This week on Dyed Green, we speak to Shane Neary, the co-owner of NearyNógs Stoneground Chocolate in the Mourne Mountains outside Newry, County Down. NearyNógs was the first bean-to-bar chocolate factory in the north of Ireland when the Neary family opened in 2011. Originally a passion project created to help pay the medical bills of Shane and Dorothy’s daughter, the high demand for the Nearys’ incredible chocolate caused a career pivot and changed their lives forever.Today, the Nearys run their solar-powered chocolate factory with about ten employees, and ship around the world. On this episode, we talk to Shane about his commitment to sourcing ethically and paying farmers a living wage; tasting notes & terroir in chocolate; and the difference between craft chocolate makers & “melters.”Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katemccabe.substack.com

After a bit of a break, Dyed Green is back with a conversation with Paula McIntyre, a chef, writer, and broadcaster and the director of Slow Food Northern Ireland, based in Portstewart in County Derry. Paula’s passion for cooking began at the age of 8, when she visited an Italian deli in Edinburgh, where she had a formative experience with parmesan cheese and Parma ham. As luck would have it, Kate met Paula at a market in Rome while crying and eating pizza. Chef Paula McIntyre thinks chefs waste too much time trying to make something fancy that would taste better if it were more simply prepared: “You're not going to end up with anything in three hours that you wouldn't have ended up with in two minutes.” On today’s episode, we discuss Paula’s enduring love affair with turnip tops and Red Cow parmesan, attending culinary school in the United States, and following the food journey of Ulster Scots immigrants along the Appalachian trail. Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katemccabe.substack.com

Rose Greene began her culinary career on a rapidly ascending yet predictable trajectory—a four year culinary arts course followed by many years working in Michelin starred kitchens around the world—before realizing that the nightly slog just wasn’t for her. The never-ending long hours, shady sourcing of produce, and restaurants whose models rely on unpaid labor made her rethink her approach to food and a life in the industry. Then she met her partner Margaux, discovered the wonders of fermentation, and decided to slow down and move forward on her own terms. Together they started 4 Hands Food Studio and haven't looked back.We spoke with Rose about the importance of a work/life balance; food as nourishment; building her own home; and growing a business that fits your life instead of the other way around.Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com.Dyed Green is Powered by Simplecast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katemccabe.substack.com

Ireland, like many places around the world, is in the grips of a housing crisis. Many young people are living with their parents far into adulthood and being told that home ownership may not be within their financial reach. What if there was an alternative to meeting the salary requirements for a bank loan and incurring a huge debt to pay for a mortgage? Our guest on this week’s show, Harrison Gardner, may just have some ideas for you. Harrison is the author of Build Your Own: Use what you have to create what you need, and a co-founder of the Clare-based Common Knowledge, a social enterprise focused on teaching people the skills they need to build sustainable housing from the ground up.On this episode, we speak with Harrison about empowering people to use tools for the first time; the importance of making mistakes; the integral role of food in community projects; and how joy, hope, & possibility are key ingredients in any and all efforts to build toward our common future. Tune in for this truly inspiring and motivational conversation and be prepared to want to put on a hard hat when it’s done!Photo courtesy of Erin McClure.Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com.Dyed Green is Powered by Simplecast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katemccabe.substack.com

While Ireland’s rolling green hills are lovely to look at, they reflect a country whose landscape has been dramatically changed over many years. You may not even know that Ireland is the most deforested country in Europe. But what is Ireland’s “natural” landscape, and what does that even mean? For this week’s show, we spoke with Matt Smith, the manager of Hometree, a dynamic organization based in Ennistymon, County Clare, dedicated to planting more native trees into the Irish landscape. Hometree is not your average reforestation program, however! Built on a solid foundation of environmental science, they eschew carbon credit schemes, and their work incorporates community involvement, education & outreach—and even a healthy dose of Irish culture.In this conversation with Matt, we discuss the need for speed in our cultural shift towards thoughtful tree-planting schemes; the concept of rewilding as applied to the landscape; how Hometree has grown from a community garden project to the force of nature it is today; and the role that hope can play in the face of the unfolding climate crisis.Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com.Dyed Green is Powered by Simplecast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katemccabe.substack.com

Having too much or too little salt can make or break a dish, and as chefs know all too well, even the variety of salt used can dramatically impact flavors. Salt is a seasoning that we consume every day and is necessary for life, but how much do we know about its contemporary production? Although typically associated with warmer climates, Dingle Sea Salt co-founders Tom Leach & Moe McKeown have created a small batch Irish sea salt that not only rivals their Mediterranean competition, but is made in the most environmentally sound way possible.For our first episode of 2024, we speak with Tom & Moe about their love of surfing and its relationship to salt production; how it’s possible to use solar evaporation to make salt in an Irish climate; and why it’s important to grow their business thoughtfully, with intention and care for the natural world.Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com.Dyed Green is Powered by Simplecast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katemccabe.substack.com

