10-08-2025
Meet the Benedictine nuns making chocolate in Connemara
The Hills Are Alive - A Year at Kylemore Abbey is a documentary spanning three hour-long episodes, going behind the scenes of the Connemara estate to observe the life of Benedictine nuns.
The lakeside Gothic castle, known for its incredible beauty, was once the family home of a wealthy Victorian MP, but in 1920 it became home to the religious order.
In 2025, that very order remains, but life has changed dramatically.
Facing rising bills and falling vocations, the nuns must embrace tourism, commerce and ecology, alongside their religious life.
One such nun is Sister Genevieve Harrington.
Raised on a sheep farm in the Australian outback, Sister Genevieve has lived a varied life, from missionary work in the Kimberley region of Western Australia and nursing in Tangier, to studying in Carlow and chocolate-making in Connemara.
"I had quite a few interests, but God was my best friend," she tells RTÉ Lifestyle.
Although she was always drawn to religious life, it was during her time in Carlow studying liturgy that she felt especially moved. She and her fellow students saw headlines announcing the death of Pope John Paul I, followed by a memorable conclave that saw the first non-Italian pope elected in over 400 years.
"We saw the election and then the ordination of Pope John Paul II," she says. "It was quite moving, actually."
The following January, she entered religious life: "It has been dawning slowly, but then there had been various significant religious experiences. I knew what I had to do."
In 2002, following the closure of her order in Australia, she says she felt a "very strong call to Ireland". Before long, she found herself in Kylemore Abbey.
Reflecting on the history of the Abbey, Sister Genevieve explained that it was founded by the hard-working Benedictine nuns of Ypres, who were forced to flee their abbey in Belgium during World War I.
In 1920, they set up a new life in Connemara and supported themselves through the Benedictine values of Ora et Labora (prayer and work).
"They started it by doing crafts and growing plants and berries and making jam," Sister Genevieve explains. "And then they did cooking and sewing and lacemaking - all sorts of things to keep the place going and bring in some money."
"It was always a hand-to-mouth existence," she adds, explaining that the nuns are stewards of the Abbey, charged with preserving and enhancing the "outstanding natural beauty of the place".
In 2010, Sister Genevieve continued this tradition of crafting by transforming the Abbey's Home Economics kitchen into the acclaimed Chocolate Kitchen following the closure of the girls' school.
She trained in artisanal chocolate-making and began producing handmade bars, honeycomb, and seasonal confections—each meticulously tempered by her own hands while also studying the craft of and developing a soap range.
"Soap is not hard to make, it's a very old craft - all our grandmothers made soap - so that was a possibility," she says.
Chocolate, on the other hand, is far trickier.
"Crafts aren't profitable, to put it mildly," she explains, "so you don't pay yourself a wage, and you certainly can't afford to build a factory - that's out of the question - but if you have your space and your materials, you can make a go of it."
"Once the school closed, we had space. We had these marvellous empty buildings, the girls' lunch room and the Home Ec room, and that's where we made our chocolate."
Under Sister Genevieve's leadership, both the Chocolate Kitchen and soapery have grown from a solo venture into a bustling studio employing volunteers and lay staff.
It now forms a pivotal part of Kylemore Abbey's Craft & Design offerings, drawing visitors into the monastic tradition of hospitality and craftsmanship.
Today, her artisanal chocolates and handmade soaps remain the Abbey's most popular retail offering, embodying quality, tradition, and contemplative culture.
