Burren Berries at the Lahinch Reko Ring

Burren Berries will be trading at the Lahinch Reko Ring from next Wednesday, June 23. Reko is new idea which aims to promote sustainable, local consumption. On ordering must be done online using the Reko Rings Facebook page and people collect their orders in the top car park in Lahinch each Wednesday from 5pm to 5.30pm. I will be trading the Burren Berry Bundle at the Reko Ring. The bundle includes 10 strawberry plants, 6 currant bushes, 5 raspberry bushes, 1 grape vine and 1 gooseberry bush - all grown in West Clare. The normal price for this bundle is €80 but I will be selling them for €70 at the Lahinch Reko Ring. I will also be including a free hop plant with each Burren Berries Bundle sold.  

For more details on how the Lahinch Reko Ring works visit their facebook group HERE.   

Burren Berries at the Clare Garden Festival. Sundat, April 29, and the Ennis Showgrounds!

Next Sunday, April 29, Burren Berries will be heading to Ennis for the annual Clare Garden Festival. This year, along with a big crop of strawberry and raspberry plants, we will also have a few lupin saplings grown from seeds saved in the garden last Autumn. Also, to help reduce the amount of packaging and plastic used, I will be offering to carry orders straight to the boot of your car, instead of bagging them up.
The Clare Garden Festival is always a great day out with some brilliant local stalls and loads of gardening experts giving talks all day. The festival kicks off at 11am in the Ennis Showground. More more click CLARE GARDEN FESTIVAL  

The Willow Man at the Carrickmacross Arts Festival

Last August I was invited to undertake a special new project as part of the Carrickmacross Arts Festival in County Monaghan. To celebrate the harvest season, I undertook create a living willow sculpture of Lugh, a mythological Irish god and member of the Tuatha Dé Danann.

Lugh is synonymous with the harvest festival of Lughnasadh, which traditionally takes place in the month of August or Lúnasa. Known as ‘The Horned God’ in some Celtic countries, he is also known by the nickname Lámfada or long arm, a reference to his skill with spear and sling.

He is the father the Ulster hero Cú Chulainn and the foster-son of Tailtiu, an earth goddess, who died of exhaustion after clearing the plains of Ireland for farming. In his grief, Lugh established the first harvest festival, Áenach Tailteann, which took place in Tailtin or Teltown in Meath.

Lugh had several magical possessions including unstoppable spear known as Sleg and a sling called Táthluib.

Lugh was created from a combination woven living willow trees, dried willow, sugán and ash. His body was created using living willow branches, woven together over the six months before the festival. Parts of the body, including his joints, were made with the use recently trimmed green willow.

Lugh’s face was made from paper mache. His horned helmet was made using dried willow and súgán. Sleg, his mighty spear is made using ash, dried willow and súgán. Táthluib, his sling is made from súgán and dried willow.

Find out how The Willow Man went HERE 

Learn about the wonderful Carrickmacross Arts Festival HERE

Thanks to the Carrickmacross Arts Festival, Callans at the Bridge, Orla and Paul for giving this a go! Cheers, Andy

Burren Berries at the Clare Garden Festival in aid of Milford Care Centre and One Human Race

Spring has finally sprung and that means the always brilliant Clare Garden Festival rocks into Ennis this Sunday. Burren Berries will be doing things a little differently at this year festival - with all the proceeds from every strawberry and raspberry plant sold going to Milford Hospice in Limerick and the One Human Race charity who are working with refugees.
Burren Berries has a very limited supply of 100 per cent natural and organic garden strawberries and raspberries this year so we wont be trading on any other market. So this is you're only chance to get your hands on some Burren Berries in 2016.
The Clare Garden Festival will take place this Sunday, April 24, at the Ennis Showground from 10am. There will be more than 60 stallholders, dozen of expert talks, pop up gardens, kids entertainment and all the best of craic.
See you there...
Andy    

     

Burren Natural Raspberry Plants

So this year hasn't been the best year for growing strawberries - in Ireland at least. Between the rain, the wind and the lack of any real heat or sunshine, the poor strawberries didn't really stand a chance, at least not a chance of producing a decent crop.

The raspberries on the other hand are having a field day. Burren Berries stock a large supply of July/August cropping Irish raspberry plants. So far this year, we had a great crop from our small plantation at home, and there are more coming every day.
I've just uploaded a new blog with details about planting, growing and looking after raspberries. If you'd like to find out how to grow your own delicious raspberries, check it out HERE.
Cheers,
Andy      

Introducing the Giant Sunflowers

Sunflowers and Nasturtiums

Burren Berries will launch our brand new organic Giant Sunflower Plants tomorrow at the  Ballyvaughan Farmers Market from 10am to 2pm. Grown from hand saved seeds, the saplings will grow into large plants - between 6 and 8 feet tall - and produce one very large and a number of smaller flowers.
Believe it or not, sunflowers grow really well in our unpredictable Irish summers - even on the west coast - and will fit right in in a sunny spot in pretty much every garden. For full growing information click GIANT SUNFLOWERS or visit our SHOP to make a purchase.

Burren Barries at the Clare Garden Festival

Claudia modelling the raspberries

Burren Berries will kick off the 2015 growing season this Sunday, April 26, with our first outing of the year to the Clare Garden Festival in Ennis. To mark the occasion, we are also unveiling a brand new produce - Burren Natural Raspberry Plants.
Year old plants, they produce medium to large red fruits in July and August and will fruit this year. Just like the Burren Natural Strawberry Plants, these plants have been produced 100 per cent naturally, with no artificial fertiliser or pesticides and are born and bread in Clare - which means that they will be well able to handle whatever weather the Atlantic throws at us in the months and years ahead.
The Clare Garden Festival kicks off at 11am at the Ennis Showgrounds with heaps of garden related fun and more then 80 local exhibitors. If you can't make it to the garden festival, Burren Berries will return to the Ballyvaughan Farmer's Market on Saturday, May 4 - or just visit the online ONLINE SHOP.
Cheers
Andy

Strawberry plants - all ready for summer