As the impact of the climate crisis unfolds all around us, the reality of what’s at stake changes our relationships with each other and the natural world. More and more of us are finding ourselves drawn to reconnect with the land and to build community—to “rewild,” in a sense. But what does it mean to live a wilder life? Is it even attainable or realistic for most of the globe, especially if you live in a densely populated urban area?Our guest on today’s show is Lucy O’Hagan, a teacher, forest school leader, wildlife tracker, bushcraft instructor, and the founder of Wild Awake Ireland. Through Wild Awake, Lucy guides people through rites of passage, teaches ancestral skills, and helps people to distill what it means to rewild on a personal and practical level, regardless of where you live.On this episode, we speak with Lucy about the Wild Biome project and what it’s like to eat exclusively wild, foraged food for three months; honoring age transitions through nature-based, participatory rituals outside of traditional religious practice; using ancestral skills to understand the role of power and privilege in our modern day lives; and the importance of collaboration and building community in our efforts to reconnect and reengage.Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com.Dyed Green is Powered by Simplecast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katemccabe.substack.com

Social media has been abuzz these past few weeks as the world tries to come to terms with the abundance of creative talent bursting forth from Ireland, from literary greats like Paul Lynch, whose Prophet Song just won the Booker, to actors like Cillian Murphy, Paul Mescal, and Barry Keoghan, who continue to dominate the silver screen. As the pundits continue to pontificate, we’re here to tell you that Ireland’s verdant climate, political history, and nourishment of the arts creates the conditions where bards can grow in every corner of society.Case in point: Our guest this week is a poet who might not even know it: Pat Whelan, of James Whelan Butchers, is a man whose passion for farming, the craft of butchery, and using the whole animal has led him to become Ireland’s foremost butcher, and the co-author of the best-selling Irish Beef Book, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.On this week’s episode, we speak with Pat about growing up on a family farm and being inspired by his hard-working parents; how important the role of a local butcher is to connecting stewardship for the land to our tables; how the food industry should take lessons from the wine world with regard to cherishing and promoting meat; and much, much more.Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com.Dyed Green is Powered by Simplecast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katemccabe.substack.com

Katie Holten is an Irish artist and activist based in New York City whose work is inspired by the relationship between humans and the natural world. She’s spent the last several years working on a tree alphabet to translate the world in a way that might connect us more intimately with nature, where each letter corresponds with an indigenous tree species (there’s even a downloadable font). Earlier this year, Holten published a gorgeous book called "The Language of Trees: A Rewilding of Literature and Landscape." The book, which includes contributions from people like Winona LaDuke, Camille Dungy, and Ross Gay, is both an offering, a conversation, and a call to action. On this week’s episode, we speak with Katie about the ways in which people can rebuild their connection with the land, repairing our broken language through nature and story, the Rights of Nature, the process of creating the language of trees, and the importance of art as a tool for social and political action.Photo courtesy of Katie Holten.Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com.Dyed Green is Powered by Simplecast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katemccabe.substack.com

Chef Paul Cunningham, based in Dundrum, County Down, walks the walk like no chef we’ve ever met before. The owner of “slow food fast food” Scopers in Dundrum Village and the upscale pop-up Mourne Larder, Cunningham sources all of his food from within a 15 mile radius and never sets foot in a grocery store. His business model puts his ethos into practice in a way we’ve never seen, and he’s successfully bridging the gap between consumers and thoughtfully grown, regenerative food at affordable price points—all while shining a spotlight on the Mournes where he was raised and creating insanely delicious, Michelin quality cuisine.We spoke to Paul about what ethical sourcing looks like in practice; making local, sustainable food approachable & affordable food for the average diner; how chefs have a responsibility to be stewards of the land; secret dining; and the limits of growth for a successful business.Photo courtesy of Paul Cunningham.Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com.Dyed Green is Powered by Simplecast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katemccabe.substack.com

A special broadcast of Autumn and Adrienne Maree Brown's interview with Claire Davey, an apothecarist, distiller, and spiritual leader from County Galway: We found Claire Davey on the summer solstice and bring her to you this Samhain week. Claire shares sacred Celtic Cosmology teachings about moving into the sacred delicious darkness of this phase of our (northern hemisphere) year.Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com.Dyed Green is Powered by Simplecast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katemccabe.substack.com

