Beekeeper Ian Mernagh and his brother Paul grew up at Killiane Castle near Wexford Town, a wonderful property bought by their grandfather 'as a labour of love' in1920. Today, Paul and his wife Patrycja run the castle as Killiane Castle Country House & Farm (see separate entry), while Ian and his wife Marie live in the grounds of the estate, which is now home to some of their many beehives - a magical setup for the familes and their lucky visitors alike.
The beekeeping gene was already in the family through their maternal grandfather and Killiane Castle Honey began in 2015, when Ian acquired two hives and then went on to breed his own bees and build more hives. In 2020, almost exactly a century after his grandfather bought the property, he started selling Killiane Castle Honey and they now have around 60 production hives in apiaries across the farm and the surrounding countryside. Careful breeding is a big part of the operation, and the Killiane Castle colonies that Ian sells on to other beekeepers are over 98% pure Irish native honey bees.
Beginning with the beautiful raw unfiltered honey that crystallises over time, their produce was in great demand from the outset, and they soon began making creamed honey too, which has the same flavour but is a creamy white colour and has proved very popular for its spreading consistency. There are also seasonal honeys, that vary according to the wild flowers that are in bloom - a reminder that one of the loveliest things about honey is the way it reflects the landscape to create a unique sense of place.
And then there are the other components - beeswax, propolis (a resinous substance with antibacterial properties produced by bees), pollen and royal jelly - which also have extraordinary properties that are turned to good use by a separate branch of the business, Nectar (allaboutnectar.com), with its natural medicinal and skin care products available online.
The next generation is getting involved too, with son Paddy already a keen beekeper, and daughters Molly and Kate coming up with plenty of good of ideas - including beeswax food wraps! All this and educational farm tours too - what a powerhouse this place is.
