One of the first wonderful things I discovered whilst living in Ireland is also one of the most important things a girl needs when she moves to a teeny-tiny, medieval village in new country far, far away from her family, friends, cat and career. This all-important saving grace would be: ICE CREAM. And I don’t mean just any ice cream. Ice cream that will take your homesickness and melancholy away. Ice cream that will sooth your aching, grieving heart. Spend time with you. Be your friend. This ice cream has to be top notch, crème de la crème, or for me, at least as good as Sebastian Joe’s, Izzy’s, Mad Martha’s or any beautiful custard ice cream from Door County. It must be creamy and rich, but not too sweet; really fresh and light, but not full of air. I was very lucky to find it within a week of moving over. This Irish ice cream is extraordinary and it is called Murphys.  Murphys is so entirely perfect and delicious that it immediately became my BFF.

Now, just so you know, R and I both basically had a love affair with Murphys Ice Cream. We did everything together: day trips to Dingle to visit the café, sourcing it shops in Limerick and other venues, always asking at restaurants if they had Murphy’s on offer for dessert.  We’d stock up from Ivan’s so we’d always have some on hand when the urge set in for a few scoops of (me)honeycomb or (him)chocolate. (the Brown Bread flavour is my close second, yummmm.)

So, imagine my complete and utter joy when Kieran Murphy of Murphys Ice Cream sent me a message saying that he thought this blog one of the best he’d seen in a long time. A tear welled up in my eye. And then I immediately went to Ivan’s for a couple pints of Murphy’s to celebrate with.

Irish brothers Sean and Kieran Murphy were born in NYC and started Murphy’s Ice Cream in Dingle, County Kerry in the year 2000. Their goal was to make the best ice cream in the world. Over the next two years the business grew, the ice cream became more refined, and customers from outside Kerry became more insistent on having Murphys Ice Cream closer to home. In 2005, Murphys Ice Cream opened a second shop on Main Street in Killarney. In a bid to support the indigenous breed and because the milk is so wonderful, Murphys Ice Cream uses milk from the magnificent Kerry cow. In 2008, the “Book of Sweet Things”, composed of gorgeous Murphys ice cream recipes was published. Murphys Ice Cream has won numerous awards and accolades, but what they’re really interested in is exciting and delighting their customers. An interest that really does shine through.

Kieran was kind enough to let me interview him for this post so I’ve asked him a few questions about being an expat and just what he loves about Ireland.…

1.   What was it like moving to Ireland after growing up in America.. What was(is) the greatest thing about being here? (and for me personally, what were the biggest challenges?)

I moved to Ireland originally because I became tired of the US – specifically the one-sided, all-consuming attitude toward work, and having work define you so much as a person. Here, I have always felt life was fuller and more varied. Since I grew up with Irish citizenship, moving here was quite easy, and I always felt welcome. The challenges have been the same anytime I have moved – make new friends, and find your way into the community. The only other big challenge has been coping with the gloomy weather!

2.    What is Murphy’s relationship with Irish farmers and producers?

We try our best to support farmers and food producers as best we can. In terms of farmers, we are buying in local, free range eggs as well as our direct link with the farmer supplying us with our Kerry cow milk. We also try to buy what we can as flavours - fruits in season, local honey, etc. For food producers we helped set up Blas na hÉireann – the Irish Food Awards to highlight the excellent produce about the place, and we do our best to always plug Irish foods in the press.

3.    What Irish dishes do you love?

My aunt made her own Irish soda bread, which was a big source of excitement in our family growing up, since it meant a special occasion (served with jam and cream). I think, however, rather than the dishes, what really makes me drool is the quality of our raw ingredients here in Ireland – amazing fish, best dairy in the world, spuds, certain fruits and vegetables, etc. Of course, we can’t forget the excellent whiskeys and stouts as well

4.   What are some Irish traditions or sensibilities that you love..

I love that traditions are alive and well in this part of Ireland – Wren’s Day, Nollaig na mBhan, traditional music, naomhóg races, Lunasa, the Irish language, etc. Sensibilities would include ability and need to have fun, balance in life, community spirit, less social stratification than elsewhere (at least in rural areas).

5.    Fave places in Ireland that you would recommend visiting?

Kerry, of course!!! Specifically I love Dingle, including the Blaskets, Killarney National Park and all of our amazing landscapes. Outside the Kingdom, I’m very partial to Donegal, Connemara, and the Antrim coast. Slightly off the beaten track, I’d suggest Clonmacnoise, Killaloe, Ardmore, and all the archeological treasures in the Boyne Valley. There are so, so many wonderful places around Ireland, though, and a short list is very hard!

6.  Would you ever move back to the USA?

I certainly am not planning on it, but I never count anything out because the moment I do, life takes me in that direction! There’s a lot I love about the US, and I could be happy there. However, I’m happy very here.

