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| Researching candy making in Dublin- learning more about the old Irish candy making techniques! |
Every year Denny and Joy Flaherty take a trip to Ireland to return to Denny's roots and research new flavors, get recipe ideas, and learn new candy-making techniques so they can continue to bring some of Ireland back to their customers through their delicious candies and products. They wanted to share some of the highlights from this years travels with you! We hope that you enjoy the pictures from...
- A visit to Cork's Butter Museum
- An enchanting time at Ashford Castle
- High tea time in Limerick
Speaking of candy-making techniques...one of the old candy making processes Flaherty's Irish Candy Company still utilizes from an olde Irish tradition is using copper kettles when heating their candy. Copper conducts high heats very well, and does so evenly. Candy is very sensitive to getting just the right temperature all at the same time, so round bottomed copper kettles are perfect for producing the perfect tasting candy!
Another factor that makes our toffee so unique and soft is our use of authentic Irish Butter.
In Cork, Ireland we visited the Butter Museum! (see image below) Here's a fun fact...Ireland used to be the number one producer of butter in the world! Premium butter comes from grass fed Irish cows just as US premium beef comes from grass fed cows. Ireland does not raise much beef, lamb is actually their specialty.
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| Denny and Joy exploring the butter museum in Cork, Ireland! |
There was a lot of great history at the Cork Butter Museum that confirmed why butter is such a crucial component of Ireland's history and is still very important to Ireland's current economy.
We just love Irish butter and how uniquely delicious it makes our candies!
I'm sure you agree if you've tried it.
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| This was Denny on our way in to The Blue Door Restaurant to enjoy a Guinness! |
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| The King's Head is one of the oldest restaurants in Galway Ireland. | (Great fish & Guinness stew!- Yum!) |
There
are so many fantastic restaurants in Ireland! Most establishments are
brightly colored and all have the flavors of Irish traditions and
homemade excellence.
That traditional homemade goodness is what we offer in all of our
products!
 | We were lucky enough to get to stay at the famous Ashford Castle located just north of Galway. The rich history of Ashford Castle dates all the way back to 1228! (click here if want to learn more) In 1951, the film director John Ford came to the west of Ireland to film The Quiet Man, starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara. The grounds of the castle, as well as nearby Cong, formed the backdrop for much of the action in the film. The castle was once also owned by the Guinness family and has since been renovated. The Red Carnation group owns the castle and it now is a fully operational luxury 5-star hotel that you can experience like true Irish royalty! The Ashford Castle is definitely a "must-see" if you visit Ireland! | |
| Outside the Ashford Castle with the famous Ashford dogs that now reside in the castle and visit with the hotel guests daily |
 | Ireland has breathtaking scenes everywhere that you look. This picture was taken while we were walking trails just outside of the Ashford Castle. | |||||||
| No wonder Ireland is called the Emerald Isle! There were shades of green wherever we looked!! |
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