2024 Georgina Campbell Irish Food & Hospitality Awards

Ireland’s Hotel, Restaurant, Hospitality Hero, and Pub of the Year announced at National Awards Ceremony 

From newcomer of the year to the most pet-friendly destination and Ireland’s finest host, the 2024 winners of the annual Georgina Campbell Irish Food & Hospitality Awards are announced

• Chef of the Year awarded to Danni Barry of Ballynahinch Castle Hotel
• Sheen Falls Lodge is 2024 five-star hotel of the year
• OX in Belfast announced as Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year
• Dromoland Castle’s Mark Nolan honoured as the Hospitality Hero of the Year
• Wren Urban Nest in Dublin receives 2024 Sustainability Award
• Castle Grove Country House, Letterkenny awarded the coveted Irish Bread Award
• Six selected for this year's special Casual Dining awards group
 

15th October 2024: Celebrating Ireland’s gold standard champions of the food and hospitality industries, the winners of the Georgina Campbell Food & Hospitality Awards 2024 were announced today.
Ireland’s longest running food and hospitality awards, the selections are the result of independent all-year assessments by a team of anonymous experts. This year, the great benefits of regional collaborations in creating hubs of excellence around the country are especially recognised, along with the increased importance placed by the food and hospitality sector on sustainability and supporting Irish producers - who are celebrated in a special category of the awards as providing the foundation of all of our good food.

There was also a note of caution about falling standards in some areas, however, particularly around the most important meal of the day: breakfast.

Cost-cutting is understandable and often necessary in the current business environment, but it needs to be done with care. Slashing the quality of breakfast in an otherwise enjoyable experience is counter-productive, and leaves guests disappointed on departure. But, as usual, this year’s Irish Breakfast Award winners are setting a gold-star standard for the famous Irish breakfast and showing how a reputation for serving an outstanding breakfast can be good for business.

The ceremony featured an engaging panel discussion and a lively Q&A with special guest and award-winning Irish chef, Richard Corrigan, who is a great ambassador for Irish food and an inspiration for young people considering a career in hospitality. This year, Georgina particularly acknowledged the achievements of those who have been striving for high standards over many years and continue to do so in the face of all kinds of challenges – and the new ‘Long Haul Hero’ award (Mary Wall, Hanora’s Cottage, Waterford), is a specific recognition of those special people.

We need to encourage more young people to see the food and hospitality industry as an exciting option. Even quite young children could experience the enjoyment of doing rewarding work with a hospitality team, and that could create positive associations that would remain with them later, when career choices are to be made. Waterford’s GIY (Grow It Yourself) initiative is a great example of this approach. It is not enough to tell a child about the hospitality sector, we must help them to develop an early interest and that could shape the sector’s future pioneers from the get-go.

Community spirit
The sense of resilience, determination, and collaborative spirit amongst tourism bodies, food producers and hospitality operators, is something to strive for, alongside the wider community and businesses working together for the betterment of all. There are great examples of groups working together to better their community and region as much as their individual business at the moment which brings new meaning to the Irish adage of ‘a hundred thousand welcomes. It’s a challenging time in the hospitality industry, with restaurant closures and a Budget that was tough on the sector, but it’s an incredibly exciting one when you consider, not only the talent of our winners, but also their willingness to give back.

Sustainability
Something special that we noticed this year was how the rise of the kitchen garden is accelerating. We’re seeing more chefs getting actively involved in this eco-friendly initiative and not just paying lip-service to the concept. Growing their own seasonal produce is something for establishments to be proud of, as well as having environmental benefits. It’s great to be working with deliciously fresh, nutrient-dense produce grown right outside your door, and it’s a point of special interest for guests.

The rise of the bakery
And there are some particularly exciting developments at the moment It’s wonderful to see the continuing rise of the bakery, deli, café concept throughout Ireland. These small businesses are serving their local communities in a unique way as they are supporting local farmers and other Irish suppliers by sourcing ingredients from them – and creating very special experiences for visitors to enjoy.

Room for improvement
But, although service has improved a lot this year and there is generally a warmer feel to hospitality, shortcuts are being taken in some establishments. We would like to see cost challenges addressed in more imaginative ways than cutting quality – by offering more choice of sizes for dishes on menus, for example, and reducing waste overall. That the shorter weeks and shorter opening hours that resulted from the pandemic are still continuing in many places – often together with higher prices - is not helping matters and must be discouraging for people thinking about having a break or a meal out.

SCROLL DOWN FOR LIST OF WINNERS
 
GEORGINA CAMPBELL IRISH FOOD & HOSPITALITY AWARD WINNERS 2024

1. GEORGINA CAMPBELL ‘HOSPITALITY HERO’ AWARD 2024
- Mark Nolan, Dromoland Castle, Co Clare

2. GEORGINA CAMPBELL ‘MOVERS & SHAKERS’ AWARD 2024
- Sally Barnes, Woodcock Smokery, Skibbereen, Co Cork

3. GEORGINA CAMPBELL BEST SUPPORTER OF IRISH FOOD & DRINK PRODUCERS 2024, sponsored by Bord Bia
- The Coach House, Roundwood, Co Wicklow

