Up to 100 people gathered in the village of Drumshanbo, Co Leitrim today for the first distillation in Connacht for more than a century.

The first cask of whiskey from a new local distillery, ‘The Shed – by P.J. Rigney', was officially sealed at 12.23pm to coincide with the solar transit on the day of the winter solstice.

The contents of the cask is set to be sold to international markets, including Germany and the United States.