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Published in RTE.ie, 10 Nov 2024 We present an extract from The Keeper of the Bees, the new book by Eimear Chaomhánach, Illustrated by Jane Carkill. Beekeeper’s daughter and student of folklore Eimear Chaomhánach shares memories of growing up in a beekeeping household, collecting swarms with her father and learning how to harvest honey, while looking…
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Published in BeeCraft Magazine UK & An Beachaire Irish Beekeepers Magazine. Reviewer: Mary Montaut, Nov 2024 This delightful and unusual book about bees is the perfect Christmas gift for a beekeeper or a buddy interested in all things bees. The emphasis on Irish folklore is especially welcome, as many of us will have heard similar…
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Published in Good Food Ireland, April 2025 Easter signals the true arrival of Spring. Snowdrops are the first to turn on their lights, closely followed by the daffodil, crocus, bluebell and grape hyacinth. As the landscape awakens, the bees emerge from their hives, eagerly seeking that early nectar source. A time of hope, renewal and…
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Published in Ireland’s Own Magazine, Nov 2024. Bees and beekeeping are woven deep into the fabric of my life, from as early as I can remember. My father, Pat Kavanagh, has practised beekeeping for 70 of his 85 years. But it is more than a practice: it is the core of his existence, deeply anchored…
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Published in BBKA News, the British Beekeepers’ Association Magazine, Dec 2024 I first came across the British Bee Journal in 1986. I was about ten years old when I went to a local Christmas bazaar in Dublin. In a room dedicated to the sale of books, I found a stack of well-thumbed, sun bleached British…
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Published in the Irish Times, 16 April 2025. The buzzword ‘superfood’ re-entered everyday vernacular in the 1990s. At the time, I was unfamiliar with what this marketing term represented: namely, a bunch of foodstuffs that were touted as having superior health benefits by virtue of their nutrient density. Elevating foods to superfood status was not…
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Published in the Irish Times, 29 March 2025 The Keeper of the Bees by Eimear Chaomhánach (O’Brien Press, €19.99). Bees are alchemists, turning pollen and nectar into wax and “liquid gold” honey. They love the colour blue, gather closely and slow their wing beats for safety during forest fires, and like to be kept up…
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Written for Irish Country Life Magazine, November 2024. When it comes to choosing organic fruit and vegetables, it seems pretty straightforward right? Organic food that is produced from the land is largely defined as produce from a farming system that places a strong emphasis on environmental protection, with fewer chemicals employedalongside good soil management. Honey…
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Kids meet the beekeeper & hear about the secret world of bees! In her beautiful new book, folklorist and third-generation beekeeper, Eimear Chaomhánach, reveals the fascinating stories that surround beekeeping in Ireland. She talks to Stephen Meyler about these age-old mysteries. “I love the story about Aristotle and the bees. It’s a folk tale that’s…