Ennis: Tasting History Walking Tour with Dr Jane O'Brien｜Ireland

Enjoy a feast for the senses with the Ennis Tasting History Tour! This isn’t just a history walk—it’s a unique and delicious journey through time where every stop offers a taste of the past and a story to savour. Dr Jane O’Brien will lead you on an entertaining and fascinating insight into the vibrant market town of Ennis, the history of Irish food and how food and attitudes towards it have shaped Irish society – an edible experience of the town’s past and present with samplings along the way.

Experience the ancient art of butter making; learn about the actual famine ‘lumper’ potato that caused such devastation for our ancestors; and explore the many innovative ways that local people used the wild produce of the shores and woodlands to supplement their diets. Wild pigs once caused such a nuisance in the town that it was ordered that they be shot on sight! Get a chance to taste some locally produced organic pork products as well as the once infamous illegally distilled Poitín – the ‘darling liquor’ of the townsfolk!

The tour will end with a stop at a local food supplier to taste and learn more about the wealth of fine local produce currently available including Clare Farmhouse Cheeses, Burren Smoked Salmon, Clare Jam, Chocolate and more. Food isn’t just something we eat—it’s our history, our culture, and our very identity. And what better way to experience it than by tasting the past, one bite at a time!

What you will do on this tour:

Churn your own butter! Connect directly back to the history of this market town by making butter just like our ancestors did.

Explore the importance of the lavish Gaelic feasts of Ireland's High Kings and sip their legendary honey mead.

Sample oatcakes with local honey opposite the 13th century Ennis Abbey, just as medieval monks once did, and learn about daily life for the Friars.

Explore the town's narrow laneways and learn how scarcity of food and fear of hunger shaped Ireland's food traditions.

Step into the world of Biddy Early, Clare's most infamous healer, and discover how people foraged Ireland's wild landscape for food and cures.

Admire Ireland's oldest half timber-framed house while delving into market-town life and the vital role of the pig in Irish homes.

Sample once forbidden poitín, now legally distilled with age-old techniques by a sixth-generation maker, perfectly paired with artisan chocolate.

Step into the lively world of centuries-old markets, and honor tradition with a sample of freshly baked soda bread served with your own golden homemade butter.

Your tour closes with a delicious tasting of the finest local cheeses and Burren smoked salmon - a true taste of Ireland!