A new challenge for Derry Clarke

Mairead Robinson meets Ireland’s best- known chef as he plans a new restaurant in Temple Bar, Dublin

As part of the Senior Times Food & Wine Podcast Series, I recently chatted to celebrity chef Derry Clarke about his exceptionally successful culinary career over the past thirty years in Dublin.

He has been a reality television judge alongside names like Bibi Baskin and Sammy Leslie on RTE 1 reality series Failte Towers, and he has also appeared on other programmes such as The Restaurant, The Afternoon Show and The Panel. Of course he is best known to many of us for his Michelin Starred L’Ecrivian restaurant in Dublin which was hugely popular for thirty one years until it closed its doors in 2020.

I asked him how it all began, and if he had always wanted to be a chef when he was growing up. Indeed his family were involved in the food business and his own professional career began at the age of sixteen. He started his career in 1972 with Peter Barry who is best known for The Man Friday restaurant in Kinsale. While Kinsale has often been hailed as the ‘Gourmet Capital of Ireland’ it is fair to say that much has changed over the past forty years. Restaurants have come and gone, but the stunning location of The Man Friday overlooking the harbour and consistently providing fresh local ingredients in contemporary dishes, has been a constant favourite for locals and visitors alike.

This Cork town of Kinsale has always been close to Derry’s heart, and over the decades when he is not cooking, he loves to go out in his boat with his family and sailing from Kinsale, taking a simple picnic with them, is something he has been enjoying for many years. When he returned to Dublin from his time at The Man Friday in 1977, he began working in Le Coq Hardi, which was one of the top restaurants in the capital at the time. Working under the renowned John Howard, that is where he cut his ‘fine dining’ teeth and he remained there for four years until he moved on to Le Bon Appetit for the following eight years. 2020. It was here that he gained not just national but indeed international recognition, having been inducted into Food & Wine Magazine’s ‘Hall of Fame’ and been granted a five-star review by The New York Times. The review described his restaurant as ‘superb’ and ‘a good spot to linger’ whilst in Dublin.

Of course having such a prestigious award as a Michelin Star can very much be a double-edged sword, and visitors’ expectations are always going to be very high when they see that plaque on the wall. Indeed it can also be extremely exhausting to keep up the very high standard for every meal, every sitting, year after year. Derry confirmed that for some years they were doing more covers every day than any other Michelin restaurant in Europe. I do remember eating there once myself, many years ago, and indeed it was a memorable experience. I don’t know of any other chef, Irish or international, who has consistently cooked in his own restaurant and held a Michelin Star for such a long period of time.

Fine dining is hard work, no doubt about it. It is typically more sophisticated and unique than one would find in the average restaurant. We are talking about an upscale meal experience often consisting of several courses. Personally I love to enjoy a ‘tasting menu’ – handing choices over to the chef and enjoying plate after plate of delicious little creations that I would never have put together myself, or even imagined could go so well together. With each course, presented with a flourish by the waiting staff, there will be an accompanying wine to compliment the dish. Of course L’Ecrivian offered tasting menus for years which consisted of stunning plates, for example:- foie gras, Flaggy Shore oyster, roast turbot, sika deer, lime leaf ice cream, cheesecake. Each course was served with four or five of its own accompanying little taste sensations. All of that food was then followed by tea/coffee and petits fours. And indeed accompanying wines. This is an experience that usually takes hours to savour.

Derry Clarke with his wife Sallyanne

Sallyanne go out to dinner they often share a starter and dessert he explained, and they just focus on a main course each. It is very understandable given the incredible service he has offered for years, and to be honest, it is a much healthier way to eat these days. He is also a big fan of eating locally sourced food and in season products. That is indeed very much the contemporary approach these days, with air miles flying out-of-season fruits and vegetables into Ireland not looked on as a good idea with global warming being a big current issue. Also, as we agreed, there is something exciting about waiting for a particular season to arrive and enjoying fruits and veggies for the months or weeks that they are fresh. Indeed it reminds me of eating from my father’s garden when we were children. What an abundance of vegetables and fruits we were fortunate enough to enjoy.

