It is with great pleasure that we announce the addition of seven new members to the Irish Food Writers’ Guild for 2024. Membership is by invitation only to established food writers with an acknowledged and substantial corpus of work. The Guild currently has 76 members.

The new Guild members are: Jess Murphy, chef and writer; Paul Flynn, chef, writer and TV presenter; Sharon Noonan, host of Ireland’s longest running food and drink podcast “The Best Possible Taste”; Ciara McQuillan, contributing editor and writer for Gloss magazine; Mick O’Connell, master of wine and wine writer; Oisín Davis, spirits columnist and author; and food and drink writer Shamim de Brún.

The Irish Food Writers’ Guild was formed in 1990 to promote high professional standards of knowledge and practice among writers about food, nutrition, food history and related matters and to assist in the formulation of links and networks amongst all involved in the food industry.

Over the last 12 months, the Guild has been able to focus on a blend of in-person and online events, enabling members to meet face to face, as well as being inclusive of those who are not in a position to travel to meetings. As well as an inspiring online CPD event, featuring presentations from Guild members Patrick Hanlon and Kristin Jensen, we had our in-person annual summer outing to Wexford. Our annual awards event in Suesey Street restaurant in February was the best attended in the Guild’s history.

As we continue to learn with – and from – our peers, colleagues and friends in this community of writers, we are delighted to welcome Shamim, Oisín, Ciara, Paul, Mick, Sharon and Jess, who we believe will join with us in our ambition to support excellence and integrity in food writing.

Paula McIntyre
Chair, IFWG