Rory O’Connell of Ballymaloe Cookery School told delegates at the Irish Hotels Federation Annual Conference in Killarney that Ireland’s food scene had transformed dramatically and now stood at a level where Michelin inspectors visited Dublin, a development that signalled real progress even if the results disappointed some.
He noted that the presence of Michelin in Dublin reflected how much the perception of Irish food had changed among visitors to Ballymaloe. O’Connell pointed out that exceptional food experiences existed almost everywhere, with visitors rarely more than 20 kilometres from something special, whether a food truck, a Michelin-starred restaurant, or a grand hotel.
O’Connell stressed the importance of not forgetting the past while building on current strengths. He believed the national tourism strategy rightly placed the culinary experience as a key driver of growth. When tourists returned home, they remembered the tastes they encountered more than buildings or people alone.
He urged continued support for those who produced Ireland’s renowned ingredients, including cooks, restaurant owners, farmers, and fishermen. O’Connell praised the quality of Irish beef, lamb, butter, and even cabbage, which he described as delicious, good value, and distinctly Irish in flavour. He cited scientific evidence that dishes with minimal ingredients created lasting memories.
O’Connell recalled how simple ingredients such as green gooseberries had earned Ballymaloe coverage in the New York Times and now attracted influencers withms of followers. He argued that the core of Irish hospitality rested on the welcome and the taste of food, and agencies needed to continue supporting farmers, small producers, fishermen, and butchers.
Maintaining consistent ingredient quality presented a major challenge even for a farm-to-table operation like Ballymaloe. O’Connell identified an opportunity in mid-level dining that offered quality Irish ingredients, ideally local, at accessible prices. He compared it to France 30 or 40 years ago, when good simple food based on local produce became widely available and appreciated.
He concluded that while Michelin-starred and creative high-end offerings remained essential, the next tier down held great potential for everyday memorable meals that connected visitors emotionally to Ireland.
Rory O’Connell shared “I think it’s always been central to it really apart from the great Irish welcome and all of that. But it’s noteworthy that Michelin was in Dublin recently, you know, and that says a lot about the food scene in the country. We may have been expecting a bit more from that. We may all have a good time, I would say. Okay. I but I think that that they were here was the really important thing.”
The visual offering is great, you know, and you’re hardly ever more than 20 kilometers away from something special, whether it’s a really amazing food truck or a mission star restaurant or a grand hotel of great effort. So that has all changed dramatically and for the good”
“When they come home and you think of the places you want the you went to the physical buildings you saw the people you meet of course but the taste of things and and and that cord they offer going on and really uh continuing to maintain and to help all of the people who are involved in creating the taste”
The dishes that are made with the minimal amount of ingredients are the ones that can remember in 20 years time. It’s it’s scientifically proven. So in a way dinners Nami’s dinners precisely Nami’s dinners. And our business was built on Nami’s dinners, you know, was built on the green gooseberry for example, which sounds like an eccentric ingredient to talk about. The green gooseberry which many some people may in the room may know about was the ingredient that got you half the page in the New York Times. Okay, it’s the ingredient now that will get the Instagrammers who have 10m followers talking about you”
There’s definitely an opportunity I think for somebody who doesn’t want to go to a beach restaurant every night of the week when they’re staying in Ireland and it’s like the next level down if you want to call it for a sort of prefix which is vigilantly based on quality Irish ingredients ideally as local as possible and it can be based on mommy’s cooking because that’s the food that the hitch in the gut of the solar plexus and becomes the kind of the end of the gang plank type meal”
Caroline Bocquet of Fáilte Ireland
Alice Mansergh of Tourism Ireland
Rory O’Connell of Ballymaloe Cookery School
