Run by Mark Murphy, a Culinary Arts Teacher in Tralee IT, and native Irish speaker Muireann Nic Giolla Ruaidh, who has many years experience in hospitality - and, like Mark, is very involved with the Dingle Food Festival - the Dingle Cookery School has been a hit since the day it opened in autumn 2014.
Very nicely set up, it's in an attractive building that is reminiscent of a traditional Irish cottage but offers state of the art facilities for both hands-on and demonstration classes.
It's also very well located, just outside the town centre yet near of all of the places that food lovers will want to visit including the fish shops on the harbour, lovely Little Cheese Shop (established by local cheesemaker Maja Binder in 2011 and now owned by Mark Murphy) and Jerry Kennedy’s Artisan Butchers where the area's famous beef and mountain lamb are sold. Both The Dingle Distillery and the Dingle Brewing Company are also within easy walking distance - and, of course, the town's many excellent restaurants.
All of which contributes the special sense of place that makes courses at the Dingle Cookery School unique, especially when the focus is on traditional Irish food and cooking, or local seafood - Catch, Cook & Eat, for example, is as local and hands-on as it gets, beginning with a fishing trip for the students, who next learn how to cook their catch and then enjoy it for lunch.
Culinary tours of various lengths are also offered, and these include visits to producers in the area and perhaps a foraging trip, as well as cookery classes and a tasting menu dinner at a local restaurant.
In addition there's a wide range of courses that would be expected of any good cookery school, including themed classes - baking, for example, or simple suppers - and classes with the focus on upskilling, such as a sauces workshop.
There's nothing Mark enjoys more than introducing visitors to the exceptional foods of the Dingle peninsula, but he is also a leader on the national food scene and - as a Fáilte Ireland Food Ambassador for Ireland - has a keen eye on the international scene too. Students attending the Dingle Cookery School will be in exceptionally good hands - and a course here is sure to be good fun too.
*The Little Cheese Shop is in common ownership.
