The name Lir comes from the Irish Legend of the Children of Lir. Lir was a powerful King of the magical Tuatha De Dannann, one of the earliest tribes to inhabit Ireland. On the death of his beloved Queen, Lir married her sister Aoife so his children would have a loving mother. Aoife was intensely jealous of Lir's love for his four children and by powerful sorcery, she transformed them into four white swans. The story of the children of Lir is a legend of deep mystery, magical powers, poetry, love, beauty and passion and our chocolatiers draw on many of these elements to create our chocolate collections.

Lir was created in Dublin in 1987 by Connie Doody and Mary White and began on Connie’s kitchen table with a food mixer and a bowl. Those early days instilled a spirit of creativity and attention to detail that are still integral to Lir Chocolates today.

Through the years, that spirit of adventure has made Lir Chocolates a leading provider of premium chocolates to major retailers both at home and abroad.

Since those early days, we have devoted ourselves to the magic and the craft of creating hand-finished and hand-decorated chocolates, based on both traditional recipes and gloriously unfamiliar new combinations.

The 250+ strong team are part designers, part food scientists, part alchemists, and part magicians. They are constantly exploring, constantly experimenting, and constantly pushing back the boundaries of what is possible at the hands of the modern chocolatier.

They travel the world in search of the finest ingredients such as Thai lemongrass, Persian lime oil, Spanish pistachios and, closer to home, Irish Atlantic sea salt. Testament to the skill of the team has come in the form of several Great Taste Awards in recent years.

Lir participate in cocoa sustainability activities through the Cocoa Horizons Foundation, which seeks to improve the livelihoods of cocoa farmers and their communities through the promotion of sustainable, entrepreneurial farming, improved productivity, and community development. Through their support of the Cocoa Horizons Foundation, they aim to improve farming practices and explore innovative solutions to drive positive change in cocoa-growing communities.