Ether drinking was introduced to Ireland in the 1840s, primarily for its supposed medicinal benefits. Ether began to be used for recreation from as early as the mid-18th century and there are accounts of an Englishman, James Graham (1745-1794) who ‘was accustomed to inhale an ounce or two several times a day, in public, with “manifest placidity and enjoyment”. By the 19th century ether drinking was reported to be widespread in the US, Britain and the continent. During the 1880s its use became endemic in Cos. Derry and Tyrone. In 1923 ether drinking for under 18’s became a criminal offence in Northern Ireland. Restrictions of sale introduced in Northern Ireland in 1927 finally put paid to the use of the drug.

I wonder if Castlebar had any ether houses plying “manifest placidity and enjoyment”.