Cork's wild salmon warrior Sally Ferns Barnes looks to the future

In advance of International Women's Day, we celebrate one of the Irish food industry's legendary pioneers, Sally Ferns Barnes of Woodcock Smokery, who talks about finding a home in West Cork, educating a new generation of artisans and passing on traditions

Sally Ferns Barnes moved to West Cork in 1975, becoming a fisherwoman and rearing two daughters while her former husband, a commercial fisherman, worked at sea. Picture: Paul Sherwood

“I only work with wild fish.” In one simple statement, Sally Ferns Barnes of Woodcock Smokery in West Cork sums up her raison d’etre: hers is the last smokehouse in Ireland that deals exclusively with our diminishing stock of wild fish.

One of Ireland’s most iconic artisan food producers, Ferns Barnes has been much celebrated. She was the first Irish producer to win the Supreme Champion award at the Great Taste Awards in 2006, received a Euro-Toques Craft Award in 2018 for her work in protecting culinary skills and craft and, in 2022, was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Irish Food Writers’ Guild.