Victory Nwabu-Ekeoma is the founding editor of Bia! Zine, a magazine that celebrates the voices, food, and stories of immigrant communities in Ireland. Unlike most other food-related publications, Bia! doesn’t concern itself with the hottest new chefs or trends in food and restaurants. Rather, the zine is a place to highlight and share the stories behind food—ones which emphasize how immigrants live their identity, cultural heritage, and celebrate in their new homes through the medium of food. Even the title is multicultural, reflecting the zine’s community-oriented focus: the word bia in Irish means “food”; in Igbo, bia means “come”.On this week’s episode, we talk to Victory about how food stories can highlight the immigrant experience beyond the “lunchbox” cliché; the limitations of using food as a way to bring people together; whether defining “Irish food” is a useful practice; and how young people are using food as a way to express pride in themselves and where they come from.Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com.Dyed Green is Powered by Simplecast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katemccabe.substack.com

Garry Hughes is the chef at The Shelbourne, one of Dublins’ finest and also oldest hotels, celebrating their 200th year in 2024. While the phrase hotel restaurant doesn’t always conjure excitement, the Shelbourne under Gary’s leadership has developed a culinary program that is exciting, creative, locally sourced, and most important—delicious.On this week’s episode, we speak with Garry about the importance of work/life balance and the power of an eclair to change someone’s life. We also talk to Gary about his own personal and professional journey and what it takes to run an operation as sprawling as The Shelbourne. The number of scones they bake every day will shock you!Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com.Dyed Green is Powered by Simplecast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katemccabe.substack.com

Passing through Ballycastle, a charming seaside town on the Causeway Coast in Ireland’s northeast corner, one wouldn’t necessarily expect to find a world-class bakery serving sourdough breads and creative, beautiful pastries. But after spending time learning and traveling abroad, this is exactly what Ciara O’hArtlaighle and her husband, Dara, created when they opened Ursa Minor. Not only does Ursa Minor have fantastic breads and pastries, but it’s also a cafe, serving a really important role as a gathering space around food in a small town without many options. Inspired by sourdough and their travels around the world—New Zealand in particular—they returned home, started baking, and haven’t stopped since. We spoke to Ciara about bringing sourdough to Ballycastle; the importance of community cafés; the difference between the food culture in the north versus the south; sourcing Irish flour and grains; and what it’s like to be a mother and small business owner.Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com.Dyed Green is Powered by Simplecast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katemccabe.substack.com

Niall Sabongi fell in love with seafood as a child living on the east coast of Ireland, where his father would bring him to the beach to find cockles and mussels to eat for dinner. Today, Niall is at the forefront of the conversation around Irish seafood. As a chef, he founded fish-centric favorite spots like Klaw, Saltwater Grocery, and most recently, The Seafood Cafe. While the stereotypical Irish ocean-based meal might be fish and chips or chowder, at Niall's restaurants, the incredibly wide range of Irish seafood is on display. Everything from oysters to crab to day boat scallops, as well as less common preparations like ceviche and cod collar, is prepared with expert attention and respect for the product.Niall also founded Sustainable Seafood Ireland, a wholesaler focusing on wild-caught Irish seafood. SSI supplies his restaurants and others, making sure that the freshest fish from Ireland’s coasts gets on the plate at some of Ireland's best restaurants. During the pandemic, SSI pivoted and made their products available to individuals rather than restaurants, which helped increase general awareness of the truly incredible bounty of Irish wild seafood (something that historically has not been so widespread as it is today).We spoke to Niall about what drove him to focus on seafood, his evolution from chef to entrepreneur, why it’s important to directly support independent, small boat fishermen, the seasonality of fish, and using oysters for water reclamation projects.Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com.Dyed Green is Powered by Simplecast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katemccabe.substack.com

We often talk about how Irish food is not just Guinness and potatoes…and yet! A real Irish culinary experience would not be complete without a pint of the good stuff and some delicious spuds! Eunice Power is exactly what her name implies—a powerhouse as a chef and small business owner. In addition to being the director of the West Waterford Festival of Food, Eunice is a caterer and the owner of And Chips, a gourmet takeaway featuring fresh, sustainable food and—you guessed it—chips!On today’s episode, we talk to Eunice about the quest to find the perfect potato for the best chip and the many varietals available in Ireland, responsible sourcing at reasonable prices, what it’s like to be a female entrepreneur with a family, and how life only gets better after the age of 50.Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com.Dyed Green is Powered by Simplecast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katemccabe.substack.com