During all time that Derry and Sallyanne ran L’Ecrivian, I am sure many a famous name had dined there, but Derry is tight-lipped about giving away any celebrity or political gossip! I did ask him about any interesting incidents – without giving out names – that he remembered from those years. He mentioned one young man who had arranged to propose to his girlfriend just before dessert, and so in front of the whole restaurant he got down on bended knee and produced the diamond ring.

Unfortunately, the girl declined the request to become his wife and said ‘No! I am sure there is a lesson there to be very sure of getting a positive response when making such a public gesture. But you can’t help but feel sympathy for the poor man. Did he still pay for her dinner, I wondered, and had either of them the stomach for dessert after that?

Talk about paying for dinner, Derry had another anecdote about two ‘friends’who came for dinner, and had agreed to split the bill. However just before finishing the leisurely meal and wine, one of the pair made a hasty exit, leaving the other very embarrassed diner to apologise as he didn’t have enough cash to cover the whole bill! Of course Derry and his wife Sallyanne who managed front-of-house were sympathetic to the poor guy and it all got sorted out. into the sunset with Sallyanne to enjoy a well earned retirement. Indeed Derry is opening a new venture called Eliza’s Bar & Restaurant in Temple Bar in Dublin. This will not be a fine dining venture, like L’Ecrivian, as times have changed and people’s choices have too. As Derry explained that a much less formal and fussy dining experience is the contemporary choice, together with a preference for small plates, and sharing platters.

It will be very interesting to see what is on offer at Eliza’s and I am looking forward to visiting when next in the capital. While not retiring from the culinary scene, Derry is however taking a step back and while he will be managing every aspect of the new venture, he is putting one of his well trusted chefs at the helm to do the cooking every night. I have no doubt that Eliza’s, like its predecessor L’Ecrivian, will make its own very special mark on the Irish dining scene in 2022 .

Derry Clarke with a heavyweight line-up: Catherine Fulvio, Kevin Dundon and Jamie Oliver

Pat Keenan reports on happenings in and around the capital A special 2022 Bloomsday

Is there any other city in the world that sets aside a day each year to commemorate and celebrate events that never actually happened? Bloomsday June 16 is such a day and this year will be special.

Joyce fans from Ireland and around the world will again re-enact that supposed Dublin day in James Joyce’s Ulysses, a day in the life of novel's central character Leopold Bloom as he makes his way across the city, following each of the novel's 18 episodes, named with characters from Homer's 'Odyssey'. The plot also roughly follows that of Homer’s epic.

Ulysses is famously a book people start but never finish. Most find its intricacies and length daunting, but be grateful that while Homer's 'Odyssey' spans ten years, Joyce's Ulysses just takes a day, all be it a long one. Joyce himself acknowledges this: ‘I’ve put in so many enigmas and puzzles that it will keep the professors busy for centuries arguing over what I meant’. And adds ‘that's the only way of insuring one's immortality.’

As usual, on the day many will dress up in full Edwardian garb, flowing dresses and flowery hats, bow ties and straw hats, and they will attend readings and dramatisations from the novel and meander through the city - more than likely, a pub crawl. Half a century ago celebrating the 50th anniversary, writers Brian O’Nolan,aka Flann O'Brien, poet Patrick Kavanagh and artist/writer John Ryan tried to retrace Bloom through the city, unfortunately too drunk, they failed. Beware, it can still happen! The first official full-scale Bloomsday event was in 1977, a healthier one billed the 'The Bloomsday Run'. Whatever became of that? Romantically, June 16 was the day James Joyce went on his first date with his then wife-to-be, Nora Barnacle.