4. GEORGINA CAMPBELL FINE DINING AWARDS 2024

- FINE DINING RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR 2024: OX, Belfast
- FINE DINING HOTEL RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR 2024: House Restaurant, Cliff House Hotel Ardmore, Co Waterford
- NEIGHBOURHOOD FINE DINING RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR 2024: The Lemon Tree Restaurant, Letterkenny, Co Donegal
- BIJOU FINE DINING RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR 2024: Restaurant Chestnut, Ballydehob, Co Cork
- CHEF OF THE YEAR 2024: Danni Barry, Ballynahinch Castle Hotel, Recess, Co Galway

5. GEORGINA CAMPBELL HOTEL OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2024

- 5-Star Hotel of the Year: Sheen Falls Lodge, Kenmare, Co Kerry
- 4-Star Hotel of the Year 2024: Kilkea Castle Estate & Golf Club, Castledermot, Co Kildare
- 3-Star Hotel of the Year 2024: Foyles Hotel, Clifden, Co Galway
- Boutique Hotel of the Year 2024: Elephant Rock Hotel, Portrush Co Antrim
- Business Hotel of the Year 2024: The Horse & Jockey Hotel, Horse & Jockey, Co Tipperary

6. GEORGINA CAMPBELL ‘SMALL STAY’ AWARDS 2024

- COUNTRY HOUSE: Ballyvolane House, Fermoy, Co Cork
- GUESTHOUSE: Teach de Broc, Ballybunion, Co Kerry
- B&B: Barnahown, Mitchelstown, Co Cork
- HIDEAWAY: No. 1 Pery Square, Limerick

 
7. GEORGINA CAMPBELL CASUAL DINING AWARDS 2024

- HISTORIC DESTINATION: Stitch & Weave, Derry, Co Londonderry
- RESTAURANT & BAR: Sadler’s, Fethard, Co Tipperary
- SMART-CASUAL DINING: The Glass Curtain, Cork
- NEIGHBOURHOOD RESTAURANT: No 14 Georgian House, Comber, Co Down
- BAKERY-CAFÉ 2024: Ursa Minor Bakehouse, Ballycastle, Co Antrim
- STREET FOOD 2024: Pyke’n’Pommes, Derry

8. GEORGINA CAMPBELL SPECIALITY HOSPITALITY & SUSTAINABILITY AWARDS 2024

- VISITOR ATTRACTION 2024: The Shed Distillery & Jackalope Café Drumshanbo Co Leitrim
- TASTE OF THE WATERWAYS AWARD 2024: The Purple Onion, Tarmonbarry, Co Roscommon
- INNOVATION AWARD 2024: Ballykilcavan Farm & Brewing Company, Stradbally, Co Laois
- SUSTAINABILITY AWARD 2024: Wren Urban Nest, Dublin
- SEAFOOD RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR 2024: QC’s Seafood Restaurant, Quinlan & Cooke Boutique Townhouse, Caherciveen, Co Kerry
- SEAFOOD CHEF OF THE YEAR 2024: Aishling Moore, Goldie, Cork
- GLOBAL CUISINES AWARD 2024: Nightmarket, Dublin

9. GEORGINA CAMPBELL ‘MEMORABLE MOMENTS’ AWARDS 2024

- HAPPY PLACE AWARD 2024: Osteria Lucio, Dublin
- MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE AWARD 2024: The Drawing Room at Ashford Castle, Cong, Co Mayo
- NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR 2024: Farmgate Lismore, Lismore, Co Waterford
- GASTRO-PUB OF THE YEAR 2024: Deerpark Inn, Virginia, Co Cavan
- TRADITIONAL PUB OF THE YEAR 2024: Thomas Connolly Traditional Pub & Whiskey Bar, Sligo, Co Sligo
- WINE EXPERIENCE 2024: Ristorante Rinuccini, Kilkenny, Co Kilkenny

10. GEORGINA CAMPBELL ‘SPECIAL IRISH HOSPITALITY’ AWARDS 2024

- FAMILY FRIENDLY HOTEL OF THE YEAR 2024: McWilliam Park Hotel, Claremorris, Co Mayo
- PET FRIENDLY DESTINATION OF THE YEAR 2024: Seaview House Hotel & Spa, Ballylickey, Co Cork
- ATMOSPHERIC DESTINATION OF THE YEAR 2024: The Old Inn, Crawfordsburn, Co Down
- HOSTS OF THE YEAR 2024: Margaret & Laura Bowe, Marlfield House, Gorey, Co Wexford
- LONG HAUL HERO 2024: Mary Wall Hanora's Cottage Nire Valley Co Waterford
 

11. GEORGINA CAMPBELL IRISH BREAKFAST AWARDS 2024 sponsored by Flahavan’s

- HOTEL: Gregans Castle Hotel, Ballyvaughan, Co Clare
- COUNTRY HOUSE: Rathsallagh House, Dunlavin, Co Wicklow
- GUESTHOUSE: Castlewood House, Dingle, Co Kerry
- CAFÉ: POTA Café, Inverin, Co Galway
- IRISH BREAD AWARD: Castle Grove Country House, Letterkenny, Co Donegal

12. GEORGINA CAMPBELL ‘NATURAL FOOD’ AWARDS 2024 (PRODUCERS)

- MEATS: Higgins Family Butchers, Dublin
- DAIRY: Dart Mountain Cheese, Claudy, Co Londonderry
- HONEY: Sliabh Aughty Honey, Leahy Beekeeping, Carrownmore, Co Galway
- FRESH PRODUCE: Waterfall Farms, Waterfall, Co Cork