Overview
The Burren Smokehouse is free to visit, and the reason to pull in off the N67 is the tasting: a sliver of cold-smoked organic salmon at the end of a short film on how it’s cured and smoked over oak. It’s a 20-minute stop rather than a morning out – a shop, a mosaic-lined room and the video, with the smoking itself happening behind the scenes – but it’s a genuinely good bite and an easy break on the drive between Lisdoonvarna and the coast.
Peter and Birgitta Curtin set the place up in 1989, and it’s still family-run. Staff are happy to explain the process, talk sourcing, or point you at a trail to walk afterwards. If you want more than the free version, book a paid experience in advance.
The craft and the kilns
The Curtins cure the fish and then smoke it slowly over oak in brick kilns, which is what gives the salmon its buttery, lightly smoky character. The organic salmon is farmed on exposed Atlantic sites – Clare Island off Mayo, Killary Harbour, and the peninsulas of Kerry – rather than caught wild, and that provenance is part of the pitch.
The results have won steadily: three two-star gold medals at the 2010 Great Taste Awards, the National Organic Award for Best Organic Retail Product the same year, and further Great Taste recognition in 2024. The salmon has also reached a few notable tables – it featured at Queen Elizabeth II’s 2011 State Banquet, Prince Charles was handed a side on his 2015 visit to the Burren, and Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia called in during May 2019.
Inside, the Taste the Atlantic room traces the salmon through Irish myth and modern aquaculture, with wall mosaics telling the legend of Fionn Mac Cumhaill and the Salmon of Knowledge. The seven-minute film runs in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish, and you can look into the smoke box to see the kiln at work.
Tours and tastings
If the free tasting whets the appetite, the smokehouse runs a handful of bookable experiences.
| Experience | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Masterclass in Smoking Salmon | A guided demonstration of curing, kiln management and the final smoke, with a hands-on look at the equipment and a tasting of freshly smoked fish. |
| VIP Meet-the-Maker Tour | A private walk with Peter and Birgitta Curtin, taking in the original kiln and the smoke room, finishing with a craft-beer tasting at the Roadside Tavern. |
| Taste the Atlantic – Salmon Experience | An interactive run through the exhibit, ending with a guided tasting of flavour profiles and food pairings. |
| Burren Brewery Craft-Beer Tasting | A guided sampling of three brews from next door, with a quick word on the ingredients and the process. |
The standard self-guided visit needs no booking. Reserve the paid experiences ahead, especially in July and August when the car park is busiest.
Food, beer and the shop
Next door, the Roadside Tavern houses the Burren Brewery and, to my mind, is the better place to actually try the fish – smoked salmon and trout served on a plate rather than in a vacuum pack, alongside house ales and fruit wines. The kitchen leans on the smokehouse and local cheeses.
The shop stocks travel-friendly versions of everything: vacuum-packed salmon and mackerel, nettle-garlic gouda, limited-run fruit wines, and made-up picnic packages you can collect for a lunch on the limestone. Mail order ships worldwide if you’d rather not carry it.
Practical information
Opening hours – The centre opens year-round but hours shift with the season, so check the website before travelling; broadly, it runs shorter winter hours and long summer days, seven days a week from June to August.
Admission – Free entry to the visitor centre and the Taste the Atlantic room. The Masterclass, VIP tour, brewery tasting and picnic packages are paid.
Parking and access – Free tarmac car park off the N67 with no height barrier, so coaches are fine. A 50-metre step-free path links the car park to the entrance, and there’s a wheelchair-accessible toilet.
Getting there – Bus routes 350 and 351 stop at the Lisdoonvarna crossroads, about 200m away; the free Burren Explorer shuttle runs May to August. It’s a 15-minute drive from the Cliffs of Moher and 20 from Ballyvaughan.
- Address: Kincora Road, Lisdoonvarna, Co. Clare, V95 HD70
- Phone: +353 (0)65 707 4432
Exploring the Burren
The smokehouse sits at a handy crossroads. North lie Aillwee Cave and its birds-of-prey display; south is the Cistercian ruin at Corcomroe Abbey, ringed by orchid-rich woodland in spring. The Cliffs of Moher are 15 minutes west, and Doolin not much further for trad sessions.
Buy the salmon vacuum-packed if you’re taking it home, but if you can spare an hour, eat it next door at the Roadside Tavern with a glass of the brewery’s own – it’s the better way to try it.