7.   Anything else new in 2010 for Murphy’s that you’d like to share?

2010 is our 10th year in business, so we hope there will be lots of celebrations, specials, and fun. We’d like to expand a bit this year, but so much will depend on how the year progresses. Most important to us is to use our 10th Anniversary to spoil our customers, who have been so loyal and supportive over the years. Now, if we could only arrange a bit of sun for the summer…

The “Book of Sweet Things” is available to international customers online through Mercier Press. You can also find more info on Murphys Ice Cream at www.murphysicecream.ie or check out Kieran’s blog at www.icecreamireland.com

Slan Abhaile,

Imen

Caveat: because I grew up in the Midwest of the USA and am accustomed to such Fargo-like isms such as “ya betcha” and “pret’near”, I feel I can write about this topic in an unbiased, non-judging manner. Oh, and even poke fun a little bit.

This post sets out to help you avoid any embarrassing moments of confusion or shock when confronted with some commonly used Irish slang words or expressions while you are living in or visiting Ireland. After nearly 5 years of living here, I’ve heard so many new terms and phrases that I would venture to say that clever Irish communication style is one the of the top things Ireland has on offer. It most certainly makes my day on a regular basis!

So, without further adieu, here is Part 1, A-J, the shortlisted glossary of my favourite Irish slang words and phrases derived from both farm country and city life alike:

Ask Me Arse: (v) (rhetorical) What do you take me for.  “You need a lift to Dublin to go shopping? Ask me arse! That’s tree (3) hours away!”

Bang On: (adj) Correct. Perfectly accurate. “Ohhhh, that Tiffany key necklace is bang on sweetie. May I please have one?”

Banjaxed: (adj) Broken. Severely damaged. “Me head is totally banjaxed after last night’s (drinking) session with the lads”

Babby (n) Baby. Small Child. Name of Imen’s forthcoming babywear line. “Me ma had her first babby when she was 12 and never looked back”

Bejeebus: (expr) By Jesus. “Bejeebus! The magpies are savage round here this year!”

Black Stuff. (n) Stout. “I’ll take a pint of the black stuff and a half-pint of Bulmer’s for the lady”

The Business. (n) Something cool. “Monart Spa is the business, don’t you think sweetie? We really must get away for a weekend soon”

Call. (v) to drop by someone’s home. (usually unexpectedly). “I think I’ll just call over to Imen’s this morning, I’m sure she’ll be well prepared for guests.” {yeah right}

Craic. (n) pronounced “crack”.  Fun. “There’s great craic to be found at the pub round the corner”  {and you most likely won’t get arrested for it}

Chancer (n) Untrustworthy person.  “That aul chancer, he’d better put it right”

Cow. (n) crabby lady. “She’s a right old cow, but sure, she always goes to mass on time so she’s grand”

Da. (n) Father. Irish for father.  “Me and me Da used to go sloe picking in the fields.”

Doss (on the) (n) Failing to show up for work/school during specified hours. “I swear I wasn’t on de doss, I really did have a brain transplant yesterday!’

Dub. (adj) Someone from Dublin. “Once a Dub, always a Dub”

Eejit. (n) Person of limited mental capacity. Complete moron. “That eejit is back on Fair City again”

Fair Play. (expr) Well done. “Fair play to all of ye who finally put grit down on the icy roads!”

Fanny. (n) Female genitals. {and I don’t mean your bum} “She had on no knickers and you could see her fanny, to think!!”

Feck. (v)(n) Politically correct term for f**k.  “Oh feck! I said f**k!”

Full Shilling. (not the) (adj) Mentally challenged. “All those loud Americans…definitely not of the full shilling”

Gas. (adj) Amusing. Funny. Hilarious. “That Des Bishop sure is gas”

Give out. (v) To yell. Scream. Reprimand.  “Me mum’s giving out to me again fer wearing too much mascara and me tacky white leather boots!”

Grand. (adj) Fine. Good. “Who me? Sure, I’m grand”

Happy Out. (adj). To be content. “Just leave me at Brown Thomas for the afternoon and I’ll be happy out”

Holy Show. (v) To make a big deal out of something. “Bejeebus! he really made a holy show of things!”

Hooley.(n) Raucous celebration involving drinking and singing. “There’s a hooley on tonite at Kelly’s!”

Howaya/Hiya/Heya. (greeting). Hi. Hello. “Heya, anything strange(new)with you?”

Jacks (n) Toilet. Restroom. “Did you see the state of de jacks in there?! They couldn’t be arsed to have em cleaned” note: the term toilet is used here more so than bathroom/restroom…”I need to go to the toilet” is a very common expression or “I’m going to the loo”.

Janey Mack! (expr) Expression of utter disbelief. Wow! “Janey Mack! That See by Chloe bag would be half the price in the USA!”

