THE whole artisan beer scene is going into orbit in Ireland.

ALL Slow Food events have an educational element as well as a hedonistic one. So when we gathered in Lismore recently we started our evening at Michael McGrath butcher’s shop on Main Street. We were all anxious to learn from this man whose skills have come down through four generations – his father, grandfather and great-grandfather.

IRELAND’S largest Slow Food festival got under way last night and is set to welcome celebrity chefs, politicians, food experts and thousands of visitors to the south-east in the coming days.