Emerald Awards

Aillwee Burren Experience

Aillwee Burren Experience is located in the heart of the Burren near the village of Ballyvaughan on the Wild Atlantic Way. The visitor experience has a number of distinct attractions including one of Ireland’s oldest caves, a Bird of Prey Centre, a farm shop, and a cheese making business.

The Cave includes unique rock formations, bridged chasms, waterfalls and the hibernation chamber of the long extinct brown bears. Above ground there is a Bird of Prey Centre, which includes the largest and most varied collection of Birds of Prey in Ireland – Eagles, Falcons, Hawks, Owls and Vultures, with daily flying displays.  In the farm shop at Aillwee, there is a small factory, where they produce Gouda-style cheese with milk sourced from the Holstein Friesian herd at Caherconnell Farm located 5km away.  Recently, the Burren Gold Cheese received GEOfood status, which means it is a food that is produced within a UNESCO Global Geopark using ingredients sourced within the Burren Region.

The company has been awarded an ‘Emerald’ status for their Code of Practice actions. These include energy consumption, waste management, green purchasing, and through their support and engagement with the local community, for example supporting school and sports clubs and engaging in regular clean ups.

Aillwee Burren Experience has been certified as an Outstanding Employer and Gold Recipient, 2023 as part of Fáilte Ireland’s Employer Excellence Programme.

For more information, go to https://aillweeburrenexperience.ie/environmental-objectives-and-actions/

Burren Fine Wine and Food

Burren Fine Wine & Food is situated at the bottom of the Corkscrew hill, outside the beautiful village of Ballyvaughan, on the Wild Atlantic Way. The company was founded by Cathleen Connole in 1999, and her family specialise in summer lunches, wine sales and private tasting, small parties for lunch or dinner, gourmet hampers and corporate gifts.

Cathleen also produces a range of homemade chutneys, including her famous Beetroot chutney. This has been designated a ‘GEOfood’ due to being produced within a UNESCO Global Geopark. Cathleen grows her beetroot and onions on a farm owned by her neighbour, Michael Monks. Her small business was one of the founding members of the Burren Ecotourism Network, a group of sustainable tourism enterprises, with the objective of establishing the Burren as a premier internationally recognised sustainable tourism region.

Burren Fine Wine & Food has been awarded Emerald status for their Code of Practice actions. The company is committed to improving environmental performance and minimising their impact on the landscape. They have effective systems for monitoring and managing waste, water and energy, travel impact and purchases. They also harvest rainwater for use in the garden and grow their own vegetables and fruit, which is used alongside other local food producers for their regular bespoke events. Due to their location and firm belief in the principles of ‘Leave No Trace’, they embrace its ethos in their business, and they strive for a sustainable future for their community.

For more information, go to https://burrenwine.ie/sustainable-practices/

Burren Free Range Pork

The Burren Free Range Pork is a smallholding pig farm and glamping business owned by Stephen Hegarty and his wife, Eva. They have a small herd of cattle and beef, free range, rare breed Saddleback pigs, hens, two donkeys, dogs and a cat, as well as a quirky glamping accommodation that sits right in the heart of the farm in an area surrounded by archaeological sites, green rolling hills and rich heritage. The couple are also experienced local tour guides (English, French and Swedish) and can offer tailor-made tour suggestions in the Burren and greater County Clare areas. Their pork is a GEOfood product, meaning that it is a food produced within a UNESCO Global Geopark using ingredients sourced from the Burren region. They have been awarded Emerald status for their Code of Practice actions for their sustainable practices.

In 2017, they were awarded ‘The Natural Food Award’ by Georgina Campbell and the National Winner of the Irish Breakfast Award in the category ‘Welcome Standard’ by Georgina Campbell and Failte Ireland.

For more information, go to http://burrenfreerangepork.com/environmental-policy/

Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience

The Cliffs of Moher are the iconic natural tourist attraction, towering over the rugged West Clare coast. The Cliffs are dramatic, stretching for over 5 miles and rising 7-2 feet above the Atlantic Ocean. Visitors can enjoy walking on paved pathways with three viewing platforms, to view the Aran Islands, Galway Bay and County Kerry. The area is a special protected area (SPA) for birds and wildlife since 1979 and is home to over 20 different species of birds, with 30,000 pairs on-site during the breeding season. Species include kittiwakes, guillemots, fulmars, peregrine falcons and puffins. The Cliffs of Moher have been awarded an Emerald Status for their implantation of the Code of Practice principles. Actions include employing waste management principles, ‘Leave No Trace’ endorsement, rewilding areas for conservation, community events, employing local people and taking part in regular cleans ups in the Burren.

The Cliffs of Moher Experience has been named winner of ‘Ireland’s Best Visitor Attraction’ in The Irish Independent’s annual Reader Travel Awards for 2023.

For more information, go to https://www.cliffsofmoher.ie/unesco-global-geopark/

Gregans Castle

Gregans Castle Hotel is a luxury, eco and gourmet retreat nestled in the heart of the beautiful Burren on Ireland’s west coast. The house has been welcoming guests since the 1940s, and the family has been running it since 1976. Our stunning 18th-century manor house is set in its own established and lovingly-attended gardens on the Wild Atlantic Way and has spectacular views that stretch across the Burren hills to Galway Bay. One of the founding members of the Burren Ecotourism Network, the hotel prides itself on its sustainable tourism ethos. This includes using sustainable energy sources such as solar PV panels, using local food producers, using environmentally friendly cleaning and bath products, planting trees, providing three electric car charging points, business members of leave no trace, work actively with local communities, amongst many others.

