The food festival in Skibbereen was great as usual and as usual was blessed with unseasonally fine weather. I took lots of pics at the fair on Sunday but there were many more fine sights to be savoured like the fabulous creations of local students in the schools cookery competition or the spread of cakes [...]
Archive for September, 2008
Let the Sunshine In
Posted in Events, tagged festival, food events, skibbereen on September 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
A Real Workhorse
Posted in Events, farmers, tagged ballylickey, irish cob, working horses on September 22, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Among the interviews that have really stuck with me in the last year of writing this column, have been those involving a relationship between farmer and farm animals. So when I looked at the programme for the An Sanctóir food event, one talk that really piqued my curiosity was that on Working Horses by Sandra [...]
Plant a Seed
Posted in Events, Food producers, tagged organic, sarah palin, seed saving on September 22, 2008 | 1 Comment »
There was a time in Ireland when we would not have countenanced lifting a morsel to our mouths without first giving thanks to the Creator for the gifts we had received.
It was understood that life was a miracle and as such food was a gift from above, in which God blessed our toil in the fields. Now [...]
Ten Years a Growing – Awareness
Posted in Community Food, Events, tagged Community Food, growing, Local food on September 22, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
August this year marked the tenth anniversary of Growing Awareness, a Skibbereen based food and farming group and on Sunday next (September 28th) they have partnered up with An Sanctóir, the holistic centre in Ballydehob, to put together a day of walks, talks and demonstrations looking at local food production. The guided walk will take [...]
Further reflections on Terra Madre
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged functional foods, Terra Madre Ireland on September 19, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
With a bit more time to reflect on the Terra Madre experience, I’m starting to appreciate it’s more subtle effects. Something has taken root in my head, every now and then I catch myself coninuing conversations that I took part in weeks ago on a wet day at Waterford WIT. I guess it’s one of [...]
Picnic & Tour of a Organic Dexter Cow Farm
Posted in Events, Food producers, tagged rare breeds, slow food on September 12, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
On Sunday September 28th we have been invited to West Cork to visit Paul and Yvonne Johnson’s Dexter girls.These horned cattle are the first herd of pedegrees to be to be reared in their native West Cork for generations.Just 42 inches in height they are one of the smallest breeds in the world.Paul farms with [...]
Stories from the Soil, Stories from the Sea
Posted in Events, tagged festival, Local food, skibbereen, taste of west cork on September 12, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
If you’ve enjoyed any of the posts from this blog, then I can wholeheartedly recommend the Stories from the Soil, Stories from the Sea eating sessions on Friday 19th September in Skibbereen. The event is being organised by ourselves at West Cork LEADER Co-op and is part of the Taste of West Cork Food Festival. We’ll [...]
Reflections on Terra Madre Ireland
Posted in Events, tagged ark of taste, darina allen, rural development, Slowfood, Terra Madre Ireland on September 10, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
I got to the Terra Madre conference in Waterford on Friday last to offer my tuppence worth to the debate. Before I get on to talking about our workshop, I must congratulate the organisers, particularly Donal Lehane and Darina Allen, who really stuck their necks out in driving this and who also really pulled it off. Aside [...]
A Taste of Dear Old Skibbereen
Posted in Events, tagged food festival, skibbereen on September 8, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
My journey to work this morning was considerably enriched by Sinead O’Connor’s beautifully direct and unadorned rendition of Dear Old Skibbereen. I had been trying to gather my thoughts on the town’s upcoming A Taste of West Cork festival and the hopelessness of the famine time as captured in the song [...]
