Rachel Beresford
Brand new festival set to be a hit in the capital… By
Me Auld Flower — a brand new and exciting Irish food and drinks festival set in the historic wholesale fruit, vegetable and flower market in the heart of the city’s northside — kicks off St Patrick’s weekend festivities in Dublin this year. From Andy Noonan and his team, the brains behind Big Grill — Europe’s biggest BBQ and food festival — and Baste BBQ, Me Auld Flower will be the first-of-itskind event in thevictorian venue, bringing the best of Ireland together to recreate the buzz of the old market with a distinctly modern take.
The event will focus on Irish food and drink culture with an intriguing and original mix of restaurants, chefs, producers, distillers, brewers and makers, all under the one storied roof.
Taking place as part of the St. Patrick’s Festival ‘One City’ Programme for 2023, Me Auld Flower will bring a new audience to this iconic market, which originally opened its doors in 1892 and served the Dublin wholesale market and public for 127 years from its block in Smithfield until it finally closed its doors in 2019.
Speaking at the launch of Me Auld Flower, Festival Director Andy Noonan, said,“we are honoured to host this first-of-its-kind-event in one of Dublin’s most-loved buildings. To bring this festival to life has been years in the making.
“I’ve always wanted to host an event in the market, highlighting the best in Irish food & drink. Me Auld Flower will bring this all to life under one roof. Guests can expect the same eye for talent as Big Grill, with all of the festival atmosphere we’re known for, in an indoor setting. We are excited to be part of our national celebrations, working alongside the St Patrick’s festival team.”
Also Speaking at the launch, St. Patrick’s Festival CEO Richard Tierney said,“we’re really delighted to be working with Andy and his team on this brand new event. There is so much vibrancy within our Irish food culture right now — our producers, our chefs, our food entrepreneurs indoors and out — it’s something that we can be very proud of, and something that can stand shoulder to shoulder with anything on the international scene. It’s going to be a fantastic addition to the Festival.”
Me Auld Flower will offer something new and different for St. Patrick’s Day that’s profoundly authentic and rooted in the very real day-to-day contemporary world of Irish food and drink, designed as much for our home audience as for the visitors from abroad.
For locals, this is a showcase and celebration of what is great about this very specific aspect of our culture, and for visitors looking for a real way into what makes Dublin a great place to spend our national holiday, this is an event with heart and soul, smarts and flavour — not your average Paddy’s Day cliché.
Stroll around one of the six sessions of Me Auld Flower over the Thursday through to Sunday of St. Patrick’s Festival weekend and experience a melting pot of great Irish food, from fresh oysters to worldclass charcuterie and cheese, from cheeky bacon and cabbage dumplings to a Michelinstar bowl of coddle, or pick up a bag of local spuds to bring home.
Enjoy a pint, a glass of wine or work your way through the selection of Irish craft beers, drinks, whiskeys and spirits on offer with excellent cocktails to boot.
Listen and learn from Ireland’s best and some of our diaspora of chefs and cooks making a name for themselves abroad, through demos, classes, tastings, signature dishes and workshops on the Bastecamp and Brewcamp stages and get stuck in with a host of live acts and DJS.
In the old yard, Big Grill will be heating things up with a live fire cooking area with top Irish and international chefs and pitmasters,while inside at Me Auld Flower will have almost 50 different vendors providing hot and cold food, producers and growers, spirits makers and craft beer brewers, with a session capacity of up to 4,000 guests, meaning that the total footfall of guests over the four days could reach 20,000 across its six atmospheric and entertaining sessions. With bookable seated areas and bespoke arrangements for larger groups and corporate guests, the expertise that has successfully delivered Big Grill events over the past decade is on standby to provide another exceptional festival on Thursday, March 16 from 4pm10pm, Friday, March 17 from 11am4pm and 5pm-10pm, Saturday, March 18 from 11am-4pm and 5pm-10pm, and Sunday, March 19 from 12pm-8pm.
Celebrate the vibrant food culture of our island in the best way possible, by eating all around it, and raise a glass — or a knife and fork, a spoon, or a pair of chopsticks — to our national holiday at Me Auld Flower.
Visit meauldflower.com for more information or tickets. ■
The Silver Medal, which comes after Sligo Park Hotel won certification from the globally prestigious Great Place to Work Programme (GPTW) in December 2022, further consolidates the hotel’s reputation for achieving high standards in all of its endeavours.
Sligo Park Hotel General Manager and Director Gerard Moore said, “I’m delighted that Sligo Park Hotel has won a Silver Medal in the Ireland’s Family Friendly Hotel category at the Virgin Media Business Gold Medal Awards.
“Everyone at the hotel works hard to ensure that all our guests enjoy an excellent stay with us. We have put a lot of work into creating family holiday packages that offer a mix of comfort, relaxation and entertainment for all the family, and we are very pleased to see this effort recognised by the Awards.”
“Stroll around one of the six sessions of Me Auld Flower...”