With International Women’s Day on the horizon (8 March), it is timely to celebrate some of the talented women who are helping to make the island of Ireland a premier tourist attraction.
Female talent is playing a key role in making the island of Ireland a go-to destination for lovers of fine food.
In County Cork, Ballymaloe Cookery School welcomes hundreds of visitors each year. Best-selling author of multiple cookery books and television presenter, Rachel Allen, graduated from the cookery school and now teaches there regularly. She is a well-known figure in the food world and has also designed a successful range of home and tableware with Tipperary Crystal.
Another shining star in the culinary sphere is Clare Smyth, who became the first British female chef to win three Michelin stars and also received the World’s Best Female Chef Award by the World’s 50 Best Restaurants. Her passion for fine food and nature was inspired by growing up on a farm in County Antrim. In 2017, she opened Core, a fine-dining restaurant in London, which has won multiple awards.
In honour of her exceptional contribution to the Irish Food & Tourism Industry, Olivia Duff of the Headfort Arms Hotel, County Meath, received the prestigious Restaurants Association of Ireland annual Mike Butt Award. The respected hotelier, who is renowned for her innovative ideas, has been a huge supporter of local food and drink producers and has been involved with the award-winning Boyne Valley Food Flavours campaign since its initiation. With her husband, Olivia also runs a sustainable farm.