Jar (n). A pint of beer or stout. “Okay so, let’s dander down to the local for a jar or two”

So that’s part one, stay tuned for part two…

Thank you for all of your emails for last week’s drawing to win Donal Skehan’s, Good Mood Food. And the winner is: Cathy Stephens of Baton Rouge, LA. USA. Congratulations!

Slan Abhaile,

Imen

Tags: Bulmers, Des Bishop, Fair City, Fargo, farmer, Good Mood Food, ireland, Irish slang, married, See by Chloe

One of my favourite things about living in Ireland is discovering exciting new people, places and things (and, of course, food!). Last week, I discovered one such remarkable person whom I am delighted to share with you all—that is, if you haven’t already heard of him. His name is Donal Skehan, a bright new star in Ireland’s culinary world and according to RTE (Ireland’s largest broadcasting network), “Ireland’s Answer to Jamie Oliver”.  Pretty impressive stuff for a 23 year-old fellow from Howth.

Donal’s book, “Good Mood Food” hit the stores in October and has been flying off the shelves ever since. Based on the blog that he started 2 years ago, Good Mood Food, is filled with delicious recipes that maybe even my husband could make (yes, that’s a hint honey). He’s young and fresh and his recipes mimic that style…healthful and light–many of which you’d think were coming from Northern California rather than Ireland. And let’s face it, sometimes on a gray, rainy Irish day it would be grand to have one of Donal’s yummy sunny recipes on hand just to put a little spring into your step.

When he’s not cooking, blogging or shooting, he’s recording music with his band, Industry, which makes him all the more fascinating. Still, the best bit about Donal is that for all the press and publicity he is an undeniably friendly guy with a genuine love for all things food (including a wonderfully quirky addiction to reading cookbooks). This lovely spirit of friendly foodie enthusiasm comes through in his book, blog…even his tweets.

Donal graciously took the time to share with me a little more about himself and his relationship with Ireland:

What was is the best thing about growing up in Ireland?

I grew up in Howth which is a fishing village 30 mins from Dublin city centre and as kids we had the run of huge green fields filled with horses behind the house, so one of my favourite things was to be lucky enough to have the freedom to spend the whole day out in the open air!  It’s only now that I really appreciate it and realise what a special thing it was.

Which Irish dishes do you love…or have you redesigned to be “good mood food”?

You can’t beat a good Irish stew and like most families, we have our own version, the recipe for which is on the blog. I also love baking Irish soda bread, it’s a flavour which tastes so distinctly like home to me.

In what ways do you support Irish farmers and producers?

I think one of the most important thing is to buy veg that is in season, Ireland produces fantastic fresh fruit and vegetables and by choosing home grown seasonal veg, we as consumers are not only helping the environment, but we end up eating more fresh food.  I actually got to visit a free range Turkey farm before Christmas and it was hugely inspiring, the birds lived a happy life, were extremely healthy and had a farmer that was incredibly passionate about what he did.  In the world we live in it’s becoming more and more important to know where our food comes, and the step by step process its goes through before ending up on our plates.

What are some Irish traditions or sensibilities that you love?

I think growing up I would always have been a little dismissive of Irish traditions, the music, the language etc, but having grown up a little more and travelled, I am so proud to be Irish and I love showing off our fantastic culture to any visitors we have!

What are your fave places in Ireland that you would recommend visiting?

In the last two years I have travelled more in Ireland than ever before and it’s been great because you get to see the amazing sights we have to offer on our doorstep.  We took a little road trip to the Burren and drive up to Galway from there and the views are just amazing.  I also went to Irish college on Achill Island in Mayo in my teens and it’s a really special place too!  Lots of good surf!  Of course I also have to mention my home village of Howth as well, it gets huge numbers of tourists right through the year, we have an amazing cliff walk which is a must see!

In your words, describe your book, Good Mood Food.

Good Mood Food is all about simple, healthy homecooking.  It’s full of really easy healthy recipes that are perfect for even those who haven’t done too much cooking before.  I like to think that I write recipes that become part of a routine, simple family meals which can be done with your eyes closed!

Donal is currently filming an episode of Market Kitchen for the BBC’s Good Food Channel which will air later this month. You can read his blog at: http://www.thegoodmoodfoodblog.com. His book, Good Mood Food is available online at http://www.mercierpress.ie/

I have decided to give one priviledged reader a copy of “Good Mood Food”. If you’re interested, please email me at imen.producer@ireland.com before Monday. I will be drawing a name and announcing the winner next week.

In the weeks to come I will be featuring more extraordinary Irish talents as well as blogging about my wee life as an Irish farmer’s wife.

Slan Abhaile,

Imen

Tags: blog, Burren, Donal Skehan, farmer, Galway, Good Mood Food, Howth, Imen McDonnell, Industry, ireland, Jamie Oliver, married, RTE