Leitrim businessman calls for government support amid U.S. Tariffs

Pat Rigney, founder of The Shed Distillery in Drumshanbo, believes that the government will need to provide support to businesses in the aftermath of the U.S. tariff announcement.

U.S. President Donald Trump, fueled by a belief that America has been ‘ripped off’ by the ‘pathetic’ European Union, announced that the U.S. will impose a 20% tariff on all imports from the trading bloc on Wednesday.

Tariffs are taxes imposed by a government on imports from another country. They are typically paid by importers and are intended to discourage the purchase of foreign goods, protecting domestic industries.

“20% is challenging for everybody … I think businesses will need support,” said Rigney, whose Drumshanbo Gunpowder Gin is fourth in the U.S. market for premium gins.

“I would like the European Union to find a way of getting us back to zero/zero and not escalate it the wrong way,” said Rigney, who has previously been critical of the European Union for bringing the drinks industry into the trade dispute with the U.S. last month.

Irish exports to the United States were over €70 billion in 2024, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade. A 20% tariff on exports to the U.S. market could have huge implications for native businesses in Ireland.

“The Americans usually do things in a very classy way; they do things in a very good way, so this is very unusual, very different,” he says.

The challenge will be real, says Rigney, who does around a third of his trade in the U.S. He says that their business has faced challenges like the Covid-19 pandemic in the past. Now is the time to “drive on” and keep going.

“We started with no sales eight years ago in rural Ireland in a very remote area with an incredible team. We've built up a big business, a successful business. So, we have to have faith and belief … We are just going to have to face up to the challenge, work closely with our importer, and work even harder to make sure we prevail.”

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