Sentence:  “Make haste now and go up and tell your mother to hide the <WSD>poteen</WSD>”—his mother used to sell <WSD>poteen</WSD>—“for I'm after seeing the biggest party of peelers and yeomanry passing by on the rocks was ever seen on the island.” 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  Illegally produced Irish whiskey; moonshine. (from early 19th c.)