As the warring Celts settled and began to farm the land, the horses ran wild, and a native population grew up from them. They had to adapt to the rocky, rugged terrain, thus making them to this day sure-footed and athletic. It is believed that in 1600s when the Spanish Armada sank, the horses swam ashore and mixed with the native ponies. Connemara ponies are now bred around the world. The first Connemara Pony Breeders Society was founded in 1923 in the town of Clifden, in the heart of Connemara.
Legend has it that the production of poteen began with the first potato harvesting.
No one really knows when it began, but for sure and certain it's been around a long time. In 1661 the English passed a law and levied a tax on all spirited drinks. Only producers licensed by the state could produce alcoholic beverages. The very word poteen, meaning small pot, tells quite a bit about this interesting brew. It was condemned by most doctors as dangerous throughout the years, but one Irishman claimed that, mixed with garlic, poteen could cure rheumatism.