THE STORY
Understand the story behind HOW and WHY I have created the incredible Irish influenced dishes on your menu.
Yellow meal cake, silver Hill duck and endive
Inspired by an ingredient eaten by the Irish people during the Irish Potato Famine (1845–1852), during this time, it’s believed one million Irish people died. It is estimated that, as a result of the famine and mass emigration in search of a better future, around two million people left Ireland.
During the Irish Potato Famine, the Native American tribe, the Choctaws, donated corn to Ireland to help feed the starving Irish population. In 2015, a monument called Kindred Spirits was erected in Ireland to honour their extraordinary generosity. During the pandemic, Ireland sent a sizeable donation to the Navajo Nation and the Hopi Reservation, cementing a long-lasting friendship.
This dish pays homage to our gratitude for the Choctaws' remarkable act of kindness and understanding.
Queen Meabh (Maeve)
A warrior Queen. Known for ambition and strength. Queen Meabh, the daughter of the High King Eochaid Feidlech, became the Queen of Connaught in Irish folklore.
It is theorised that she is the inspiration for the fairy queen Mab found in William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet.
On some of the pewter water goblets we have in Myrtle Restaurant, it depicts the famous competition that Queen Meabh had with her husband Ailill Mac over who held the most personal wealth. It eventually came down to a prize bull that Ailill had.
Queen Meabh sent her closest allies to her neighbour, who was rumoured to have an even more impressive bull, thus meaning she would be the winner. This was named the Cattle Raid of Cooley, as it wasn’t as simple as it seemed and resulted in a war. It is rumoured that Queen Meabh eventually won the bull, but both bulls were foolishly placed in the same field, where a fight ensued and both bulls died.
Supposedly, she is buried upright, facing her enemies in Ulster. Her home was in County Roscommon.
