Food Matters

It’s a familiar part of the traditional Irish breakfast, but how much do we really know about black pudding - where it came from, how it was made, or the extraordinary history behind it?
Food writer Kate Ryan spent seven years researching these questions for her book Blood, Guts & Black Pudding: Ireland's Dying Art of Blood as Food, awarded Book of the Year 2026 at the Listowel Food Fair. What began as a curiosity became a mission to preserve an important part of Irish food culture before the people, recipes and skills behind it disappear.
In this episode of Food Matters, Kate joins Mick Kelly to uncover the fascinating history of one of Ireland's oldest foods. They discuss how black pudding was once made in homes and communities across the country, the largely unrecognised role of women in preserving its recipes, and how the industrialisation of food production has threatened a centuries-old tradition.
This is a fascinating conversation about food heritage, resourcefulness, waste and the importance of knowing where our food comes from. 
For a 20% discount on Kate Ryan’s ‘Blood, Guts & Black Pudding: Ireland's Dying Art of Blood as Food’ visit www.ninebeanrowsbooks.com and enter the code PODCAST20.

John Gibbons is one of Ireland's best-known environmental commentators  and a tireless voice on the big environmental issues of our time. John recently published a bestselling book called The Lie of the Land where he sets out in stark terms the effects that climate change will have on Ireland, while also putting forward a game plan for how we can avoid the worst of them, by reimagining the way we use the land.
In this episode of Food Matters, John and Mick Kelly of GIY discuss some of the big food themes tackled in the book, including the farming sector in Ireland, why it's broken, and how it can be fixed; the fragility of Ireland's export-dependent food sector and the case for creating a government department for food security, and why oats might be the solution to our agricultural emissions. Mick and John also tackle the controversy around putting solar farms on agricultural land—and the claim that renewable energy threatens our ability to produce food.

Changing a country’s food system takes longer than an election cycle. In this episode of Food Matters, Mick Kelly speaks with organic farmer and former Minister of State Pippa Hackett about what it takes to pursue long-term change from inside government, and what happens when political momentum moves on.
Pippa reflects on her time as a Green Party minister in the Department of Agriculture, where her responsibilities included biodiversity, land use, forestry, horticulture and organic farming. She discusses the growth of Ireland’s organic sector during her tenure, the resistance that can meet new policy ideas, and why meaningful environmental reform often takes years before its impact becomes visible.
Mick and Pippa also discuss the dramatic decline in the number of commercial growers, the power of supermarkets, the lack of sustained state support and the risks this creates for Ireland’s food security.  Pippa also explains why her own family farm converted to organic production, how lower-input and regenerative approaches can make farms more resilient, and why healthy soil must be treated as the foundation of a sustainable food system.
NOTE: This conversation was recorded several months before publication. Some policy schemes and political developments referenced in the discussion have progressed since the recording, including:
 
1. The multi-species sward and red-clover schemes 
Since this conversation was recorded, both the Multi-Species Sward and Red Clover Silage Measures were reopened for 2025.
 
2. TAMS solar funding 
At the time of recording, the relevant tranche of solar funding had been exhausted. The TAMS solar scheme is currently open for applications.
 
3. The Agri-Food Regulator 
Since recording, additional data-gathering powers have been announced for the Agri-Food Regulator and are scheduled to take effect at the end of 2026.
 
4. Mercosur 
This conversation was recorded before the EU–Mercosur interim trade agreement came into provisional application on 1 May 2026. Larry Murrin remains chair of Bord Bia, following further controversy, protests and an agreed governance review.

What would make a conventional tillage farmer walk away from the type of farming he had always practised and start all over again?
For Kevin Scully, founder of The Merry Mill organic farm & mill in County Laois, the turning point came in the cab of a tractor. After becoming unwell while spraying crops, he began questioning not only the chemicals he was using, but the economics of modern farming itself. Nearly 30 years later, Kevin has built Ireland's first organic gluten-free oat mill, producing premium foods that are shipped to customers around the world.
In this episode of Food Matters, Kevin joins Mick Kelly of GIY to share the remarkable story of how he changed up the entire business model and work practices of his family farm to build a system that was healthier, more sustainable, and far more economically viable. 
They also discuss the hidden costs of our modern food system, the role of glyphosate and chemical inputs, supporting farmers to produce healthier food, and why Ireland has the potential to become a global leader in premium organic food production.

During an extended trip through South America, Damien Regan's eyes were opened to the vulnerabilities of our global food system and the risks they pose to food security. He returned home determined to better understand these challenges and to help build practical solutions.
In this episode of Food Matters, Damien talks to Mick Kelly of GIY about food security, global supply chains, and why Ireland's dependence on imported food and resources may leave us more exposed than we realise. Along the way, he reflects on the lessons we can learn from history, and the steps communities can take to create a more secure, healthy and sustainable food future.