Taste the Orchards
Friday and Saturday 26th and 27th September
9.30am – 12.30pm or 2pm – 5pm
Our apple tasting tours are one of the highlights of the Irish Seed Savers calendar. Our knowledgeable orchard staff will bring you on a tour of our orchards that culminates in a tasting experience, where you will get to taste many Irish heritage varieties of apples and ask any questions you may have.
Irish Seed Savers Association manage the National Irish Heritage Apple Tree collection, which is a living orchard containing over 180 apple varieties from the whole island of Ireland. The first collection was made in the 1940s by Keith Lamb, then planted on land belonging to Dublin Corporation. Tragically it was destroyed. Anita Hayes, working with the late Peadar MacNeice of the Armagh Orchard Trust and Dr. Michael Hennerty of University College Dublin, began to replicate Dr. Lamb’s collection. Now all but 18 of the original collection are found. In 1997 this collection was opened by President Mary Robinson and varieties continue to be found, conserved and made available for use up until today.
This event is part of our conservation-through-use mission, where you are able to take part in the conservation of these rare apple varieties through tasting them and potentially starting your own orchard.
***Please wear clothing appropriate for the weather conditions on the day, as well as waterproof footwear***
