Spellbound by Galway-based candlemaker Maggie Mangan

HOW does a Canadian–born film executive who has worked on some very famous films, including the Harry Potter series, end up making award-winning home fragrances and perfumes in Galway?

“My parents emigrated from Ireland to St John’s in Newfoundland in the 1950s and I was born there,” says Maggie Mangan, proprietor of Cloon Keen Atelier.

“We always kept close connections with Ireland as I spent my summers here and I went to school in England as my parents wanted me to have an education on this side of the Atlantic.”

But it was her parents’ decision to retire to Galway which was key to her starting the business that now has an international reputation.

“I was living in Windsor with my husband Jules 13 years ago,” she says.

“We were both working on one of the Harry Potter films, but I always had a fascination with perfume. I was researching how to set up an apothecary shop at the time and saw a little local market one day and persuaded Jules to help me make scented candles to sell there.”

They managed to make 100 and sold out in two days.

“We did it in our tiny kitchen using a wok but I really wanted to do it in Ireland so I asked my parents if we could use their garage in Galway.”

Without money to get the business up and running, she and Jules had to relocate and she had to teach herself every aspect of the business.

“Without the internet I couldn’t have done it. I did a distance-learning course on perfumery, and at the same time had to develop my nose and study the classics like Chanel and Guerlain.”

It took only three months of operating out of her parents’ garage before Maggie and her wok needed bigger premises.

“We set up a workshop in Spiddal with the help of Udarás na Gaeltachta, and since then we’ve been making everything by hand. I now have a team of six. Nothing is outsourced.

“We approach the making of our candles in the same way as our perfumes and we sell more of them than anything else. I think we’re all more inclined to buy a scented candle for someone than a perfume which is so personal.

“A favourite of mine is Exotic Woods which was inspired by my time in Newfoundland,” she says. “Spiced Bark is inspired by my husband’s time in India when he was 18 years old. But scent is a very personal thing. Some people gravitate to woody and warm scents and others to fresh citrus.”

Another of her scents is the intriguingly named Antique Library which Maggie says was presented to Michelle Obama by Taoiseach Enda Kenny.

“We’re selling in London, New York, Germany and Japan and taking enquiries now from the Middle East,” she says. “We wanted to be a shop and not do trade shows, but we were approached by Selfridges in England and then by some German shops, all wanting to stock the products.”

So are there certain scents that are more popular in particular places? “Fragrance tastes differ,” Maggie explains. “The English tend to opt for citrus scents and neroli, gooseberry and florals. In Ireland it’s the cosy, warm scents like Exotic Woods and Antique Library, and the same with the US. Japan also favours the delicate and soft citrus scents — maybe something to do with the politeness culture of not imposing a personal scent on another individual.”

But there’s universal appeal in the presentation of the products. Simple, uncluttered boxes and labelling encase clear glass candle holders and perfume bottles. Each one is identical except for the name printed on the label. It’s refreshingly simple, yet surprisingly tactile, reflecting the authenticity of the handmade product and an appreciation of craftsmanship.

And for those who love the traditional retail experience, Maggie is opening the shop she’s always wanted at 21a High Street, Galway this month.

“It’s small and exclusive,” she says, “but not in a snobbish way. It’s about having something small and special. Our aim is always for dramatic simplicity.”