Best GIY Podcasts (2025)

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S3 Ep32: Growing at Grantstown, with David Currid 1:00:39

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21d ago1:00:39

1:00:39

David Currid grows almost 50,000 tomato plants every year at Grantstown Nurseries — the family business his parents started after moving from Dundalk to Waterford in the late 1970s. What began as a single glasshouse is now a major supplier to Ireland’s leading retailers. But it’s a tough time to be a commercial grower. With only a handful of Irish …

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S3 Ep31: Buy Irish honey, save Ireland’s bees, with Aoife Nic Giolla Coda 1:07:54

2M ago1:07:54

1:07:54

Aoife Nic Giolla Coda’s love of beekeeping was passed down from her father, Micheál, who founded Galtee Honey Farm in 1970. When her father neared retirement, Aoife returned home to take over Galtee Honey Farm, determined to continue her family’s work protecting Ireland’s native black bee. Today, Aoife carries on that family legacy, managing more t…

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S3 Ep30: Saving Seeds, Securing the Future, with Madeline McKeever 55:33

4M ago55:33

55:33

Madeline McKeever is on a mission to protect biodiversity and secure our food future—one seed at a time. A former dairy farmer in West Cork, Madeline started Brown Envelope Seeds after realising just how vulnerable Ireland is to global seed supply chains and shocks. Today, she’s a leading voice for seed saving in Ireland promoting local seeds that …

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SECOND BITES: Paul Brophy, Ireland’s ‘Broccoli Baron’ 59:46

5M ago59:46

59:46

The GIY team and I are taking a short summer break from recordings, but in the meantime, we’ll be bringing you a selection of our favourite episodes from the series so far. So whether you’re hearing them for the first time, or coming back for second helpings, I hope you enjoy! - Mick Kelly If you’ve ever bought a head of broccoli in an Irish superm…

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SECOND BITES: Mark Diacono – from River Cottage to his own ‘climate change farm’ 1:03:00

6M ago1:03:00

1:03:00

The GIY team and I are taking a short summer break from recordings, but in the meantime, we’ll be bringing you a selection of our favourite episodes from the series so far. So whether you’re hearing them for the first time, or coming back for second helpings, I hope you enjoy! - Mick Kelly Mark Diacono found his life’s purpose and direction through…

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S3 Ep29: Ashes to Action: The Glenisk Story of Sustainability 1:11:43

6M ago1:11:43

1:11:43

Vincent Cleary is one of Ireland’s original champions of food sustainability. Having taken over the family yoghurt business from his father in the mid 1990s, Vincent knew that organics was the way forward and within a year, Glenisk was a fully organic milk and yoghurt brand that quickly rose to dominate its market in Ireland. When a fire destroyed …

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S3 Ep28: Sea Change: Niall Sabongi on Irish Seafood Sustainability 1:05:30

7M ago1:05:30

1:05:30

Niall Sabongi is on a mission to change how we eat, and think about, seafood in Ireland. A chef and seafood entrepreneur, Niall was frustrated by stuffy restaurants and a broken fishing system, and he set out to do things differently. He opened a string of relaxed, seafood-focused eateries and later launched Sustainable Seafood Ireland, a wholesale…

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S3 Ep27: Tom Keogh talks spuds, snacks and food security 1:07:23

7M ago1:07:23

1:07:23

Tom Keogh has a great story to tell. Their family has been farming the land for over three generations, supplying the fresh produce market with potatoes grown on the farm in North County Dublin. Faced with falling demand for fresh spuds, Tom took a bold step, he began making crisps by hand in a shed on the farm. That small experiment became Keogh’s…

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S3 Ep26: Beyond Carbon Neutral: John Gilliland’s approach to Sustainable Farming 1:01:03

8M ago1:01:03

1:01:03

John Gilliland is on a mission to transform how we think about food, farming, and the environment. At Brook Hall Estate, his family’s historic farm in Derry, John began by trying to lower his farm’s energy bills, but his changes grew into a model for climate-friendly farming that’s now guiding policy in Northern Ireland and beyond. An award-winning…

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S3 Ep25: From Surf to Turf, with Fergal Smith 49:11

