2022 Award Winners SUSTAINABILITY AWARDS 2022

Sustainability Awards 2022

HOTEL: Ballygarry Estate Hotel and Spa Tralee Co Kerry

This quietly luxurious hotel retains some original 18th century features
and it is held in affection locally for its long-established traditions of
hospitality, which are a point of pride. But there is also change in the air
and the third-generation proprietor, Padraig McGillicuddy, is on a mission
for the 100-acre estate to become an international sustainable tourism
destination. Wetlands, re-wilding former farmland, native tree and hedgerow planting, wild flower meadows and apiaries are all part of his ambitious plans - and many are already in place. All this, plus friendly, helpful staff and moderate prices for the high standard of accommodation, food and service offered, make it one of the region’s most desirable destinations.

RESTAURANT: Honestly By Drumanilra Farm Carrick-on-Shannon Co Leitrim

Liam and Justina Gavin’s brilliant little Drumanilra Farm Kitchen in Boyle
was rebranded and moved to smart new premises in Carrick-on-Shannon in
2021 - and, with exciting plans afoot, there’s plenty more to come. This intrepid organic farming couple is on a mission to transform the food
landscape and the way we eat and connect with producers - and, offering
delicious seasonally driven menus with wide appeal, this beguiling introduction to their own and other like-minded producers’ foods will win
a lot of fans. … With sit-in, takeaway and drive through all available, it’s a bit like an Irish version of Cumbria’s famed Tebay Services Farmshop & Kitchen, and there’s a smaller new location in Strandhill Co Sligo too.

HOLISTIC TRADITIONS: Inis Meáin Farm Stays Aran Islands Co Galway

This wonderful place on the least visited of the Aran Islands has earned
international acclaim as one of Ireland’s most desirable destinations. Functioning until now as Inis Meain Restaurant & Suites, island native Ruairi de Blacam and his wife, Marie-Thérèse, have offered a unique experience at their beautiful modern restaurant with stylish suites since 2007– and now they are pivoting, with longterm sustainability in mind for themselves, their family and the island community. Having purchased a very special island farm, they’re moving into an exciting new phase, offering longer Inis Meáin Farm Stays and replacing the restaurant with a deli service to ensure supplies of delicious food and wine for guests. This will enable the couple to take up the mantle of also running Ruairi’s parents’ world-famous Inis Meáin Knitting Company (inismeain.ie), the main employer on this fascinatingly beautiful and remote island. Neat!

STREET FOOD: The Salt Project Co Kildare

Ireland has gone street food crazy lately and there’s some real quality popping up at food trucks and stalls in the most unlikely places, including industrial and business settings as well as markets, parks and open air events. From farmers looking for a new market for their produce to budding chefs and restaurateurs frustrated by high rents and punitive rates, there are some highly talented people involved and the delicious food and the service they offer is going down a treat. And, with food standards matching some of the best permanent restaurants in some cases, it looks as if they’re here to stay. We salute the leaders.

This unusual enterprise is a nomadic Irish food trailer set up in 2019 by Kildare-based chef, Caomhán de Bri. Since launching he has travelled around the country for events, pop-ups and takeovers, at beaches, pubs and scenic spots all over Ireland, taken part in busy Irish food festivals and hosted long table suppers on farms. His menu always reflects the local area he cooks in, creating Irish-inspired street food dishes that have a real sense of place. He seeks out small-scale producers and tends to hero vegetables and plant-based dishes on his innovative Blaisíní (small bites) menus. Caomhán has worked in professional kitchens for over a decade, including a year in Gordon Ramsay’s London restaurant, Maze, and recently graduated from TU Dublin’s ‘Botanical Cuisine’ course - the first ‘farm to plate' culinary degree programme of its kind in Europe. And there are plenty of plans yet to unfold, including developing his own organic production system, accommodation and yoga retreats…