157: County Cork's Killahora Orchards | Ireland

157: County Cork's Killahora Orchards | Ireland

Author: Ria Windcaller: Award-winning Cidermaker, Podcaster | Craft Beer Columnist December 5, 2018 Duration: 1:04:44

Killahora Orchards of County Cork is located on the southern tip of the Emerald Isle a.k.a. Ireland and was once the center of the world butter market.  Historically it is also known as the "rebel city". Today it is a thriving city with Michelin star restaurants and makers like Barry Walsh and Dave Watson of Killahora Orchards in Glounthaune.

Killahora Orchards began to be replanted in 2011.

Replanted because Killahora Orchards today, it was found, was also an orchard dating back as far as 1838. This was discovered on Ireland's OS (Ordinance Survey) Maps. As such there are wilding apple trees on the fence line linked to the Malus sylvestris (this apple tree usually has thorns).

157 Barn: Cider Chat Killohara Orchards

Barn on the hill at Killahora Orchards

In 2016 Killahora entered the commercial market as Johnny Fall Down cider, but as the brand evolves they are now making Johnny Fall Down a brand of cider under the Killahora Orchards label.

There are 130 varieties of apples and 30 different pears.

Dave Watson planted the orchard. His father Tim Watson tends it. Barry Walsh is Dave's cousin. Barry is crowned the Booze Geek, while Dave is considered the Tree Geek.

 

Killahora Orchards Products

  • The Wild Apple Bouché won the Supreme International Championship for International Ciders at the Royal Bath and West cider competition in June 2018.
  • The Rare Apple Ice Wine which was made with Bitter Sweet and Bitter Sharp apples really set this Irish version of an ice cider apart.
  •  Rare Apple Ice Wine made with bitter sweet and bitter sharp apples[/caption]
  • Pom'O is and Apple Port or what the French would call Pommeau.

At the end of this chat hear Barry Walsh sing a wee bit from the Irish Folk Drinking Song "Johnny Jump Up". Learn more about its history here.

Contact Killahora Orchards

Website: http://www.killahoraorchards.ie/

Address: Killahora, Glounthaune

Cork

Telephone: 021 486 8177

eMail: info@johnnyfalldown.ie

Mentions in this Chat

Please Help Support Cider Chat Please donate today. Help keep the chat thriving!

Find this episode and all episodes at the page for Cider Chat's podcasts.

Ask for the following ciders - By supporting these cidermakers, you in turn help Cider Chat

  1. Kurant Cider - Pennsylvania : listen to Joe Getz on episode 14
  2. Big Apple Hard Cider - NYC : listen to Danielle von Scheiner on episode 35
  3. Oliver's Cider and Perry - Herefordshire/UK ; listen to Tom Oliver on episode 29
  4. Santa Cruz Cider Company - California : listen to Nicole Todd on episode 60
  5. The Cider Project aka EthicCider- California
  6. Albermale CiderWorks : listen to Chuck Shelton on episode 56
  7. Cider Summit : listen to Alan Shapiro founder of this cider fest on episode 75.
  8. Ramborn Cider Co. Luxembourg.
  9. Big Fish Cider Co. Virginia
  10. Tanuki Cider Co. Santa Cruz California episode 103
  11. Ross on Wye Cider and Perry, UK
  12. Process and Analytical NMR Services - John Edwards provides analytics of cider - stay tuned for his Chemical Fingerprints workshop coming up on Cider Chat
  13. Ironbark Ciderworks, Claremont, California

Join the #ciderGoingUP Campaign today! 

 


There’s a whole world in a glass of cider, and Cider Chat is your invitation to explore it. Hosted by award-winning cidermaker and writer Ria Windcaller, this podcast travels far beyond the bottle to meet the people who make the global cider culture so vibrant. Each conversation is a journey-you might find yourself in a heritage orchard learning the history of forgotten apple varieties, in a bustling taproom with an importer explaining regional traditions, or in a kitchen with a chef pairing cider with unexpected foods. The discussions get into the delightful nuances, too, whether that’s the semantics of what we even call this drink or how the concept of terroir translates from soil to sip. It’s not just about production; it’s about the community, the travel, and the stories that fermentation unlocks. This is for anyone curious about the craft, history, and sheer enjoyment of fermented apple juice in all its forms. So, pour a glass and settle in for a series that feels like a wide-ranging, informative, and genuinely good-humored chat with friends who happen to be obsessed with cider. You’ll come away with a deeper appreciation for every effervescent, tart, or sweet sip, hearing directly from the growers, makers, and enthusiasts who are shaping this drink’s exciting present and future.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 501

Cider Chat
Podcast Episodes
200 Cheers for #ciderGoingUP [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:50
#ciderGoingUP is a favored hashtag that I have been using since the first year of this podcast, so it was a natural title for this milestone episode number 200. Some podcasters pod fade (end their shows quietly and never…
199: Bellwether Cider since 1996 | NY [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:37
In 1996 Bellwether Hard Cider and Wine Cellars opened for business in a repurposed chicken hatchery in upper New York state in the Finger Lakes regions surrounding Lake Cayuga. Now in its 23rd year of business, this fami…
198: Becoming a Pomologist w/ Dr. Peck [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:02
Gregory M. Peck of the School of Integrative Plant Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York is the featured guest on episode 198. Greg in Peck lab Greg's chat begins at…
197: Top 5 Picks for Franklin County CiderDays [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:13
Top 5 Picks for Franklin County CiderDays Franklin County CiderDays takes place on the first weekend of November every year as it has been for the past 25 years. Yes, this November 1-3, 2019 is the 25th Annual and the nu…
196: Goat Zen to Cornell | FLX, NY [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:15
Audio snap shots of the cider region of Cayuga Lake, a 38 mile long lake located in the Finger Lakes region of New York state. CiderweekFLX took place September 27- October 6, 2019. This region has: 10 cider producer sur…
195: Fly Be Night Cider | 0% Sh**, UK [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:37
Look close into the label and you will see, words of wisdom, fun and glee! ...There are no surprises, just a straight up fact - this cider contains - 0% Shit Episode 195 features a chat with John Michael Leslie Edwards,…
194: The Reason for Being | Ross on Wye Cider & Perry, UK [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:48
Episode 194: The Reason for Being | Ross on Wye Cider & Perry, UK Mike Johnson grew up on Broome Farm picking up apples with his grandmother, in the rural country known as Herefordshire in the United Kingdom. Thirty Five…
193: Cider's Museum, Mythology, and Fans | England [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:42
A Museum for Cider, Cider Mythology of May Hill and Cider Loving Fans are all featured in this episode. This is the third episode of Cider Chat featuring my trip to the United Kingdom. Go to episode 192: London Got Cider…
192: Oak Barrel Smoker, Cheese & Cider | UK [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:42
Kate and Toby Lovell are raising Shropshire Sheep and Friesian Sheep at Handcocks Meadow Farm The Shropshire Sheep don't debark trees which make them excellent for use in orchards. They also have a flock of Friesian Shee…
191: London Got Cider | Cider Chat Live [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:59
Here is the first dispatch from the United Kingdom, specifically London where my journey began. "The Talking Pommes" (The Medlars, Mr. Quince, Perry Pear) and I arrived at Heathrow and went our separate ways. The Pommes…