8M ago49:11

49:11

Having spent over a decade as an international pro surfer, Fergal Smith made the life-changing decision to return home to the west of Ireland and follow in his father’s footsteps as an organic farmer. Starting with just half an acre of land, Fergal has slowly grown his innovative food business, Moy Hill Farm, into a 120-acre certified organic farm,…

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S3 Ep24: Farming in a conflict zone - Dr Ollie Moore’s journey through the West Bank 1:02:28

9M ago1:02:28

1:02:28

Dr Ollie Moore is an expert in the sociology of farming and food, and one of Ireland’s leading experts on food systems and champions of food justice. As a member of Talamh Beo, Ollie was invited by a farming development and advocacy organisation in Palestine to visit the West Bank and learn about what life is like for food producers in an area that…

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S3 Ep23: From Chef to Seed Saver: The Journey of Mitch McCullough 37:35

9M ago37:35

37:35

Mitch McCullough’s journey into the world of heirloom seeds and heritage vegetables is anything but ordinary. A former chef turned grower, Mitch explores the fascinating stories behind the plants we eat. His book, ‘The Seed Hunter: Discover the World's Most Unusual Heirloom Plants’, is more than a gardening guide - it’s a deep dive into rare and un…

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S3 Ep22 - Exploring Ireland’s Culinary Past, with Mairtín Mac Con Iomaire 1:11:55

9M ago1:11:55

1:11:55

We talk a lot about the future of food on this podcast, but what about the past? Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire is on a mission to uncover and celebrate Ireland’s deep-rooted food history. From the earliest evidence of dairy farming over 5,000 years ago to trade networks that shaped our cuisine, he explores how food connects us to our past. An award-winni…

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S3 Ep21 - The power of organic fitness, with Colman Power 50:13

10M ago50:13

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Colman Power’s mission is a simple one – to help people become happier and healthier through good food, regular movement, and spending time in nature. Having studied horticulture at third level, Coleman became a skilled organic grower and a personal trainer. He has combined his twin passions into a career as an educator and author, self-publishing …

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S3 Ep20: How small scale farming can make a big impact, with Kevin Wallace 1:08:26

10M ago1:08:26

1:08:26

Kevin Wallace had no farming background at all, yet he has become one of Ireland’s most successful small-scale producers, growing a range of produce including salad greens, summer crops and speciality products for hotels, restaurants and cafés. Kevin is passionate about soil health and microbial balance, implementing practices such as the ‘no-dig’ …

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S3 Ep19: Taking a zero tolerance approach to food waste, with Conor Spacey 1:21:19

11M ago1:21:19

1:21:19

When Conor Spacey was working in his first kitchen he was shocked at the amount of perfectly good food being thrown away. He convinced his boss to let him save it, cook it, and use it to feed all of his colleagues. It was a small change that made a big difference to the kitchen’s sustainability and its bottom line. Ever since, Conor has dedicated h…

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S3 Ep18: Baking bread, building community with Ciara O hArtghaile 54:15

11M ago54:15

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When Ciara O hArtghaile returned home to Co Antrim, after a year living in New Zealand, she and her husband had a clear mission: to build a community around love of good food, in their home town of Ballycastle. They started to bake high quality sourdough bread in the small domestic oven of their rented apartment, just three loaves at a time. Today,…

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S3 Ep17: Turning unused city spaces into thriving farms 55:36

12M ago55:36

55:36

Brian McCarthy founded innovative urban farming project Cork Rooftop Farm during the first covid lockdown in March 2020. Situated on a rooftop in Cork city centre, the farm started off as a personal project to grow fruit and vegetables. But Brian started to see the potential for something much bigger and, today, Cork Rooftop Farm is a thriving busi…

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S3 Ep16: From Plant to Plate, with Darryl Gadzekpo and Ella Phillips 59:58

1y ago59:58

59:58

Darryl Gadzekpo and Ella Phillips are on a mission to get kids growing, cooking, and eating more plant-powered food. Having previously worked in the arts, Darryl and Ella have brought all of that creativity into what they do today: growing interesting veg in their urban garden, running cookery workshops and pop-up dining experiences, and packing as…

