Blas na hÉireann 2026 winners announced in Dingle.Thirty eight producers from Co. Cork awarded.

 Blas na hÉireann 2026 winners announced in Dingle

Thirty eight producers from Co. Cork awarded. 

Second Street Bakeshop win Best in County and Best Artisan Producer, (proudly supported by Cork Local Enterprise Office)

Pictured is Caroline Hennessy (centre) from Eight Degrees Brewing, Cork
who won Gold at the Blas na hÉireann Awards 2026 in Dingle. 

Dingle was the place to be on Friday 2nd October for the eagerly anticipated finals of Blas na hÉireann, The Irish Food Awards, now in their 19th year and firmly established as the largest and most influential food awards on the island of Ireland.

 

This year, 51 producers from Co. Cork were shortlisted across a wide range of categories, with 38 of them taking home coveted Blas awards. The bronze, silver and gold winners from the county include:

Alternative Christmas Pudding Co., Bandon Vale Cheese, Bantry Bay Mussels, Barry & Fitzwilliam, Cake Wheelers, Clóna Dairy Products Ltd., Coastal Trading, Cully & Sully, Durrus Cheese, Eight Degrees Brewing, Five Farms, Folláin, Hassetts Bakers & Confectioners ltd., Hyde Irish Whiskey, Hyde ltd, Irish Yogurts Clonakilty, K O'Connell Fishmongers, Keohane Seafoods, Kepak Ltd, Macroom Buffalo Cheese, McCarthy's of Kanturk, Niks Tea, OGAM Foods Limited, On The Pigs Back, Rebel City Distillery, SAGE 2 GO, SAGE by, Kev Aherne, Salt of Kinsale ltd, Saturday Pizzas, Second Street Bakeshop, Sibly Food Co., Skeaghanore West Cork Farm, Spice O' Life, St Patrick’s Distillery Ltd, Stonewell Cider, The Good Fish Company, Toons Bridge Dairy and West Cork Distillers. 

Second Street Bakeshop was awarded Best in County, proudly sponsored by Cork Local Enterprise Office and the prestigious Best Artisan Producer award, supported by the LEO Network.

"I’m absolutely thrilled to receive the Best Artisan Producer award for Second Street Bakeshop,” said founder Claire Keane. “After starting my first food business in San Francisco almost 20 years ago, coming back to Cork and building something new from the ground up has been a really exciting chapter. Our Toffee Popcorn Brittle is all about using simple, natural ingredients to make something that people genuinely love to eat, so to have it recognised by Blas na hÉireann is incredibly rewarding. It’s also a wonderful celebration of the producers, suppliers, the team and the Local Enterprise Office who have supported me along the way, and I’m so excited for what’s ahead.”

"Cork City Local Enterprise Office are delighted for Second Street," said Niall O'Keefe, Head of Enterprise, Cork City LEO. "Claire and her team have been a pleasure to work with. Their journey is a great example of a company constantly seeking best practice to provide the best products for their customers. This latest award is further evidence of Second Street going from strength to strength."

 

2026 marks another record year for Blas na hÉireann, with over 3,000 entries across more than 200 categories, reflecting the strength and diversity of Irish food and drink. 

This year’s finalists and winners had the opportunity to bring their products to life at the Blas Village and the ever-popular Eat Ireland in a Day market, both returning to Dingle alongside the annual Backyard at Blas panel discussions, supported by Bank of Ireland. Across the weekend, producers connected with buyers, industry experts, media, fellow producers and passionate food lovers, while celebrating the people, creativity and craft at the heart of Ireland’s thriving food and drink scene.

Speaking after the announcement, Artie Clifford, Chairperson of Blas na hÉireann, said: “2026 has once again shown us just how exciting and dynamic Ireland’s food and drink industry is. The standard of entries continues to climb, with producers demonstrating incredible creativity and a real commitment to quality. Reaching the finalist stage is a remarkable achievement in itself, and to take home a Blas award is brilliant recognition of the hard work and passion that goes into every product. It’s particularly special to see producers from across the country come together in Dingle to share their stories, celebrate their successes and champion the very best of Irish food and drink. Blas is about much more than awards – it’s about celebrating the people and community behind one of Ireland’s most exciting industries. Next year we will celebrate 20 years of the awards and it's incredible to see just how far we've come in those two decades.”

The Blas na hÉireann awards weekend ran from Thursday 1st to Sunday 4th October in Dingle, with a packed programme of events shining a spotlight on the very best of Irish food and drink. Sustainability once again remained a key focus, with the event continuing to build on its waste-free commitments and support a more conscious future for Irish food.