Victorian Christmas fairytale brought to life in renowned West Cork chocolatiers

West Cork artist and designer Natalie Dwyer will be showcasing her magical miniature model window display, depicting a Victorian inspired Christmas fairytale, at Clonakilty’s artisan chocolatiers Hungry Crow throughout the month of December.

The award-winning chocolate shop will captivate passersby with a traditional and beautifully crafted Christmas window display in its charming Lisavaird shop, located on the N71, between Clonakilty and Rosscarbery. Offering an array of delectable take-away treats, locally produced Red Strand Coffee, hot chocolate and a huge selection of artisan chocolates, this is a Christmas visit not to be missed. The window display is free to view during the shop’s opening hours and is suitable for all ages to enjoy.

Clonakilty based artist Natalie Dwyer’s inspiration behind the model stemmed from the works of Victorian English author Mary De Morgan, a writer of fairy tales and short stories from the late 1800s who was well-known to designer William Morris and the young Rudyard Kipling. Reading the fairytale Through the Fire as a child, Natalie was inspired to craft the intricate model set to illustrate the story whilst she was studying modelmaking in Dublin, igniting her love for all things craft and design.

Launching her collaboration with Hungry Crow chocolatiers Natalie Dwyer said, “I’m dusting off my model this Christmas season and I am extremely excited to exhibit it at Hungry Crow throughout December. I will be selling accompanying Christmas cards of the model set featuring a scene from the fairytale, with a portion of the proceeds from card sales going direct to CUH Charity Cork Children’s Hospital Appeal. We will be creating an enchanting Christmas scene for all visitors to enjoy alongside Niamh’s delicious Christmas treats available to purchase in the Hungry Crow chocolate shop.”

Natalie adds, “I love the idea of people being able to pop to the chocolate shop in Lisavaird and just gaze in wonder at the window. I used to enjoy seeing the Christmas window displays in Brown Thomas, and also when we were living in Dublin I loved going to see the Moving Crib as a Christmas tradition. It‘s great to have lovely things to look at during the Christmas season with children in tow.”

Hungry Crow owners Niamh O’Reilly and Mark Stewart pride themselves on using only the best ingredients. With single origin ethically sourced chocolate, and free from dairy and refined sugar, their chocolates are a healthy and sustainable alternative. From humble beginnings in 2015, building a loyal customer base from the West Cork markets and independent food shops, they now handcraft and sell from their chocolate shop in Lisavaird since 2021.  

“Every year we have a Christmas window display and this year promises to delight everyone who comes by our chocolate shop,” explains Niamh. “We are hugely excited to be displaying this beautiful Victorian fairytale model, wonderfully crafted by talented local artist Natalie Dwyer. Natalie’s creativity and style intertwines so well with ours and we really hope that everyone who comes to visit us this Christmas season will enjoy the warm and cosy glow from our Christmas window and evoke the traditions of Christmases gone by.” Niamh adds, “Alongside our regular menu of chocolates, we will be introducing again our Christmas specials to customers, incorporating Victorian inspired flavours including marzipan, dates, truffles, and many more.”

Natalie’s model will be on display from the end of November and will be free to view at Hungry Crow in Lisavaird, West Cork throughout December where customers can enjoy a selection of delicious take-away hot drinks and artisan chocolate treats. Reusable cups can be purchased in-store or remember to bring your own. An enclosed outdoor viewing and seating area is available with additional parking adjacent to the shop.

Christmas greeting cards can be purchased at Hungry Crow and available to buy online at www.nataliedwyercreative.com

 

About Natalie Dwyer

Follow West Cork artist and designer Natalie Dwyer as she transports you to a magical mini world of wonder where you will find yourself immersed in the Victorian Christmas fairytale “Through the Fire”, by Mary de Morgan*. Learn about the history of the fairytale and its author through an enchanting model set delicately handmade by Natalie.

Natalie has enjoyed sculpting models for as long as she can remember. Inspired at age nine by a visit to the Jim Henson puppet exhibition “Muppets, Monsters and Magic”, she then became hooked on modelmaking after the 1994 opening of the world-famous West Cork Model Railway Village in Clonakilty. A graduate of design from the Dublin Institute of Technology, she furthered her study into Model Making & Design for Film & Media at IADT Dun Laoghaire.

Originally from Bandon, Natalie studied and worked in Dublin for many years as a graphic designer, before relocating back to her native West Cork where she lives near Clonakilty with her husband and four children.

As an artist, she also creates ethereal encaustic wax landscapes,taking inspiration from the beautiful scenery in West Cork. Her work has featured recently at the Clonakilty Community Arts Centre Members Summer Exhibition in Gallery Asna in July 2024.

In addition to drawing, painting and printmaking, Natalie enjoys crafting using a vast array of materials, resources, tools and techniques.

 

*“Through the Fire”, by Mary De Morgan

This charming Victorian fairytale was written by Mary De Morgan (1850-1907). The story was published in 1877 in her first anthology of fairytales titled ‘On a Pincushion, and Other Fairy Tales’. Her brother William De Morgan, the famous Arts & Crafts ceramic artist, tile designer, novelist and illustrator, provided illustrations for the story.  

A painting of the author hangs above the mantelpiece in Natalie’s Victorian set, and photographs of Mary’s brother William De Morgan and wife Evelyn, the artist, also feature. The tiles around the fireplace are based on a design by William De Morgan himself.

Mary De Morgan’s ‘Through the Fire’ is a story of love and miracles set in Victorian London, and occurs on the nights of Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve when many magical things are possible.