My Ireland Box delivers monthly curated gift boxes featuring unique items from Ireland’s favourite artisans. Boxes can be shipped anywhere in the world, so a subscription can be a great gift for yourself or someone special abroad.
The box is sturdy and padded out with lots of green tissue paper to keep the contents secure.
February’s MyIrelandBox is all about love (grá) .
The box includes a note to subscribers which tells about each of the products in the box, as well as a bit of history about the makers and their inspiration. The notes are always heartfelt, adding a nice personal touch to the box. I really appreciate that the My Ireland Box includes lots of information about its contents – it shows the care that goes into selecting the products and it shows respect to the artists and producers who create them.
Now, let’s check out the box…
Impack Art’s Claddagh Glitter print is a bright and modern take on the traditional Irish Claddagh symbol (a heart for love, a crown for loyalty and hands as a symbol of friendship). Impack Art was set up by graphic artist Louise McGinty in Achill Island, County Mayo. This small print reminds me of a sparkly rorschach inkblot! It’s pretty, whimsical and girly.
The Turf Peat Incense Company, run by John O’Brien and Joannes Berkery in County Tipperary, creates product to bring the earthy, cosy smell of turf/peat into your home. The Irish Pub Burner Set gift box contains a turf/peat cottage burner, a stone hearth and 12 incense sods. The note to subscribers explains how pub design fits into February’s love theme by evoking images of traditional matchmaking in a pub’s snug.
The box contains the lyrics to Donal Og and a URL to listen to Karan Casey’s rendition on YouTube. The song tells the story of a girl longing for the return of her lover Donal as he travels the world. Karan Casey’s singing is beautiful and the song is certainly appropriate for the February theme.
The Ireland Pictoral Diary 2018 by Real Ireland Picture Press, based in County Wicklow, features gorgeous images of Ireland’s diverse and dramatic landscapes and city views.
It’s a lovely, practical little diary.
‘The Happy Couple’ is a compelling image from 1930s County Leitrim printed by Kelly Cards, based in Baileborough, County Cavan. The card is part of a new range of black and white cards called ‘Lost Moments’ featuring nostalgic and humourous images from the National Archives of Ireland. What an interesting card, it’s a real slice of Irish life gone by.
The selection in February’s MyIrelandBox wasn’t my favourite compared to previous boxes. The items seem fairly inexpensive and the two largest items, the Claddagh print and the burner set, aren’t much to my personal taste. Sadly, I didn’t feel the love for this month’s box.
What do you think of this month’s My Ireland Box?
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