While on vacation in Ireland this summer, we just couldn’t miss the opportunity to visit the Burren Perfumery, Ireland’s Oldest Working Perfumery, located in County Clare, Ireland. As a lover of all things aromatic, my sister-in-law, Donna and I were delighted to add this outing into our trip. Of course, we couldn’t have gotten there without our husbands driving on the “left-hand” side of the narrow roads, looking out for renegade sheep on the roads, and the occasional GPS faux pas leading us in circles. Before reaching the Burren area in Ireland, we had already visited castles, attended a medieval banquet and were still on the look-out for fairies and leprechans!!
The Burren landscape is known for its limestone rocky pavements and cracks making it look barren and surreal. It is anything but barren and is home to many unique flowering plants, orchids, ferns, lichens and also shrubs and trees like hawthorn, blackthorn, holly, ash and yew. Knowing that some of the flowers and plants found only here are distilled and made into many of the soaps, creams, balms and other products sold at the Perfumery, made for a charming afternoon visit. We watched as they bottled product, answered questions about the flowers and plants, and visited the gardens. We came away with as many products we could pack and take home to friends and family.
The Burren is also rich with historical and archaeological sites. We visited many dolmens in the area, including the Poulnabrone dolmen. We hope you will enjoy the photos and have added a few at the end of the slideshow of a few of our favorite Ireland photos. If you ever have the opportunity to visit Ireland, you won’t be disappointed.
Aromatherapy Contessa 