Nashville’s St Patrick’s Day Festival celebrates Northern Ireland’s finest food and drink

Festivalgoers at the big Patrick’s Day in Nashville, Tennessee were able to sample some of Northern Ireland’s finest and drink from Boatyard Gin, Fermanagh; Irish Black Butter, Portrush; NearyNogs Chocolate Makers, Newry, and McConnell’s Distillery, Belfast, the distillery in a wing of the historic Crumlin Road Gaol and supplier of the whiskey toasts to Ireland’s patron saint.

St Patrick’s festival of culture, cuisine in Nashville also celebrated 30 years of the Sister City relationship between Belfast and Nashville.

Supported by Tourism Ireland and McConnell’s Distillery, the landmark event showcased Northern Ireland’s finest produce, musical talent, and art to a new audience, during a three-day ‘Belfast to Nashville St Paddy’s Day Celebration’ festival from 15 to 17 March, at The Cannery Hall in Nashville, one of the city’s historic entertainment hubs and just a few minutes from the famed Grand Old Opry country music centre that first heard Tennessee Whiskey, a song penned by singer/songwriter Chris Stapleton.

M’Connell’s Irish Whisky was being distilled in Belfast in 1776 before the first Tennessee whiskeys and bourbons emerged.

John Kelly, chief executive of Belfast Distillery Company, the venture behind McConnell’s Irish Whisky, says the distillery was established with a single goal: Restoring the Legend. And they are well on the way.

“We have revived successfully McConnell’s, a brand that dates back to 1776 and which is once again finding great success across the city, from its local pubs to its most prestigious bars, including many in the US”. “We are delighted to be supporting this celebration in Nashville with Belfast City Council and Tourism Ireland,” he adds.

Alastair Bell, owner of Irish Black Butter, a multi-award-winning sweet/savoury sauce, said: “It was a marvellous occasion that enabled me to introduce my sauces to a new audience interested in all things Ireland.”

In 2016, Northern Ireland’s Year of Food and Drink stirred Alastair’s creativity and reignited his connection to local traditions. A year later, while working on a children’s story with themes of inclusion and friendship, he found himself reflecting on a historical foodstuff that had always intrigued him:

Alastair saw an opportunity to revive this tradition using locally grown EU PGI Status Armagh Bramley Apples, cultivated in the heart of ‘Ireland’s Orchard County.’ With this idea, Irish Black Butter was born.

And Joe McGirr of Fermanagh’s Boatyard Gin agreed: “We gained new business contacts that will boost sales especially in the Southern states.”

The Boatyard Distillery is situated on the banks of Lough Erne, Co Fermanagh.

Boatyard is Fermanagh’s first legal distillery since 1890. Their story began with a dream in 2013 when their founder, Joe McGirr, imagined returning home to his native Enniskillen. Joe grew up on a nearby dairy farm, and the McGirr family are always a part of what Boatyard does.

The distillery takes its name from the disused Boatyard that it’s built on. It makes the business unique as a distillery, as visitors can arrive just as easily by boat as they can by car.

From that original vision of creating a gin perfect for Martini’s, with a double hit of juniper to stand up in a G&T, Boatyard finds itself in a position where it has attracted top industry professionals to help growth. Now being used by many of the finest bartenders around the world, this endorsement is leading us to Boatyard being available on multiple shelves globally in a retail environment. Their goal is, to be the leading Irish gin distillery making sustainable spirits while giving their team their best possible adventure. The team have measured themselves by becoming the first B Corp certified distillery in Ireland in February 2023.

NearyNogs ethically sources single origin, speciality cacao beans from farms in Central America, South America, the Caribbean islands and West Africa. They then hand sort every cacao bean, gently roast, stone grind, age and then temper into beautiful chocolate bars. They aim to showcase the amazing origin flavours and tasting notes in every cacao bean origin. They do this without additives, emulsifiers or artificial flavouring.

Nestled between the Mourne Mountains and the Irish sea along the scenic Mourne Coast, you can find them making chocolate in a small batch factory. It’s a place for chocolate making, people gathering and storytelling.

One of Northern Ireland’s best-loved celebrity chefs, Paula McIntyre, hosted live cooking demonstrations throughout the festival, showcasing local produce and creating dishes bursting with traditional flavours. Joined by Mark Begley, Executive Head Chef at the Culloden Estate and Spa, they were ably assisted in the kitchen by culinary students, from South Eastern Regional College (SERC) in Bangor, who contributed to the festival’s exceptional food offerings.

Group1: In commemoration of the 30th anniversary of Belfast and Nashville’s Sister City relationship, Christine Cousins, Director of Operations Northern Ireland for King Hospitality LCC, and Lord Mayor of Belfast Cllr Micky Murray, are joined by food and drink producers, chefs, artists and musicians, who will be performing at the Belfast to Nashville St Paddy’s Day Celebration festival

Alastair: Alastair Bell of Irish Black Butter

Boatyard Joe McGirr of Boatyard Double Gin

Belfast: McConnell’s Whisky of Belfast Distillery

Nashville: Music City Nashville