The hotel has won many awards, including:

• Best Hotel & Guesthouse Restaurant – RAI Irish Restaurant Awards 2019
• Winner, Irish Hotel of The Year – The Good Hotel Guide, Cesar Award 2019

For more information, go to https://www.gregans.ie/the-burren.html

Hazelwood Lodge

Hazelwood Lodge is a boutique B&B situated a short walk from the pretty little harbour village of Ballyvaughan in the heart of The Burren. McSweeney family have made this welcoming and elegant accommodation into a home away from home. The house has eight spacious bedrooms that can accommodate up to 20 guests, a comfortable lounge area and a dining room.

The lodge has been awarded an Emerald status for their exemplary sustainability actions, which include an environmental action plan which includes targets for improvement that are reviewed annually. They have effective systems for monitoring and adequately managing wastewater, water usage and energy. This includes harvesting rainwater for use in their gardens, 140 solar tubes to help heat our hot water and a state-of-the-art treatment plant, which all contribute to lessening our carbon footprint. The family also participate in conserving the natural and cultural heritage by being actively involved with the local Tidy Towns and the Adopt a Hedgerow project.

For more information, go to https://www.hazelwoodlodge.ie/our-green-journey

Michael Cusack Centre

The Cusack Centre, Carron, Co. Clare is an exhibition centre founded in memory of the legendary Irishman Michael Cusack, who was the founder of the GAA. His remarkable story is told through audio-visual exhibits set in the original thatched cottage where Michael was born in 1847 during the Famine years. The centre also has a gift centre, conference and meeting room facilities. The Cusack Way walking trail starts at the centre and is a 6km linear trail which leads to the Cahercommaun Cliff Fort taking the average walker about 45 minutes to reach. Upon reaching the fort, the walker is rewarded with stunning panoramic views of the impressive landscape from this elevated site.

The Emerald status was achieved for their sustainable ethos, including their community initiatives Going Well programme for local schools, employing local people, and hosting events. On a practical level, managing our water consumption, wastewater, general waste and energy consumption which results in a significant reduction of landfill waste, energy consumption and water consumption. Over the past 30 years, their tree planting has created a new habitat for birds and other wildlife. Native Irish red squirrels have moved into our garden and other wildlife. They also abide by the Leave No Trace programme.

To find out more, go to https://michaelcusack.ie/

Slieve Elva B&B

Slieve Elva is a small family-owned Bed & Breakfast located in the Burren, not far from the village of Lisdoonvarna. The family offer accommodation in three comfortable bedrooms in a quiet country location. Guests can relax in the lounge area, with access to television, books and game, and they can enjoy a fresh breakfast which includes a range of local food products. Slieve Elva has achieved an Emerald status for their impressive sustainability actions, which include generating their own electricity through solar panels, using energy-saving bulbs and LED, recycling, reducing and reusing as much as possible, using local food producers to reduce food miles, home baking and producing their own preserves, providing water bottling systems for guests, using rainwater harvesting for their garden.

To learn more, go to https://slieveelva.com/EN/environment

St Tola Irish Goat Cheese

St. Tola Irish Goat Cheese Farm is located in Inagh, just south of the Burren. They produce a range of goat milk cheese using the milk from their herd of 300 milking goats. These range from young fresh crottin and classic goat’s cheese logs to mature hard Gouda. The cheeses are handmade cheeses, to which no additives or preservatives have been added, and they mature their cheeses to suit customers’ individual requirements. Their cheese is a GEOfood product, meaning that it is a food produced within a UNESCO Global Geopark using ingredients sourced from the Burren region.

They earned an Emerald status for their range of sustainability initiatives, which include using Solar PV panels, using Bio LPG heat sources, monitoring energy usage, and using energy-efficient bulbs. In addition, 90% of their inputs are produced on-site (milk!) They use 85% of green fodder (grass, haylage) for their animals which is produced on-site. All packaging is from ESSENTRA, and CAVAN BOX packaging is produced in the most environmentally sensitive way possible. They also rainwater harvesting for farm washdown purposes has been implemented.

They have won many awards, including:

• Gold at the Great Taste Awards 2022.
• Finalist at Blas na hEireann 2022.
• Gold at the Irish Cheese Awards 2021 for Log and Divine.

For more information, go to https://www.st-tola.ie/sustainability

Wild Kitchen

Wild Kitchen is a small family-owned business located five minutes away from the Wild Atlantic Way in Lahinch. From this base, they guide wild food walks on the land seashore, locally and in the Burren and Cliffs of Moher UNESCO Global Geopark. The walks include plant identification, information on what’s in season and how to cook and use these foods in daily life. They forage everything from berries, fruits, nuts, roots, flowers, seeds and the superfood of Seaweed. Two of their products, Haw Ketchup and Elderflower Fizz, are GEOfood products, meaning that they are foods produced within a UNESCO Global Geopark using ingredients sourced from the Burren region.

Achieving an Emerald status business is attributed to a number of actions, including effective energy management of water, wastewater, energy, travel impact and purchases. Other initiatives include rewilding the garden and using horticultural knowledge on Wild Food Walks on land to educate and advise people about the bigger picture of the climate crisis.

For more information, go to http://wildkitchen.ie/environmental-policy/