Living in “the most Irish town in America,” we were elated to learn Hennessy News, located at 5 Brook Street in Scituate Harbor, has an entire selection of Irish candy and snacks.

Once we made this discovery, a thorough review was necessary!

Following a quick car ride from SHS, we found ourselves walking the aisles of Hennessy. Fortunately, we spotted the selection of Irish candy, which was located near the cash registers. Though most of the actual candy was unfamiliar, there were several recognizable brands, notably Cadbury.

After careful consideration, we chose Cadbury Crunchie Rocks, Dairy Milk Marvellous Creations, Dairy Milk Buttons, and a Flake bar. In addition to Cadbury, we also chose a Yorkie bar, a mint Aero bar, and toffee-flavored Poppets.

Out of all the choices, the Cadbury Crunchie Rocks were a fan favorite–gobs of chocolate surround fragments of crunchy honeycomb, creating a sensation similar to eating a rice crispy. SHS seniors Jakob Henderson and Reid Fulton enjoyed the Flake bar, which is a milk chocolate bar with paper-thin layers of milk chocolate inside that are designed to melt in your mouth.

In our opinion, the strangest selection was the Marvellous Creations bar, which consisted of milk chocolate with M&M-type candies inside and small “popping jellies.” Upon tasting it, SHS English teacher Kate Harwood, whose husband hails from the UK, declared that it was “neither popping nor jelly.” (She explained that jelly might have a slightly different meaning in Europe.) 

In addition to Cadbury, the other candies received mixed reviews. The Yorkie bar contained raisins, which garnered some suspicious looks and very few trials. The toffee Poppets were chewier than anticipated and very similar to Milk Duds. The mint Aero bar was unique with its milk chocolate coating over a bubbly mint bright green inside. These are more common in the US and our second favorite overall.

So, if you’re craving a taste of Ireland and you happen to visit Hennessey News in the days leading up to St. Patrick’s Day, consider broadening your international candy palate!