed by these caves without paying a passing visit to Nanny", as she was known to locals.

Mr O'Loan said: "Lord Antrim was told of how exhausted travellers found it very difficult to travel along the coast at that time and they benefited from her business.

"So he obtained permission for her to carry on her good work without paying rent or licence."

image copyrightDonnell O'Loan

image captionDonnell O'Loan of the Glens of Antrim Historical Society wants the caves' history to be well known

The living conditions would have been cold, damp, dark and wet in the caves.

Poorer people commonly lived in caves in the 1800s, according to Mr O'Loan, partly because a tax had to be paid for every hearth place in a home.

Ann refused to pay rent to anyone as she "did not recognise that anyone was superior in terms of ownership," Mr O'Loan said.

The earliest mention of Ann was in the Ordinance Survey Memoirs in 1832 when Army officers wrote reports on the area they were covering.

She is referred to by Lt James Chaytor in the memoirs, which are thought to be the best record of what life was like in that period.

She died in 1847 in Glenariff aged 100 and left no children or family behind.

'The father of Belfast medicine'

The cave next door is the site of a former hedge school where well-educated teachers taught children the likes of mathematics and Latin.

They were set up in the countryside in the open air often near to a hedgerow, which gave them their name.

image copyrightDonnell O'Loan

image captionA plaque at the entrance to the cave commemorates the Glens hedge school in the 1800s

Dr James McDonnell received his first education at the Glens hedge school.

Dr McDonnell went on to a higher level of education and took his medical degree in Edinburgh but returned to Belfast to practice medicine.

"He later become known as the father of Belfast medicine," Mr O'Loan said.

"It was a time of fever, typhoid and cholera so as well as caring for these people he became very involved in improving the health service system of the time."

image copyrightDonnell O'Loan

image captionThe Glens hedge school was set up in the 18th Century when Catholic schools were forbidden

Dr McDonnell was "instrumental in setting up the Belfast medical school, which is now the medical department of Queen's University Belfast".

And in 1810 the doctor helped to found the Belfast Academical Institution, later known as the Royal Belfast Academical Institution.

He died in Belfast on 5 April 1845 and was buried in Layde Churchyard in Cushendall, County Antrim.

The third cave was used as a blacksmith's forge. In 1849 workmen found two bronze axes, a stone axe and some silver coins in the cave.

Above the caves sat the 16th Century MacDonnells castle, which one of the caves below is believed to have been an escape route from.

image copyrightDonnell O'Loan

image captionThe caves provided shelter with a stone wall thought to have been built rocks or wood from the sea

Mr O'Loan said he wanted the history of the caves to be passed on to future generations.

"I think it's our heritage and when people learn about them they find them interesting and it's the background from where we all come.

"As someone once said: 'If we don't learn from our history we're doomed to repeat our mistakes.'"

The Glens of Antrim Historical What's That? project is funded by the Community Arts, Culture and Heritage Fund and the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland.

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