Ireland and Its Aromatic Heritage

Join Us for the Premiere of “Ireland and Its Aromatic Heritage” on Earth Day, April 22, 2025

Streaming Online: at WorldSensorium.com

Live Event: Tech Amergin Arts Centre, Spunkane, Waterville, Co. Kerry, Ireland

Live Event: Irish Film Institute (IFI), 6 Eustace St, Temple Bar, Dublin 2, D02 PD85, Ireland

Step into the sensory richness of Ireland with Ireland and Its Aromatic Heritage, an evocative 35-minute documentary by Gayil Nalls, produced by the World Sensorium Conservancy. This film journeys through the cultural and environmental significance of Ireland’s peatlands and aromatic flora, uncovering stories rooted in living tradition while addressing the challenges posed by climate change.

Filmed on location with local experts, this captivating documentary is part of the World Sensorium: Ireland project, dedicated to revitalizing Ireland’s olfactory heritage. It highlights how climate change is threatening the biodiversity of native flora and emphasizes the urgent need to protect these fragrant landscapes and the traditions they sustain.

The documentary will premiere at the Tech Amergin Arts Centre in Waterville, Co. Kerry, inviting audiences to experience the film within the heart of Ireland’s peatlands and natural beauty. In celebration of Earth Day, the film will also stream globally on April 22 at worldsensorium.com.

Join us in celebrating Ireland’s aromatic landscapes and the stories they hold, captured through a lens of deep cultural appreciation and environmental awareness. Immerse yourself in the fragrant legacy of Ireland!

Join the mission towards sustaining olfactory heritage. 

For press inquiries and further information, please contact:
Gayil Nalls
Founder, World Sensorium Conservancy
Email: nalls@worldsensorium.com
Website: worldsensorium.com

Funding support: VOICE Project of European Commission’s Horizon Europe and Brandt Jackson Foundation

Screening Events

About

Ireland and Its Aromatic Heritage is a 34-minute documentary short directed by interdisciplinary artist Gayil Nalls and produced by the World Sensorium Conservancy. Filmed on location in County Kerry, Ireland, in November 2024, the film explores Ireland’s rich olfactory heritage and the cultural, ecological, and emotional significance of aromatic plants in Irish life—past and present.

With narration by acclaimed author and broadcaster Manchán Magan—best known for Listen to the Land Speak—the film weaves together a chorus of expert voices, each offering distinct insights into scent, place, and sustainability. Contributors include Dr. Breandán Ó Caoimh, human geographer and policy analyst; Professor Lizbeth Goodman, Director of SMARTlab at University College Dublin; Lucy Henehan, co-founder of Iveragh Eco Forest; Vincent Hyland, naturalist and author of Wild Derrynane; Dr. Anita McKeown, Director of SMARTlab Skelligs; Mary Nolan, engineer and lecturer at Atlantic Technological University; Mo Stafford of Skellig Coast Kitchen; and Eleanor Turner, biologist and Biodiversity Officer with Kerry County Council.

Through evocative imagery, music, and storytelling, Ireland and Its Aromatic Heritage invites viewers to reimagine the sensory landscapes of Ireland and consider the urgent need to preserve its boglands, aromatic biodiversity, and traditional ecological knowledge for future generations.

The film’s soundtrack features music by Colm Ó Snodaigh and Kíla, as well as compositions by Vincent Hyland and Wally Desmond, recorded at Kerry’s Blind Piper Inn.

The community host for World Sensorium: Ireland is Iveragh Inspires Ltd. in Kerry, led by host June O’Connell. 

As part of the World Sensorium: Ireland initiative, the documentary received support from VOICE, an EU Horizon-funded program that champions artist-led innovation. VOICE encourages citizen participation by supporting cultural spaces that foster dialogue and transformative exchange.