“Working in Leitrim they tend to be low-key operators.”
For an island of our size, we have a lot to be proud of. From writers and musicians loved the world over to international brands that set standards for the rest, you’d think that we would shout about it more.
“We had the Whole Foods buyer over from the US recently, who are now bought by Amazon.com and she visited the distillery and she said ‘This is the most emotional, incredible distillery I’ve ever visited and by they way, you’re way too modest, you guys’,” says Pat Rigney, Founder of the Shed Distillery by PJ Rigney and EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2018 Finalist said.
There wasn’t any secret distilling revolution happening in Leitrim when Pat started distilling his Gunpowder Irish Gin, it was purely down to chance that he ended up in Drumshanbo. After what he calls an “act of God,” drew him to the exact same town where his parents had coincidentally met 64 years earlier, he says it was the people that made him stay.
The American businesswoman’s attitude of throwing modesty out the window wasn’t exactly the status quo in Drumshanbo. As he said himself; “They don’t take too much guff.”
“You need to blow your trumpet a bit more”
The culture in Ireland is no doubt very different to the US. Someone who wants to celebrate their own success runs the risk of being labelled with “notions,” and the representative from Whole Foods said his modesty will do him no favours.
“I said, ‘Well, that’s Ireland. That’s our thing.’ She said; ‘I don’t care, you’re way too modest, you need to blow your trumpet a bit more.’ But we tend to keep a low profile,” he said.
Speaking as the Founder & Owner of a number of hugely successful businesses and a 2018 EY Entrepreneur of The Year Finalist, he certainly has no reason to be modest.
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