FOUNDED IN DUBLIN IN 1488,
RATHBORNES IS THE WORLD'S OLDEST CANDLE COMPANY. ACROSS 500 YEARS RATHBORNES CANDLES HAVE ILLUMINATED THE STREETS, HOMES, LIGHTHOUSES AND CHURCHES OF IRELAND, AND THE CANDLES WHICH WE PRODUCE TODAY ARE STILL HAND-CRAFTED WITH MANY OF THE SAME SKILLED METHODS WHICH WE HAVE USED SINCE THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY.
John G Rathborne established his candle company on Wynetavern Street, Dublin in 1488 after moving over from Chester, England to seek his fortune with an innovative new business. All of life's rituals were done by the soft glow of candlelight, and Rathborne's candles quickly became woven into the social fabric of the city. From the 1630s Rathbornes supplied Dublin with candlelight for its streets and lighthouses, creating a safer city for its residents and visiting merchants. Candles provided hope and safety from the storms which threatened sailors on the Dublin coastline.
We have been refining our candles throughout our history, and taking the best from centuries of experience. This included developing new formulations of wax, moving from animal tallow to develop a special blend of beeswax and stearin during the industrial revolution. This technical innovation gave a cleaner, slower-burning candle for everyone to enjoy, and we remained loyal to our traditional methods of craftsmanship, still hand-pouring our candles today.
Today we no longer need candles to light our streets, but we choose them for our homes. The soft, wavering glow of candlelight provides the same comfort and romance as it has for centuries. Still based in Dublin, the Beyond the Pale collection celebrates our status as the world's oldest candle company and marks the culmination of centuries of innovation.
TAKE A STEP BEYOND THE PALE
'Beyond the Pale' is a beautiful Dublin saying which refers to the wild countryside beyond the safety of the city fence or “Pale”. The romance of the Irish countryside still catches our imagination today, and for the Beyond the Pale Collection we wanted to capture these fragrances. Blossoming roses, herbal mint and thyme and the bark of oak and cedar trees all mingle to create a balanced collection, to which our master blenders have given a luxuriously modern edge.
We have travelled throughout Ireland, to gather inspiration and have developed these complex fragrance blends for over eighteen months. Incorporating essential oils we have harnessed these natural elements into balanced fragrances which we have added to our signature beeswax blend to ensure a slow burn.
Our candles are still hand-poured in Dublin today, by our expert team. Hundreds of hours have been devoted to blending, pouring and testing, and for each size of candle the best balance of wax and fragrance distribution combined with the optimum thickness of different wicks have been selected to ensure a superior quality burn.
PURE LUXURY
We craft each detail of our candles to give a truly luxurious experience. We use smooth beeswax and complex, essential oil blends which release an intoxicating fragrance. Recieving a Rathbornes candle is an indulgent experience.
IRISH-MADE
Rathbornes was founded in Dublin in 1488. Five centuries later our candles are still being made there. Hand-poured by generations of Ireland's finest candlemakers: they are an example of true Irish craftsmanship.
TIME INVESTED
It has taken eighteen months for our master blenders to create and develop our fragrances drawing on six centuries of manufacturing skills to create the ultimate in luxury candles. We believe that beautiful things can't be rushed. We invest our time to make our candles the best that they can be.
