Joe McNamee: The finest in real, homegrown food is vital to our sense of humanity

"When tourists return to their home countries raving about Irish food (as 84% of them do, according to Fáilte Ireland), they speak of fabulous foodstuffs such as Irish Farmhouse cheeses, not industrially produced whey nutritional by-products. They gush about beautiful produce in the better restaurants that source locally, the work of a stalwart few remaining growers."

Sally Barnes in The Keep, a classroom-cum-dining hall, where she teaches classes in traditional preservation methods of smoking wild fish and seafood

At the Cork on a Fork food festival, I shall be hosting an event entitled Preserving the Past: Traditional Food Methods in a Modern World, speaking to three Irish food heroes: Fish smoker Sally Barnes (Woodcock Smokery), cheesemaker Dan Hegarty (Hegarty’s Cheddar, Temple Gall), and Isabelle Sheridan, founder of On the Pig’s Back.

It is rightly billed as a “must for anyone interested in Cork’s rich culinary heritage”. Sometimes, however, I have a problem with the word “heritage” in the context of food, especially Irish speciality produce such as Sally’s wild smoked fish, Dan’s stunning cheeses, or the world-class Irish produce in Isabelle’s retail outlets. “Heritage” is a close cousin of “history”, as in “the past”, suggesting these are special treats for special occasions rather than the very best of Irish food that should be part of our daily diets.