Our guest this week is Kevin Burke of Library Street, a newcomer on the Dublin restaurant scene that was recently named Best Newcomer at the Irish Restaurant Awards. Kevin spent some time working at the two Michelin-star Patrick Guillbaud early in his career before heading to London where he lived and worked for 8 years before returning home to Ireland.We talk to Kevin about the inspiration behind Library Street, his time in London, and when he knew it was time to come home. We also chat about what goes into making a restaurant that will last, and relatedly, how important (and difficult) it is to keep staff happy. And, Max introduces the concept of the Bog & Thunder EGOT. Tune in to find out more!Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com.Dyed Green is Powered by Simplecast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katemccabe.substack.com

When you walk in the doors of Pota Café in the Connemara Gaeltacht there’s a buzz in the air. Pota’s atmosphere is filled with community spirit and the sweet scent of freshly baked bread, while the melody of people conversing in Irish fills the air. It’s this community spirit, as well as their prolific use of local produce and seafood, that led the cafe to win the award for best café in the country from Food & Wine Ireland this year. Opened by chef Diarmuid Ó Mathúna in 2021, Pota is a bilingual daytime café and community hub located just over half an hour outside of Galway city on Ireland’s west coast. Irish is the primary language spoken at Pota, so it plays an important role as a cultural and educational resource for the local community. Diarmuid, who trained as a chef at Ballymaloe Cookery School, has a plethora of producers to choose from in Connemara’s burgeoning artisanal scene. From crab that’s fresh off the day boat to greens picked just across the street, it’s a locavore’s dream. On this week’s episode, we speak with Diarmuid about the secrets of the Connemara soil, how restaurants can give back to local producers, and the importance of Irish language spaces for building community.Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com.Dyed Green is Powered by Simplecast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katemccabe.substack.com

Have you ever wondered how much blood sausage a person can eat in one sitting? If so, you’ve come to the right place. Artie Clifford and Fallon Moore are the founders of Blas na hÉireann, the Irish Food Awards. Blas, which means ‘taste’ in Irish, was born in Dingle in 2007, and has organized an annual celebration of the best in Irish food and drink every year since. With some help from University College Cork, they’ve developed a blind tasting process that’s become the international standard in food competitions. The work of Blas na hÉireann goes well beyond an annual judging competition. They’re champions of local food networks; a networking organization for producers, and a source of invaluable feedback for food startups. They also run a mentorship and educational training program for small businesses.On this week’s episode, we speak with Artie and Fallon about how the food landscape is changing in Ireland; new trends in Irish food & drink; the rebirth of boxty and the renewed interest in traditional foods; and find out whether their judges ever get sick of eating blood sausage.Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com.Dyed Green is Powered by Simplecast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katemccabe.substack.com

Is there anything Kwanghi Chan can’t do?! The Dublin-based chef and cookbook author owns two restaurants, a food truck, a retail sauce company, and regularly appears on TV. Born in Hong Kong, Kwanghi moved to Donegal when he was eight and grew up cooking in his uncle’s Chinese takeaway. As an adult, he chose a culinary education over art school and went on to work in a number of Michelin-starred restaurants before going out on his own. Kwanghi’s first book, Wok, came out last year and is the first Irish-Chinese cookbook to be published in Ireland.We’re so excited to have Kwanghi Chan help us to kick off the second season of Dyed Green. On this episode, we speak with Kwanghi about his career trajectory, what Chinese food in Ireland is like, white people cooking Asian food, and the future of the food industry in the face of all of today’s challenges.Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com.Dyed Green is Powered by Simplecast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katemccabe.substack.com

The diversity of Irish whiskey today is in a new league compared to just 20 years ago when a few big brands dominated the market. One of the things that defines a modern Irish whiskey is the story behind it, and few have as compelling a story as Slane Irish Whiskey. Distilled on the grounds of Slane Castle—a site famous in part for hosting huge outdoor rock concerts since the 1980s—the brand uses water from the mythologically important River Boyne and homegrown grain, prioritizes measurable sustainability practices, and weaves the legacy of its rock-n-roll history into their finished products.We are thrilled to be joined this week by Slane Irish Whiskey co-founder and global brand ambassador Alex Conyngham. We speak with Alex about growing up at Slane Castle, his family’s environmental legacy, and what it was like to build a competitive global brand in a competitive spirits marketplace. We also discuss what it means to be truly sustainable in the distilling world, as well as how artisan food and drink producers collaborate to support one another in the Boyne Valley.Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com.Dyed Green is Powered by Simplecast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katemccabe.substack.com