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S3 Ep15: Getting to the core of apple growing in Ireland with Con Traas 59:03

1y ago59:03

59:03

Did you know that Ireland is very well-suited for growing apples, but despite that, we import over 95% of the apples we eat? Irish apples can sometimes be difficult to buy, but when you do find them, there’s a good chance they were grown by Con Traas. Con has 40,000 apple trees on ‘The Apple Farm’ in Co Tipperary and he sells the fruit directly fro…

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S3 Ep14: 20 years of The Happy Pear 1:00:41

1y ago1:00:41

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In 2004, David and Stephen Flynn, aka The Happy Pear, opened a small fruit and veg shop in Greystones, Co. Wicklow, with a dream of helping people eat more veg. Now, two decades later, The Happy Pear is one of the best-known and loved brands in Ireland, and has scaled into a highly successful business comprising over 80 products, online courses, be…

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S3 Ep13: Charles Dowding - The ‘No-Dig’ Guru 1:05:37

1y ago1:05:37

1:05:37

So is it possible that digging your garden is a total waste of your time? According to our guest on this episode, it may be time to put down that shovel and spend those precious hours doing something way more productive. Charles Dowding is best known as the ‘No-Dig Guru. He trained as a horticulturalist and became very interested in the links betwe…

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S3 Ep12: How a passion for growing became a successful career 58:32

1y ago58:32

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Lynsay Orton always had a passion for growing rare and exotic fruit and veg until unexpected family circumstances turned that passion into a very niche and successful business. Operating out of just six polytunnels on Ross Hazel Farm, Lynsay grows over 1500 plants exclusively for chefs that cook for some of the world’s biggest companies. On this ep…

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S3 Ep11: Fighting for a Fairer Food System, with Pete Russell, Ooooby 55:08

1y ago55:08

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Pete Russell was running a 12m dollar-a-year food company when, suddenly, he had a “road to Damascus” moment. Pete realised that he was a part of a broken food system that was loaded against small food producers, and he knew that he wanted to be part of the solution rather than the problem. So he launched Ooooby, a platform that connects small food…

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S3 Ep10: The Power of Permaculture, with Perrine Hervé-Gruyer 55:48

1+ y ago55:48

55:48

When we work with, rather than against nature, great things can happen: soil is healthier, biodiversity richer, and crop yields higher. Perrine Hervé-Gruyer learned this first-hand when she and her husband created The Bec Hellouin farm in Normandy, France in 2006. Determined to work in harmony with nature, and with no previous farming experience, t…

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S3 Ep 9: Mark Diacono – from River Cottage to his own ‘climate change farm’ 1:02:25

1+ y ago1:02:25

1:02:25

Mark Diacono found his life’s purpose and direction through food and he has dedicated his life to growing, cooking and writing about it. Having been involved in the early days of River Cottage, Mark went on to pursue his dream of creating his own farm, turning two blank fields in southwest England into 17-acres of diverse fruit and veg plots, orcha…

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S3 Ep8: Karen O’Donoghue – my lifelong journey to a Happy Tummy 1:09:07

1+ y ago1:09:07

1:09:07

Cork-born Karen O'Donoghue is a woman with a mission: to improve people's gut health through the bread she bakes at The Happy Tummy Co. in Westport, Co Mayo. Her baked goods are the culmination of a long and sometimes painful journey involving the loss of her mother to cancer, years spent suffering through poor mental and physical health, and ultim…

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S3 Ep7: Sally Barnes - Ireland’s ‘Wild Salmon Warrior’ 1:07:38

1+ y ago1:07:38

1:07:38

Sally Barnes is both a force of nature and a champion for it. One of Ireland’s most iconic artisan food producers, Sally runs the last smokehouse in Ireland that deals exclusively with Ireland’s diminishing stock of wild fish. Sally started out by smoking fish in a tea chest in the early 1980s as a way of preserving unexpected gluts, and in the yea…

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S3 Ep6: Caitlin Ruth, Fermenting Change 1:12:01

1+ y ago1:12:01

1:12:01

Get the jars, vinegar and flavourings at the ready because Caitlin Ruth is about to inspire you to start pickling and preserving everything you can get your hands on. Caitlin worked as a professional chef in many kitchens in many places, but her childhood love of pickling and fermenting always came with her. She has now captured all of her favourit…

