At Hawthorn our roots are in the townland of Baile Iristín, or Ballyeriston in English. A quiet corner of South Donegal, Ireland, it is a place of unique history and natural space.
 
OUR HOME IS WHERE WE COME WHEN WE KNOW OURSELVES.
 
Here the tide reaches into the Gweebarra Bay, pulling from the river and restoring from the rich North Atlantic. This constant renewal and replenishment, nourishes the estuary, enhancing the land with the diversity of nature. Pathways lined in Mother of Pearl flow across the beaches, the jewellery of the sea scattered in shallow pools, shimmering as the sun and clouds press forth their cycles of heat and shade. Colonies of seal make their home here throughout the year, resisting the worst of the winter storms on the river’s shaded islands, and basking in the sun when it shines. This bay is where the Hooper Swans take rest after their long winter travels.
 
Those who make their home in this part of Ireland know it, not as a place of escape or seclusion, but as place of immersive thought. Its people are connected to the rest of the world and engaged by it, but not lost in it. A society of global natives, artists, poets, and explorers; each a character, each their own unique self.