Nestled in the Mourne Mountains, along an old country road that was once a brandy smuggling route, you’ll find Ireland’s smallest distillery. Built in a renovated old cowshed, the Killowen Distillery in County Down was started by architect-turned-distiller Brendan Carty in 2017. Today, he runs the business with just four employees, himself included.This is our first episode profiling an Irish distiller, and we couldn’t be happier to be speaking with Brendan Carty about the magic of Killowen Distillery and his unique vision for the future of craft spirits. Join us as we discuss the history of Irish whiskey, the reinvention of poitín, and how one small but mighty distillery is making its mark in the crowded world of corporate-owned spirits.Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com.Dyed Green is Powered by Simplecast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katemccabe.substack.com

It’s an exciting time in the food world in Ireland, so it should come as no surprise that, like restaurant pop-ups and artisanal producers, the landscape is ripe for new approaches to food writing too. Enter Jane Gleeson and Guzzle magazine, a new publication focused on the intersection of art and food, poised to make a splash with its unique perspectives. On this episode of Dyed Green, we speak to Guzzle editor Jane Gleeson about her inspiration for starting the magazine, and how using food and art as a lens to discuss political and cultural issues in Ireland allows for more open, inclusive, and creative conversations. We also talk about childhood food nostalgia; how fruitcake is generally pretty terrible; and how, stereotypes aside, Guinness and potatoes are never not ridiculously delicious.Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com.Dyed Green is Powered by Simplecast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katemccabe.substack.com

John and Sally McKenna have been have been documenting the Irish food scene since before it even existed. Setting out in the 90s to explore the world of Irish artisan producers, they began publishing their perennially popular and highly respected McKenna’s Guides back when the Irish food scene consisted of a few cheesemakers spread out in the country, and no notable restaurants to speak of all. The McKennas have stayed on the case as Ireland’s chefs and artisans have gained confidence and become more highly regarded internationally. Throughout a changing culinary landscape, they’ve stayed true to their own values and love of food as something that should bring people together as opposed to a status symbol. We sat down with John and Sally recently to discuss how much Ireland has changed from when they first began documenting Irish food. We discuss Ireland’s producer-led food culture, how delightful creative people who work in food are, the beauty of world-class chefs opening restaurants in their rural hometowns, as well as how operators and artisans can stay positive and adapt amid today’s challenging environment of “staff shortages,” inflation, and more. Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com.Dyed Green is Powered by Simplecast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katemccabe.substack.com

Picture this: an organic farm on 250 acres of soft, green, rolling hills on a remote peninsula bordering the Atlantic Ocean—an idyllic location to grow vegetables and raise cows and pigs. At first glance, it seems like the Ferguson family—the multi-generational crew behind Gubbeen Farm outside Schull, West Cork—is living the dream: father Tom is the herdsman; mother Giana, the pioneering cheesemaker; son Fingal the smoked meat producer; and daughter Clovisse the bio-dynamic gardener. After taking a closer look, we can confirm that in this case the dream is in fact, reality. With the start of their award-winning cheesemaking in the 1970s, the Fergusons have worked diligently to make Gubbeen cheese and meat products a household name synonymous with quality, care, and respect for the land in restaurants and homes around Ireland and throughout the world. In this week’s episode, we sit down with Fingal Ferguson, the fifth generation of Gubbeen farmers, to talk about life on the farm, the West Cork artisan community, and the beauty of staying small. We also discuss Fingal’s passion for knives and knife making, as well as how to not rest on a legacy, but continue to stay creative and challenge yourself.Photo courtesy of Fingal Ferguson.Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com.Dyed Green is Powered by Simplecast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katemccabe.substack.com

Our guests this week are Tommy McLarnon and Shannon Smith of the Save the Boyne campaign, which has been organizing local residents and concerned citizens to stop meat processing factory Dawn Meats from dumping wastewater into the Boyne River. The Boyne River is an important historical site and part of Celtic mythology, playing a key role in events like the Battle of the Boyne and stories like the Salmon of Knowledge. The river flows through a fertile valley, past ancient historical sites like the Hill of Tara and Newgrange, and through biodynamic farms where some of the country’s best artisans make cider, whiskey, cheese, and grow vegetables. Despite being an integral part of “Ireland’s Ancient East”, the River Boyne's health is under threat from Dawn Meat's proposed plan to build a pipeline that would discharge 400,000 liters per day of wastewater into the river.We spoke about the importance of protecting rivers as part of the broader struggle for climate justice, and the importance of grassroots organizing for social and environmental change. Learn more about the Save the Boyne campaign and find out how you can get involved at www.savetheboyne.org.Photo courtesy of Jim Fitzpatrick.HRN is home to transformative exchanges about food. Our 35+ member-supported food podcasts empower eaters to cultivate a radically better world. This month, we’re asking you to join us. Become a monthly sustaining member at heritageradionetwork.org/donate.Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com.Dyed Green is Powered by Simplecast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katemccabe.substack.com

