The first organised attempts in suppressing illicit distillation in Ireland began in 1787. Although revenue police stations exist from 1818 in Ballina, Co. Mayo and Sligo, the Irish Revenue Police (IRP) was formally organised in 1824 and disbanded on 1 October 1857 when its role was taken over by the Irish Constabulary. Service records of 4,000 IRP men have survived. The duties of the IRP include the detection of illicit liquor stills and the capture of offenders. It was nicknamed ‘The Potcheen Hussars’.

A major revision in 1836 saw the building of a training depot and headquarters in Clonliffe, Dublin. The force of over 1,100 men at its peak was distributed in 76 ‘Parties’ in 16 counties mainly west and north of the River Shannon. Each Revenue station had a Revenue Party of  1 lieutenant, 1 sergeant and 13 privates who performed still-hunting over three days and two nights in a week over an 8 hour ‘Excursion Period’ at a time, on a radius of 20 Irish miles.

A Revenue Cruiser ‘The Seamew‘ and a Revenue Party and crew were based at Rathmullen, Co. Donegal for patrolling the western seaboard from Galway Bay to Lough Foyle and the islands off Co. Donegal during the winter months. On disbandment in 1857 some 598 Irish Revenue Policemen transferred as sub constables in the Irish Constabulary and 28 transferred as 3rd class sub inspectors in the Irish Constabulary. The Revenue Police suffered four casualties during its existence; Privates Benjamin Flint and Edward Baxter on 10 May 1832, in Castletown, Co. Cork, between Bandon and Dunmanway; Private James Lampin on 15 March 1833 in Lettermuck, Co. Derry; Private Edward Stewart on 22 April 1836 in Carn, near Dungiven, Co. Derry, who was fatally injured by a mob attacking his patrol which had seized contraband.