Ireland
For more information on Irish Rugby http://www.irishrugby.ie
For full details follow: https://www.sixnationsrugby.com/ or http://www.rugbyworldcup.com
What to Eat & Drink whilst watching Ireland
Food:
With that “soft” weather that Ireland enjoys, this results in some luscious pasture so great feed for cattle but also wonderful dairy products. Thick Irish cream is a glory to see – and when converted in cheese! Ireland is undergoing a real foodie revolution, perhaps inspired by the success of Ballymalloe cookery school. But throughout the country and especially around Cork and out to the West coast, is a large number of small independent producers of everything from the wonderful people at http://www.gubbeen.com who not only make amazing cheese but also rather moreish chorizo as well. Or take a look at http://www.ummera.com who smoke just about everything from duck to chicken. There is even an Eat Irish Week!
One of the easiest things to make is soda bread – and very quick as well with no kneading– so have a go ( see http://paulhollywood.com ) ready to enjoy with an Irish Cheese platter. As well as the delicious Gubbeen above -, look out for goats cheese from http://www.st-tola.ie, add some sweet Cashel Blue (heavenly with a slice of pear) and why not add in some cheese made from coastal grazing cows – http://www.durruscheese.com There is a lovely Irish cheese selection pack available to order on https://www.pongcheese.co.uk
A great one for finger food during the match is the delicious Clonakility Black Pudding – simply heat through and chop into small rings. http://www.clonakiltyblackpudding.ie
Colcannon is a main stay of Irish pub food – and is a glorious way to enjoy mashed potato with lightly boiled green cabbage mixed through (needs lots of butter and cream) – and I like spring onions but am sure that’s not traditional. For match days – prepare it in advance, make into small patties and pan fry in advance– warm through for the match!
When talking to an Irish friend (who brilliantly helped design this website) – he was horrified at talking about Irish food without talking about bacon & cabbage. A good solid warming dish – apparently the key is cooking the cabbage in the water the bacon (pork) was cooked in. I did start musing how I could make this more match day friendly to eat – perhaps using the cabbage as leaves to wrap small cigar shapes stuffed with the pork – but the look I got from a usually easy going Irish man convinced me that traditional it is! http://www.donalskehan.com/2010/03/good-auld-bacon-and-cabbage
For snacks of course if you don’t have time for any of the above – well it can only be one thing – Tayto – the Irish Crisp! http://www.tayto.com
And on a last note, whilst I am not sure of the pairing possibilities of a pint of the Black Stuff with Chocolate (though why not…) but Irish team sponsors Cadbury’s Boost did previously launch a special RWC version!
Drink:
Beer: Guinness. The Black Stuff. Enough said – well not quite. (Though I’ve yet to meet a rugby supporter who does not say yes to a pint of it whilst watching rugby), there are other Irish beers out there. I don’t just mean Murphys or Beamish – good though they are too. Or maybe Kilkenny red ale. There is a booming Craft Brewing industry in Ireland which has tripled since 2011 and production went up 50% last year again.
Perhaps unsurprising in a land which ranks 6th in its annual beer consumption, but there are a wealth out there to try. Look at the beer stockist page for more information – but some as yet are not in the UK – does anyone else feel an Irish Road trip to load up with these gems and bring them back might be a good idea? Do look out for the following:
Galway Hooker – perennially popular and one of Irelands original craft ale – sold on tap and in bottles. http://www.galwayhooker.ie
Hailing from beautiful Connemara in Galway, a new but award winning company, Independent Brewery. http://independentbrewing.ie
Leann Folliain – looking to topple Guinness in the stout taste stakes – there are coffee & chocolate aromas in this smooth newcomer. http://www.carlowbrewing.com
The Hurler from 4 Provinces inspired by the brewers love of Hurling, this unfiltered copper ale comes from Dublin. https://twitter.com/fourprovinces
From Kildare look out for Revenge Ruby Porter from Kelly Mountain Brew http://www.kellysmountainbrew.com and the whacky labels of Trouble Brewing – http://troublebrewing.ie
Reel Deel from County Mayo feature an Irish Blond http://reeldeelbrewery.ie
For the Oldest independent Brewery in Ireland http://www.hildenbrewery.com
And should you be thinking about a new job – did you know there are Beer Sommeliers?? Only 75 in the world. http://www.beeracademy.co.uk
For more information, check out the Irish equivalent of Camra – http://www.beoir.org
Wine: Now you’d be telling me that there is no wine produced in Ireland – well it is an officially listed wine producing country – but there are only a handful of small estates, some around County Cork and one just outside Dublin whose annual production is just 350 bottles.
However, there is a group of Wine makers scattered around the world referred to as “Wine Geese” (or still Wild Geese by some). Named after the Wild Geese exodus of Irish soldiers to France in 17th Century and today represents Irish families who are involved in wine making around the world. The most known are two families who went to Bordeaux – the Lynchs and the Bartons and went onto to become Leoville-Barton, today owned by the ultra-charming and fascinating Anthony Barton, and Ch. Lynch-Bages on Bordeaux’s Left Bank. There are a host of other Bordeaux Chateaux with Irish ancestry including Chateaux: Kirwan, Phelan-Segur, Margaux, Clark and Dillon.
But other Irish families emigrated even further and Australia, the US, Chile and South Africa also have their fair share of these Wine Geese.
I am not suggesting that you open a bottle of Chateau Margaux (at about £200 a bottle) whilst watching the men in green – but do look at the web links to a range of these below – and to find their wines in the UK try www.wine-searcher.com. All of the Bordeaux Chateaux have multiple outlets in the UK so look at a Wine Broker like http://www.farrvintners.com.
http://www.leoville-barton.com
http://www.jmcazes.com/en/chateau-lynch-bages
http://www.edmond-de-rothschild.com/rothschild-heritage/passions-and-commitments/wines.aspx
http://www.chateau-margaux.com
Australia
http://www.leeuwinestate.com.au
http://www.mountpleasantwines.com.au
United States
http://www.concannonvineyard.com
Chile
South Africa
http://hermanuswineroute.com/hamilton-russell-vineyards
Whiskey: And should you need something to ether celebrate or commiserate at the end of the match then look for a small glass of Irish Whiskey (note the ‘e’) such as http://www.bushmills.com or http://www.jamesonwhiskey.com or http://www.tullamoredew.com or for a small distillery from Ireland’s South West Coast – http://www.dingledistillery.ie