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S3 Ep5: Why size doesn’t matter! Huw Richards & Sam Cooper 1:06:19

1+ y ago1:06:19

1:06:19

They say that size doesn’t matter, it’s what you do with it that counts. And when it comes to growing our own food, that’s certainly the case. Renowned gardener Huw Richards and highly accomplished chef Sam Cooper have spent the last two years working out how we can all grow as much fruit and veg as we can eat, on just a small plot of land. They sh…

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S3 Ep 4: Johnny Flahavan – Not your Run of the Mill Family Business 1:05:54

1+ y ago1:05:54

1:05:54

Flahavans is one of Ireland’s most iconic family businesses. Having milled locally-grown oats in Co Waterford for almost 250 years, the family has built the Flahavans brand over seven generations and it is now synonymous with porridge and other nutritious oat-based foods. In recent years, Flahavans has invested heavily in expanding the product rang…

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S3 Ep3: Dr Rebecca O' Mahony – How to get that good gut feeling 1:16:02

1+ y ago1:16:02

1:16:02

Most of us have grown up learning that bugs and bacteria are bad, but did you know that our bodies are packed full of little microbes that are working day and night to keep us healthy and happy? Collectively, we call this the microbiome, and the better we take care of it, the better it can take care of us. Dr Rebecca O’ Mahony of BiomiCare is one o…

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S3 Ep2: Ali Honour – Queen Bean and Conscious Chef 1:04:30

1+ y ago1:04:30

1:04:30

Ali Honour wants to DOUBLE the amount of beans we eat globally. Why? Because not only are beans incredibly good for our bodies and our pockets, they’re also great for the planet. Having spent decades working in all corners of the culinary industry, Ali understands how food and chefs can play a vital role in creating a healthier and more sustainable…

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S3 Ep1: Paul Brophy, Ireland’s ‘Broccoli Baron’ 59:12

1+ y ago59:12

59:12

If you’ve ever bought a head of broccoli in an Irish supermarket, Paul Brophy probably grew it. Paul Brophy Produce grows almost 11 million broccoli plants annually on 600 acres of land, supplying 75% of all broccoli plants on supermarket shelves. Starting with just 5 acres in 1983, Paul has spent the last three decades building his edible empire, …

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The psychology of shopping and buying local 27:56

2y ago27:56

27:56

How much are you willing pay to buy Irish, to buy organic, and to ensure that food producers are getting a fair price for their goods? In this episode of Food Done Right we learn about the psychology behind why we buy what we buy, the role that large retailers play in the food supply chain, and why it is so important that we support Irish producers…

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From Picky to Proactive: Deirdre Doyle on Inspiring Healthy Eating Habits in Children 26:00

2y ago26:00

26:00

Deirdre Doyle has dedicated her career to encouraging children to eat healthy food and to cook it for themselves. As founder of Cool Food School, Deirdre understands the challenges that parents can face when trying to get their kids to eat more greens and wholefoods. In this episode of Food Done Right she shares tips and tricks that can help to ove…

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Nutritional Inequality: Unpacking the School Lunch Divide 46:19

2y ago46:19

46:19

In this episode of Food Done Right, Mick Kelly hosts a panel discussion on practical ways to get children interested in growing their own food. Joined by Lilly Higgins, a food writer, chef and photographer, and Deirdre Doyle from the Cool Food School, they explore how to inspire children to connect with their food and shares insights on how to enga…

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Farming, famine and fighting hunger 34:50

2y ago34:50

34:50

Steve Collins is a medical doctor with a PhD in Nutrition, who has spent the last 35 years fighting malnutrition and starvation in the developing world. Steve has witnessed a lot of progress made in this area but unfortunately, he has also seen a reversing of that progress in recent years with global hunger levels starting to rise again. In this th…

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Mass movements versus mass extinctions 1:09:16

2y ago1:09:16

1:09:16

From the promotion of rewilding to protecting pollinators, our actions to combat the biodiversity crisis are proving successful. But what else can we do? How can we encourage more of these effective actions and make them the norm rather than the exception? In this episode of Food Done Right these issues and many others are discussed by: - Pádraic F…

