What was inside this special Irish nature curation
Samuel Lamont & Sons, Lurgan, County Armagh – Irish Strawberry tea-towel
My father Owen used to say that there was no strawberry that tasted as sweet and delicious as the summer Irish strawberry. So, for us having a punnet of strawberries on the kitchen table and sometimes dipped in a little bit of sugar, is so reminiscent of an Irish childhood and we keep the tradition going. When I saw the tea towel with the strawberries, I thought it was the cutest, most perfect item to have in a kitchen in the summertime, and I wanted to send it to our members.
Miena’s Nougat – The Glen of Imaal – Wicklow Mountains
I knew that I had to send this delicious nought to our members within this summertime MyIrelandBox after I went to a local store for a takeaway coffee and spotted the Irish berry nougat on the counter. I took it away and walked down Green Street in Dingle, sipping on my coffee and enjoying my nougat and I knew then that I had to call Miena and ask her to make them for everyone.
Tin whistle by Feadóg – The Original Tin Whistle – Dublin
The evening time in Dingle town feels so special, because when you walk down each street, all you hear is the rich and wonderful Irish music from the local pubs. We have the most talented musicians that play tunes that have been played for decades, if not centuries on this Peninsula, and throughout Ireland. Many of them play the tin whistle beautifully and are members of our local fife and drum band, who play the ancient tunes that we all learned in school and that my kids now know. The tin whistle is my representation of the music that we have here in the Irish countryside. We have such rich culture here in Dingle and it is wonderful to be a part of it.
Sophie Hunter – County Louth
Of course, nature beckons us to come outdoors for a walk when the sun shines. Here, in West Kerry, the fiery fuchsia flower is everywhere lighting up the hedgerows adding so much additional cheer to a summer walk. Sophie Hunter is a true artist, and although her art is quite expensive, she agreed to work with us to expertly pick and press each fuchsia flower and arrange and frame them for our members, in her perfectly artistic way. I’m so glad that we were able to send to everyone a true piece of Irish nature, to admire and keep in homes, representing the summer time for us so perfectly.
Lainey K – Dublin
99 ice creams are a part of Irish life in the summertime, everywhere throughout Ireland. We would often, as children, be brought by our father after dinner to our cousin Sean Moran’s shop for a 99 ice cream, and of course, we all wanted the necessary chocolate flake placed on top! So, when I saw this card by artist Elaine Kellegher, I thought that it was just so perfect for this month’s MyIrelandBox. Most people ask for a flake in their 99 and I love the way the card says ‘you are the flake to my 99’.
Recipe card
Thomas’ sister Aisling visited during the summer and made this shortcake for us! It’s absolutely divine. Nothing evokes summer as much as a strawberry dessert.
Katharine’s booklet
Within each booklet that I write (they are normally over 20 pages long!) I really bring everyone that reads it to Ireland! In this instance, we went to the Blasket Centre and learned all about island life – the stories of the islanders really tug at the heart strings! I love taking everyone on a nature walk especially learning about the Irish animals during that month and the Irish wildflowers and how they were used as remedies in times past – so interesting! Our ancient traditions are so fascinating too – I wrote about the ancient Puck Fair and all of the agricultural shows, even the traditional horse racing on the beach. Our members are becoming very knowledgeable indeed with each month that passes! Of course, we introduce the makers and have little hints as to what’s up next!
What’s up next?
It’s one of the most coveted MyIrelandBoxes of the year – The Irish Sheep MyIrelandBox! It could be our favorite sheep theme ever & the very talented makers have been handmaking & sewing for our members for months! Nobody but MyIrelandBox members will every have the surprises that we will send to our members in September and I love that we created these with the makers – they turned out absolutely amazing! Sooo excited here in Dingle for this! If you know someone whose birthday is coming, or love Irish sheep, or you want to buy in advance for Christmas – go gift it as because these are handmade, only a limited amount are being made.