The build-up is already underway. On February 2 in Paris, we celebrated the 100th anniversary of the publication of the novel Ulysses in 1922. It was already causing shockwaves. The year before it had been serialised in the Little Review, a small literary magazine in the US edited by two liberal-minded women. It seems that it was the 13th episode, Nausicaa, that triggered backlash from the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice. This resulted in a much-publicised New York Court case in February 1921 leading to a conviction for publishing obscene material and was followed by the confiscation of the magazine's offending issue. O'Shea was for being 'subversive to public morality') When the book was first published, Ireland was just a fledgling state with few laws to begin with and anyway, it seems it was never imported nor offered for sale. Despite never being banned, it did have a certain reputation. Customs officers regularly and routinely confiscated copies.

The very first copy of the Shakespeare and Company first edition of Ulysses now resides on display in the Museum of Literature Ireland at the UCD Naughton Joyce Centre, 86 St Stephen's Green, Dublin. www.moli.ie/ A 'Painting Ulysses' exhibition by artist Aidan Hickey is open now until June 30 at the James Joyce Centre, 35 North Great George’s St, Dublin 1. Download the full catalogue at www. jamesjoyce.ie/ Also, marking the centenary, ANU, Landmark Productions and MoLI presents 'Ulysses 2.2' - a year of creative responses each of the 18 episodes on that fictional day in the life of Leopold Bloom. www.ulysses22.ie/

Molly Bloom by artist Aidan Hickey www.moli.ie/ The 'Painting Ulysses' exhibition by artist Aidan Hickey is open now until June 30 at the James Joyce Centre, 35 North Great George’s St, Dublin 1.

Cash in the attic: why a spring clean could be one of the best financial decisions you make

With spring just around the corner, you might be planning to give your home a good deep clean. If you’re feeling particularly brave, you may even declutter neglected areas such as the attic.

Whether it’s a vintage video game or an old trinket that looks like something you’d find on TV shows such as Irish Pickers or the Antiques Roadshow, your attic could be home to some hidden gems. You never know, that treasured childhood toy could – just maybe – be worth big money.

Using their expertise in growing money, Raisin Bank looked at some of the items that could be worth the most money now. So before you roll your eyes at the prospect of spring cleaning, it’s worth remembering that a good declutter could bring in some unexpected cash.

Old Irish coins could be worth a pretty penny

Have you stumbled across some old Irish coins during your spring clean? If so, you may be pleasantly surprised by how much they could be worth. They might not have bought you much at the time, but old coins have increased in value since the Euro replaced Irish money back in 2002.

According to Ireland Coins, the rarest Irish coin – the 1943 florin (2 shilling) – could fetch at least €7,600, while the 1985 20 pence coin has been valued at around €6,500. Although not quite as valuable, both the 1931 and 1961 editions of the Irish half crown are also great finds. The coins, which were designed by Percy Metcalfe, may now be worth up to €600.

Rare whiskey proves its worth

Do you have an old bottle of whiskey hidden at the back of the drinks cabinet? If so, you might want to think twice before pouring yourself a glass. Rare whiskeys can sell for incredible prices, with some bottles going for over a million euros due to their age and heritage. According to the Knight Frank Luxury Investment Index, rare whiskey has increased in value by a rather mind-blowing 564% over the last 10 years.

One Irish whiskey collectors’ set sold for an eye-watering $2 million (€1,766,400) in 2021, making it the world’s most expensive collection. Made by The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. in Dublin, the aptly named ‘Emerald Isle Collection’ is the oldest and rarest triple-distilled Irish single malt in the world.

While it’s unlikely you’ll have a multi-million bottle lurking in the loft, it’s worth checking whether you do own any alcoholic beverages that may have increased in value. Bear in mind, however, that not all whiskey pays off and there are a large number of fakes on the market. In a study by the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, a third of supposedly vintage Scotch whiskey bottles were found to be counterfeit or not distilled in the year stated.