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Rory O’Boyle on why veganism is more than just a diet 30:17

2y ago30:17

30:17

Rory O’Boyle is an animal rights activist and volunteer for Go Vegan World. In this episode of Food Done Right he talks about: ●His journey to becoming vegan and how difficult it is to speak about it to some people in his life who don’t understand his choice ●How it takes a change of mindset and overcoming bias to become vegan. ●The difference betw…

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Planet-based diets 55:31

2y ago55:31

55:31

On this episode we explore the science behind how a change in diet will help us achieve our food sustainability goals. Recorded at Waterford’s Harvest Festival, a panel of food producers and environmental activists discuss differences in views around food production, consumption and the impact of both on the planet. Our panellists are: Mairead Cost…

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From Healthcare to Horticulture: Máiréad Costin of Garraí Mara organic farm 11:42

2y ago11:42

11:42

Meet Máiréad, a beacon of inspiration in the realm of Irish organic horticulture and a proud representative of the increasing number of female farmers in Ireland. Entering into the world of organic farming during a career break from healthcare in 2017, Máiréad has since cultivated not just crops, but a vision: Garraí Mara. It's more than just a far…

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Living and Communicating through the Climate Crisis 50:05

2y ago50:05

50:05

John Gibbons is one of Ireland best-known environmental journalists and commentators. A very familiar voice on radio shows like The Last Word with Matt Cooper on Today FM, John is also behind the blog Think or Swim, and writes regularly in national print media. In this episode of Food Done Right, John joins GIY to talk about how things have changed…

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Global Shocks, Local Impact 1:05:57

2y ago1:05:57

1:05:57

A fascinating panel discussion from GIY’s Harvest festival where four experts in food production and sustainability discuss the global issues that have been affecting us in recent years. They reflect on how the COVID-19 Pandemic, the War in Ukraine and Climate Change have impacted our food systems and they explore what we can do to become more resi…

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Food Done Right: In Care 1:04:56

4y ago1:04:56

1:04:56

The food given to the sick, or those in institutional care, says a lot about the value we place on it in society. Hospital food has long exemplified a degraded view of food, but Joyce Timmins' efforts at Rotunda Hospital have won her awards and sparked a new conversation. Horticultural therapist Rachel Gerrard coordinates the garden at the National…

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Food Done Right: In Restaurants 57:35

4y ago57:35

57:35

Chefs play a major role in determining food trends. Advocacy specialist Paul Newnham works to mobilise chefs globally to take action towards addressing SDG2, Zero Hunger. In what might seem contradictory, this movement includes high-end restaurants, where the trends these top chefs create have the potential to change food culture more widely. At Mi…

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Food Done Right: At Work 1:00:50

4y ago1:00:50

1:00:50

The major global tech companies have created their own food culture over the last decade, characterised as excessive and wasteful at times, but trail-blazing elsewhere. Airbnb's former Executive Chef Maurice McGeehan explains more, before detailing the food needs of very different professionals - Irish rugby players. Tim Holmes then takes us behind…

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Food Done Right: In The Community 1:03:10

4y ago1:03:10

1:03:10

Northern Europe is generally a good place to look for how the world should function sustainably. In Holland, Geert van der Veer's organisation Herenboeren enables groups of 200 people to co-invest in a farm and take control of the food supply in their area. In a housing estate in Kildare, Pat Pender and his neighbours have transformed wasted land t…

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Food Done Right: At School 58:37

4y ago58:37

58:37

School closures during lockdown revealed the dependency so many children have on school meals. Serial food entrepreneur, writer and researcher Michelle Darmody explains how it also revealed the quality of these meals and the lack of emphasis on food literacy in our education system. On the opposite side of the world in Zambia, teacher Charles Banda…

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Food Done Right: At Home 1:04:34

4y ago1:04:34

1:04:34

The global food system is at its worst in American households. Roger Doiron campaigned for the White House to create a kitchen garden to help educate Americans about their food, which has survived the tumultuous transitions of power over the last decade. One former Obama campaigner turned Irish resident, Erin Fornoff explains how growing food can b…