As the Great Resignation and the repercussions from the pandemic continue to accelerate changes already underway in the hospitality industry, more and more chefs are looking for ways to stay creatively involved in food outside of traditional restaurant kitchens. Keith Coleman is one such chef whose career has taken some unexpected turns. After working at Fumbally Cafe, he was the head chef at the beloved and short-lived Fia in Rathgar. More recently he started a pop-up, Roots, with his partner Aisling McHugh, and oversaw the food and beverage program at Slane Castle, both experiences which led him to reflect on what he truly values about cooking and his own place within hospitality. Today, Keith is a private chef at Bellamont House in County Cavan, where he’s working with the owners to create a sustainable food program on the estate.Keith's story touches on some of the most important topics in hospitality today. We spoke about the pressures of being a chef and the challenges of creating healthy, non-toxic workplaces, the value of close relationships with organic farmers, and the growing #BeigeFood Movement (simple, honest, delicious food that Keith posts about on his IG (@keithjamescoleman). Join us on a journey into the ever-evolving landscape of Ireland's food scene through the eyes of Keith Coleman. HRN is home to transformative exchanges about food. Our 35+ member-supported food podcasts empower eaters to cultivate a radically better world. This month, we’re asking you to join us. Become a monthly sustaining member at heritageradionetwork.org/donate.Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com.Dyed Green is Powered by Simplecast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katemccabe.substack.com

The Irish poet and philosopher John O’Donohue described being born in the Burren, with its surreal, limestone landscape as a “huge, wild invitation to extend your imagination.” Located in County Clare, on Ireland’s west coast, not only is the Burren is one of the country’s most biodiverse regions—seventy percent of Irish native flora can be found there—it has been grazed for 6,000 years. Today, the Burren is celebrated for its High Nature Value farming, a forward-thinking sustainable management practice which allow farmers to make a living while fostering the delicate ecological balance the area requires.On this episode, we speak with Brendan Dunford of the Burrenbeo Trust about the role of farmers in protecting landscapes and improving environmental health, the benefits of results-based payment systems, and how appealing to a farmer’s pocket, head, and heart is the best way to encourage them to farm for nature and the climate. Tune in for an upbeat, inspirational conversation featuring a true climate visionary.HRN is home to transformative exchanges about food. Our 35+ member-supported food podcasts empower eaters to cultivate a radically better world. This month, we’re asking you to join us. Become a monthly sustaining member at heritageradionetwork.org/donate.Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com.Dyed Green is Powered by Simplecast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katemccabe.substack.com

Chef Danni Barry became the second woman in Ireland ever to earn a Michelin star while working at Eipic in Belfast in 2016—the first being none other than the legend Myrtle Allen, at Ballymaloe House in 1975. Barry is a powerhouse in the kitchen with a resumé that any young chef would aspire to. After coming up under the tutelage of Michael Deane, Barry worked at L’Enclume, Restaurant 23, and Cartmel in the UK and traveled around the world to places like Spain, Australia, and South Korea before returning to Ireland.Now back at home in the North, Barry is also a chef at a crossroads, in many ways mirroring the changes happening on a broader scale in the hospitality industry. After achieving Michelin recognition and consulting on the celebrated Wicklow Escape, we talk to Barry about what’s next for her and for restaurants in general. We chat about the climate for female chefs in Ireland, the impact of losing her husband in 2019, and what it’s like to open and operate a restaurant in post-Brexit Northern Ireland today.HRN is home to transformative exchanges about food. Our 35+ member-supported food podcasts empower eaters to cultivate a radically better world. This month, we’re asking you to join us. Become a monthly sustaining member at heritageradionetwork.org/donate.Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com.Dyed Green is Powered by Simplecast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katemccabe.substack.com

Eoin Ó Broin is truly a man of many talents: not only is he Sinn Féin’s spokesperson on Housing, Local Government & Heritage and a TD for Dublin Mid-West, he’s also a prolific author, an avid home chef, and a former musician—there’s even a Spotify playlist dedicated to him. Eoin is an outspoken proponent of the need for government to invest in public and affordable housing and on this issue, he’s no stranger to speaking truth to power. We spoke to Eoin about the current housing crisis in Ireland, AirBnB and the impact of tourism on the local housing market, restaurant culture & pivoting during covid, and how we can reimagine public space for a sustainable future for all.Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com.Dyed Green is Powered by Simplecast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katemccabe.substack.com

