#437 The Great Liberties Whiskey Fire Dublin 1875 with Las Fallon

In this episode, Pete Wakefield is joined by Las Fallon to explore one of the most extraordinary and misunderstood fires in European fire service history: the Great Dublin Whiskey Fire of 1875. This was not simply a large urban fire. It was an incident where tens of thousands of gallons of high-proof whiskey escaped bonded warehouses, flowed through the streets of Dublin, ignited, and turned parts of the city into rivers of fire. More people died from human behaviour and misunderstanding of risk than from flames themselves, making this feel less like a Victorian era blaze and more like an early hazardous materials incident played out with nineteenth-century tools, leadership, and limitations.Together, Pete and Las unpack the fire’s wider context, from the structure of the Irish fire service and leadership under pressure, to crowd behaviour, media portrayal, and the forgotten victims whose stories faded from public memory. They explore whiskey’s central role in Dublin’s economy, the cultural stereotypes of the time, and how tribalism, misinformation, and curiosity turned a disaster into a secondary tragedy. This is not a nostalgic retelling. It is a professional case study in leadership, public safety, and human behaviour, with uncomfortable lessons that still resonate in modern firefighting, crisis management, and community response today.Get the book HEREAccess all episodes, documents, GIVEAWAYS & debriefs HEREPodcast Apparel, Hoodies, Flags, Mugs HERE our partners supporting this episode.GORE-TEX Professional ClothingFIRST TACTICAL- tactical gear for elite operatorsMSA The Safety CompanyJAFCOIDEXFIRE & EVACUATION SERVICE LTD HAIX Footwear - Get offical podcast discount on HAIX HEREXendurance - to hunt performance & endurance 20% off HERE with code ffp20Send us Fan MailSupport the show***The views expressed in this episode are those of the individual speakers. Our partners are not responsible for the content of this episode and does not warrant its accuracy or completeness.***Please support the podcast and its future by clicking HERE and joining our Patreon Crew