Good Food Ireland® is launching its Connect Sessions 2026, a series of five regional briefings across the island, marking the start of its 20th anniversary programme. These gatherings bring together producers, hospitality businesses and tourism partners to explore the future of experience-led Irish food and drink. Leading into the Good Food Ireland Conference on Monday, April 20^th 2026 in the InterContinental Dublin, the sessions will examine how the emotional, sensory and cultural connections people make with food, drink and produce can elevate experiences and how Good Food Ireland® helps businesses maximise this advantage.

For two decades, Good Food Ireland® has championed a values-driven, experience-led approach, positioning quality, provenance, storytelling and sustainability as defining pillars for Irish food and drink businesses. From restaurants, cafés, pubs and hotels to farms, specialty shops and local producers, the brand continues to provide consumer recognition and differentiation, helping businesses deliver authentic, trusted experiences rooted in Ireland’s rich culinary heritage.

Connect Session Dates & Host Partners (By Invitation)

• Tuesday, 17 February – The Grand Central Hotel, Belfast
• Wednesday, 18 February – The Lodge at Ashford Castle, Co. Mayo
• Thursday, 19 February – Barberstown Castle, Co. Kildare
• Monday, 23 February – Hayfield Manor, Cork
• Thursday, 26 February – The Europe Hotel & Resort, Co. Kerry

Agenda 

9:30am – 10:00am | Registration & Networking
Refreshments on arrival, with informal networking and opportunities to meet the Good Food Ireland® team and official partners at branded meeting desks.

10:00am – 10:20am | Welcome & Opening Reflections
Margaret Jeffares, Founder & CEO, Good Food Ireland® I Host Partner Hotels: Damien McDonald, Deputy General Manager, Grand Central Hotel, Niall Rochford, Managing Director, Ashford Estate, Amanda Torrens, CEO & Owner, Barberstown Castle, Gerhard Erasmus, General Manager, Hayfield Manor,

Reflecting on 20 years of taste, the journey to date and how experience-led food and drink tourism, driven by quality, trust, authenticity and emotional connection will shape the next chapter.

SESSION 1 – 10:20am – 11:00am | The Good Food Ireland® Advantage
Alison Johnston, Sales & Marketing Director, Good Food Ireland® | Tom O’ Connell, Good Food Ireland® Awards Judge, Dr Detta Melia, Good Food Ireland®  Awards Judge.

Exploring how businesses can strengthen their position as premium Irish food and drink experience providers through trust, collaboration, provenance, storytelling and consistency. This session will also highlight opportunities through the Good Food Ireland® Experiences, regional collaborations such as “Taste AND” and insights from judging criteria for excellence. A Good Food Ireland® Awards Judge, will share insights on achieving recognition for excellence from a Good Food Ireland® food-focused customer perspective.

SESSION 2 – 11:00am – 11:30am | Longstanding Members & Partners Panel: 20 Years of Impact

This panel brings together longstanding members and strategic partners to explore how Good Food Ireland® has driven trust, visibility and commercial growth by embedding provenance, quality and experience at the heart of Irish food and drink.

Moderator: Margaret Jeffares, Founder & CEO, Good Food Ireland
Panel Speakers: 

• The Grand Central Belfast: John Lavery, Owner Fish City, Alastair Bell, Owner, Irish Black Butter, Paul Carroll, Ghan House, Damian Tumilty, Executive Chef, Hastings Hotel Group.
• The Lodge at Ashford Castle Estate: Peter Ward, Owner, Country Choice Nenagh, JP McMahon, Chef & Owner, Aniar, Sean Kelly, Kelly’s of Newport, Frankie Mallon, Owner, An Port Mor.
• Barberstown Castle: Peter Ward, Owner, Country Choice Nenagh, Ed Cooney, Executive Chef, The Merrion, Paul Lenehan, Owner, Harte Group, Pauline Dunne, Marketing Manager, Killowen Farm.
• Hayfield Manor: Fern Allen, Owner, Ballymaloe House, Peter Ward, Owner, Country Choice Nenagh, Martin Buckley, Owner, The Lifeboat Inn, Mark Staples, Executive Chef, Hayfield Manor.
• The Europe Hotel & Resort: Peter Ward, Owner, Country Choice Nenagh, Quinlan Steele, Milleens Cheese, Alex Nahke, Executive Head Chef, The Europe Hotel & Resort, 1 Other Speaker TBC

SESSION 3 – 11:30am – 12:00pm | Supporting the Next Chapter: Experience-Led Food & Drink 

Partner Contributions:

A sequence of three short partner-led presentations examining how Irish food and drink businesses can protect, invest in and deliver outstanding experience-led offerings. The session highlights how trust, quality, sustainability and storytelling, from supporting confidence and planning to Irish sourcing, underpin memorable food and drink experiences at every point of interaction.

FBD INSURANCE – “Protecting the Experience: Supporting Confidence Across the Food & Drink Journey”

AIB – “Funding the Future: Financial Supports for Growth, Sustainability and Resilience”

BIM – “From Sea to Plate: Creating Memorable Irish Seafood Experiences”

ALLFRESH – “Influencing Demand for Irish Produce and Seasonal Supply Chains”

ARDS NORTH DOWN – “The Strategic Opportunity of Partnership with Good Food Ireland®”

TOURISM IRELAND – “Positioning Ireland’s Premium Food & Drink Experiences for the Global Visitor”

12:00pm – 12:20pm | Partner Panel Q&A

A moderated discussion with partners from the previous session, addressing experience-led growth, confidence, planning, sustainability and product excellence across the agri-food, fishing, food, drink and tourism & hospitality sectors.

Moderator: Peter Ward, Owner, Country Choice Nenagh 

Speakers:

• The Grand Central: Ciaran McGann, Head of Manufacturing, Food & Fisheries, AIB, Conal Stewart, Food & Drink Development Officer, Ards and North Down Borough Council, David Boyce, Head of Business Events and Luxury, Tourism Ireland.
• The Lodge at Ashford Castle Estate: Fred Flynn, Commercial Sales Development Manager, FBD Insurance, Ciaran McGann, Head of Manufacturing, Food & Fisheries, AIB, Paul Ward, Manager Business Intelligence, BIM
• Barberstown Castle: Paddy Carey, Business Development Manager, FBD Insurance, Ciaran McGann, Head of Manufacturing, Food & Fisheries, AIB, Cathriona McCarthy, Market Intelligence Executive, BIM, Barra Sweetnam, Managing Director, Allfresh
• Hayfield Manor: Kevin Whittle, Commercial Sales Development Manager, FBD Insurance, Ciaran McGann, Head of Manufacturing, Food & Fisheries, AIB, Paul Ward, Manager Business Intelligence, BIM, Barra Sweetnam, Managing Director, Allfresh,
• The Europe Hotel & Resort: Paddy Carey, FBD Insurance, Ciaran McGann, Head of Manufacturing, Food & Fisheries, AIB, Cathriona McCarthy, Market Intelligence Executive, BIM, Barra Sweetnam, Managing Director, Allfresh,

12:20pm – 12:30pm | Bringing It All Together
Good Food Ireland® reinforces the strength of its all-island community, outlines next steps and highlights opportunities to engage throughout the 20th anniversary year.

12:30pm – 1:00pm | Networking & One-to-One Conversations
Continued networking with like-minded businesses, partners and the Good Food Ireland® team.

Good Food Ireland® would like to thank its Official Partner FBD Insurance, Partners AIB, BIM, Allfresh, Tourism Ireland as well as Host Partners Hotels for their continuous support of Good Food Ireland®.