If artisanal wheat varieties, milling your own grain, and regenerative agriculture make you hot around the collar, then this is the show for you!Our guest is Fintan Keenan, a regenerative grain farmer and flour miller who runs a 60 hectare organic farm on Bakkegården near Gyrstinge, in Denmark. Born and raised on a beef and dairy farm in County Monaghan, Keenan grows and mills heirloom wheat in Denmark and, with his brother Turlough, is growing over 60 varieties in Ireland - plus the 17 wheat varieties that were historically grown there. Keenan also designs and builds mills around the world.We spoke with Keenan about how he came to be in Denmark, food tourism in Denmark and Ireland, the importance of community-led local food economies, steel mills versus stone mills (that’s right!), and just how food secure Ireland really is.Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com.Dyed Green is Powered by Simplecast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katemccabe.substack.com

What’s the difference between feeding people and actually nourishing them? Our guest this week has garnered international acclaim for her “Magic Poo Bread,” a 17-ingredient loaf designed with care to provide ultimate gut health. Karen O’Donoghue is the owner of the Happy Tummy Co. a bakery and cooking school in Westport, County Mayo. Driven by her mother’s cancer diagnosis and her own issues with IBS, Karen spent years developing a recipe for a tasty, nourishing loaf that—you guessed it—will help make you poo! But the Happy Tummy story is also about using food to build healthy communities. We speak with Karen about how she built business that allows her to pay staff well and source her ingredients responsibly. We talk about the connections between commercial wheat and digestive health problems, and the pitfalls of following trendy sourdough bakers on Instagram. How can we use food to make positive change in the world? What’s it like to run a successful food business with loyal customers who are happy to pay a premium for quality? Tune in to find out!Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com.Dyed Green is Powered by Simplecast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katemccabe.substack.com

What makes Irish food special? It’s not fancy techniques or luxury preparations, but the high quality of simple ingredients—hiding in plain sight all along. In an age where we can import nearly anything from anywhere, it’s a powerful statement to recognize that what makes Irish food unique is its ingredients, from produce, to foraged greens and berries, to seafood, and of course dairy (especially butter). This week’s guest is chef and food historian, Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire, who explains that using what’s on your doorstep is the real zeitgeist when it comes to Irish food today. Can you imagine being able to tell which farm your butter is from just by tasting it? On today’s episode, Max speaks with Máirtín about working with quality ingredients, the evolution of Irish food in restaurants, using stories to promote food tourism, and more!Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com.Dyed Green is Powered by Simplecast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katemccabe.substack.com

How can we use food to strengthen communities? How can small businesses contribute positively to local economies? How can food businesses support sustainable ecology? How can we create nurturing environments for workers? These are questions that chefs and restaurant owners are constantly asking, even as they also struggle to keep their doors open in the midst of many intersecting challenges.This week we talk about all these issues and more with Aisling Rogerson, founder of Dubin’s Fumbally Cafe and Stables, which continues to evolve while staying true to its core values. The café was one of the first to embrace a more locavore and multi-ethnic approach to Irish food, and many of the kitchen staff have gone on to create successful food brands and open top restaurants. We talk about how she and her co-founder, Luca D’Alfonso came up with the idea to open the space, its role as a community hub, and how the neighborhood has changed over the years since it opened. Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com.Dyed Green is Powered by Simplecast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katemccabe.substack.com

The image of Ireland in most people’s minds—whether you’ve been there or not—is likely to be a landscape of lush green rolling hills and farmland. But when it comes to sustainability and biodiversity, how “green” is Ireland really?Our guest this week is author and environmental campaigner Pádraic Fogarty. Pádraic is the author of the book Whittled Away: Ireland’s Vanishing Nature and the spokesperson for the Irish Wildlife Trust. We speak with Pádraic about what the divisive “turf wars” are all about, protection for farmers, fishing, and how we can make the most impact as concerned citizens.Join us as we peek behind the curtain and attempt to separate appearance from reality around sustainability in Ireland.Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com.Dyed Green is Powered by Simplecast.  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katemccabe.substack.com

Deeply rooted in the landscape, the Irish language is thousands of years old and full of words with multiple layers of meaning—not to mention countless references to the Otherworld.On this week’s episode, we speak with Irish writer, broadcaster, and Gaeilgeoir, Manchán Magan about how the Irish language and food can be used as a metaphor to tune in to our intrinsic connection to the land. We discuss Magan’s traveling show, Arán & Im, and his book, Thirty Two Words for Field: Lost Words of the Irish Landscape. With topics as diverse as sourdough bread baking, folklore, nonlinear time, and quantum physics, this is an episode you will not want to miss!Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com.Dyed Green is Powered by Simplecast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katemccabe.substack.com