Sports memorabilia for the win

If you’re a keen sports fan, you may find some value in memorabilia you’ve kept hold of over the years. Old match programmes, signed footballs and signed shirts for example, have been sold for around a hundred euros. Sports medals - especially if they’re more than 100 years old - can fetch hundreds or even thousands of euros. Back in 2015, a 1912 GAA football all-Ireland gold medal sold for €6,400, after a valuation of between €2,000 to €3,000.

Uncovered a small fortune?

While it might be tempting to think collectables will always pay off, that’s not necessarily the case. Sometimes our attic collections hold more sentimental value than cash value.

However, if you are lucky to unearth a small fortune in your attic (or you have a lump sum of money already) you’ll need to think about what to do with your cash. The most assured way to protect and grow your funds is with a Fixed Term Deposit Account. Raisin Bank offers Irish savers the opportunity to compare competitive interest rates from a range of European banks. Plus, there’s no risk to your capital as deposits are protected under the EU-wide harmonised regulation on deposit guarantee schemes.

Dublin Dossier Award-winning Epic Museum well worth a visit

It was President Mary Robinson that popularised the concept of an Irish diaspora, that Irishness was not just confined within our shores but spread across the world. Emigration, plaguing us since the early Middle Ages, would be the term more likely used. Estimations are that perhaps 10 million people born in Ireland emigrated. That included the 8.5 million escaping the Great Famine between 1845 and 1852. Most, the poorest crossed the Irish Sea to Liverpool and onward to other English cities. Almost 5 million more crossed the Atlantic on infamously names 'coffin ships' to the United States of America. The relentless drip of emigration continued which today adds up to a massive Irish diaspora. An estimated 80 million people worldwide claim some Irish descent. Over 36 million Americans claim that Irish is their primary ethnicity.

After Britain and USA, Australia estimates 30 per cent of their population have Irish ancestry, resulting from the 400,000 Irish settlers, both voluntary and forced, arriving between the 1790s and 1920s. Smaller but significant amounts arrived in destinations all over the world, across Europe, North and South America. the Caribbean, Africa and Asia.

So it was fitting that in 2016 the former president Mary Robinson officially opened the EPIC Ireland interactive visitor centre in a former 19th century warehouse in the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC). It was also fitting that EPIC museum was the brainchild of former Coca-Cola chief executive Neville Isdell, who emigrated, aged 10, from Co Down with his parents to Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) in the mid-1950s. He joined Coca Cola South Africa and made it up the ranks in Australia, Europe, India, Middle East etc, etc up to Chair and CEO of Coca-Cola Company. Your tour is organised into four basic themes. First is migration, arrivals and departures that have shaped Ireland. Second is the motivations as to why so many people left Ireland over centuries: famine, war, living conditions, absences of opportunities and freedoms of choice. Third examines their migrational influences, what Irish people did overseas and how they contributed in their newly adopted homelands. This theme is truly astounding - hundreds of names in almost fields of life. Nine of the signatories of the American Declaration of Independence were of Irish origin. At least twenty-five presidents of the United States have some Irish ancestral origins, including Barack Obama, JFK of course, even George Washington. Names pop up like Che Gue vara, Walt Disney, Muhammad Ali, Chilean liberator Bernardo O'Higgins; a notable military diaspora in all kinds of conflicts; ‘Ireland was an inexhaustible nursery for the finest soldiers’ said Field Marshal The 1st Duke of Wellington, the Dublin-born 'Iron Duke' .The MacMahon family in France including Maréchal The 1st Duke of Magenta, the second President of the Third Republic. Actors on stage and screen. sportsmen and women. You have to see - the names go on and on.

The fourth theme allows visitors to share their own stories of Irish connections and influences throughout the world. And visitors can explore their own family backgrounds with the help of genealogists based on site at the Irish Family History Centre.

The Epic Museum won the 2021 World Travel Award for Europe’s Leading Tourist Attraction, the first Tourist Attraction in Europe have won that title three years in a row.