It is variously known as moonshine and a "drop of the craythur", and for some there's an element of nostalgia about its association with the festive season.
However, traces of both bleach and chicken faeces have been identified in recent tests on bottles of poitín, according to a Connemara community activist.
What's worse, the illicit spirit is experiencing a revival among third-level students, according to Trevor Ó Clochartaigh, manager of Cumas Teo, a partnership company based in Rosmuc, Co Galway.
Its popularity is ascribed to a combination of fashion and cost, as bottles can be bought in Connemara and Galway city for as little as €7.
Poitín, which is distilled from potatoes and barley, has long enjoyed a traditional boost in sales during the Christmas period. It has been used in cakes and puddings, while it has also been credited with medicinal properties - to the benefit of athletes with sore joints and even greyhounds.
However, gardaí in Salthill, Galway, covering south Connemara, say they have no records of raids on stills in recent years.
Moreover, one of the last highly publicised Garda swoops under the Illicit Distillation Act was near Silvermines, Co Tipperary, five years ago.
Apart from inebriation, poitín can cause recurrent fits of epilepsy, poses a danger to the liver and can cause loss of appetite and memory, according to doctors.
Tests on the drink consumed in several recent cases revealed traces of bleach and chicken faeces, Mr Ó Clochartaigh said.
"It seems the nitrogen in chicken faeces has long been known to help clear the substance which can appear cloudy in bottles, and bleach has the same effect."
Brian O'Malley, assistant director of nursing in Galway Mental Health Services and an addiction counsellor, said the risk of overdosing on poitín was far higher because it was unregulated.
"There's also the indirect complications caused by drinking it out in the open in exposed places, and drinking alone," he said.
Alcohol is still regarded by Mr O'Malley and addiction colleagues as the "greatest used and abused" substance in the western region.
Moreover, its ingestion in conjunction with soft and hard drugs is also leading to serious problems.
The decline in business experienced by rural pubs - due to the smoking ban and drink-driving regulations - has in certain areas led to increased incidences of alcoholism caused by drinking alone at home, while cases of domestic violence associated with alcoholism in families are also more frequent over the Christmas period.
Cumas Teo is developing a strategy to work with families in an attempt to tackle the issue.