We take a little bit of a detour from food this week and turn our spotlight on the walled city of Derry in the north of Ireland. Perhaps best known around the world for being the site of the Bloody Sunday massacre in 1972, Derry has come a long way over the past 50 years to become a model for peace and reconciliation.On today’s episode, we speak with Paul Doherty, owner of Bogside History Tours and a founding member of the Bloody Sunday Justice Campaign, and Ciara O’Connor Pozzo, from the Museum of Free Derry. We discuss the impact of Bloody Sunday and how much the city has changed since then, problems with the concept of “dark tourism,” and the gift that is Lisa McGee’s Derry Girls TV show.Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com.Dyed Green is Powered by Simplecast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katemccabe.substack.com

Kristin Jensen is upending the publishing world in Ireland and we are here for it! A long time food writer, editor, and publisher, Kristin created the Blasta Books series to change the way cookbooks are made in order to make more room at the table.No matter what country you live in, the traditional publishing route for cookbooks tends to be prohibitively expensive. Very often chefs have to front the cost of ingredients and recipe testing, and food stylists and photographers are essential components to get noticed in a competitive market. And while immigrants are becoming a larger part of Ireland’s population, you wouldn’t necessarily know this from much of the food media. In practice, many voices do not get heard, and certain parts of Irish food culture are overlooked. And so the idea for the Blasta series was born!Kristin uses the analogy of comparing street food to restaurants when explaining how Blasta Books measure up to traditional cookbooks: “they give people a fun, accessible and affordable way to eat exciting food,” while providing a more inclusive snapshot of Ireland’s modern and diverse food culture. On this episode, we talk to Kristin about the cookbook industry, as well as the most exciting things happening on the Irish food scene today.Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com.Dyed Green is Powered by Simplecast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katemccabe.substack.com

Sally Barnes is the last wild Irish fish smoker in Ireland, a dedicated artisan who refuses to compromise her craft by working with any farmed fish–especially farmed salmon, whose existence in open net pens threaten the well-being of the already endangered, iconic fish. Unbeknownst to many of us, all around the world there are individuals and small communities working to protect foods on the brink of extinction. In his new book, “Eating to Extinction: The World’s Rarest Foods & Why We Need To Save Them,” BBC journalist Dan Saladino creates a compelling narrative to explain how the diversity of our food culture is inextricably linked to the biodiversity of our environment, and champions the stories of people from Kazakhstan to Okinawa who are working overtime to protect local species and food cultures. Dan and Sally believe the future of our food IS the future of our planet, and we agree.This week on Dyed Green we travel around the world with Dan and Sally, and discus what we’ve lost in the quest to globalize and industrialize our food system; the ways in which the loss of biodiversity affects what appears on our grocery shelves; the impact of farmed salmon on wild salmon populations; and what we can do as individuals to make an impact beyond the farmers’ market or grocery store.Are you a business owner? Become an HRN business member! For $500 HRN will shine a light on your work AND you will help sustain our mission to expand the way people think about food. As a thank you for this tax-deductible donation, your business will receive on-air mentions, social media posts, listings on our website and more. Go to heritageradionetwork.org/biz to become a business member today.Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.comDyed Green is Powered by Simplecast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katemccabe.substack.com

Did you know that seaweed is one of the most nutritious foods you can eat? Or that it can even dramatically reduce the amount of methane cows produce? Imagine the idea that eating something delicious could be both good for you AND cut down on harmful gases destroying the planet! On today’s episode, we speak to our friend John Fitzgerald, co-owner of Atlantic Irish Seaweed.John and his wife Kerryann have been running seaweed discovery courses and workshops in County Kerry since 2009. We talk to John about how long Irish people have been eating seaweed and why it’s suddenly back in fashion, how to forage responsibly, other uses for seaweed beyond food, and much more.Are you a business owner? Become an HRN business member! For $500 HRN will shine a light on your work AND you will help sustain our mission to expand the way people think about food. As a thank you for this tax-deductible donation, your business will receive on-air mentions, social media posts, listings on our website and more. Go to heritageradionetwork.org/biz to become a business member today.Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.comDyed Green is Powered by Simplecast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katemccabe.substack.com

Jess Murphy is a celebrated chef, restaurant owner, writer, and activist. Originally from New Zealand, she moved to Ireland and opened the Michelin Green Star Kai restaurant in Galway’s West End. We talk to her about why we should all think about today’s Irish food on the same level as other internationally acclaimed cuisines. Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com.Dyed Green is Powered by Simplecast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katemccabe.substack.com