National College of Art and Design

Group of pot stills, erected c.1870, formerly part of still house. Domed vessels of riveted copper with remains of copper flues, circular openings into vessels, housed within cylindrical red and yellow brick tubs, having cast-iron banding and granite coping. Round-headed openings with red brick voussoirs and square-headed openings having cast-iron doors. Square-headed openings to base of tubs. Some machinery remaining. Cast-iron staircase on brick base to west of stills.

Powers Distillery was founded in 1791 and largely rebuilt in 1871, by which time 900,000 gallons of whiskey were produced annually. It was one of the largest whiskey producers in the world at this point, and one of the largest employers in this area. These three stills, along with three others, were originally contained within the still house, which has now been demolished. They played an integral part in the distillation process, the mix of malted and unmalted barley passing through three consecutive stills to produce triple distilled whiskey. They are of technical interest as a physical reminder of the industrial as well as social history of Dublin, and provide an attractive focal point on the National College of Art and Design campus.