We really get in there with our guest on this week’s show, Cormac McGinley. Cormac runs walking tours along the Cliffs of Moher and all over the Burren in County Clare, one of our favorite places in Ireland. Name an -ology and Cormac probably studied it, and he brings his love of science to his love of Ireland with him on every walk he leads.

On this episode, we speak with Cormac about really getting to know a place deeply; ecological wrong turns and the unnatural Irish landscape; the impact of consumer culture and how to separate needs from wants; and how he is working on building a life so that if tourism vanishes, he can still live in his favorite place. Much like our previous guests, Cormac also imparts some valuable life advice: “Time is all we have, so retain a sense of humor and try not to be a dick.”

Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com

**We made it to 50!** We’re celebrating the fiftieth episode of Dyed Green with Anne & Orla O’Carroll, the women behind Valentia Island Vermouth, a spirit made with twenty botanicals on a small island off the coast of Kerry. Anne & Orla originally met at art school in Bristol before moving back to Ireland to create the first ever Irish vermouth.

On this week’s episode, we speak with Anne & Orla about the inspiration for their incredible drink; building a vermouth business from the ground up; how they developed their recipe; breaking into the US market; and how they work to attain a work/life balance as a couple in business together. The O’Carrolls even give Max & Kate some marriage advice!

To mark the occasion of our 50th episode, we’re giving away a free bottle of Valentia Island Vermouth. Follow @bogandthunder, tag a friend in the comments, & share this post for a chance to win!

Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com

We had the honor of hosting acclaimed pizza chef Reggie White for his first ever podcast interview! If you thought our bread-focused episodes were intense, just wait until you hear Max and Reggie nerd out about everything from water quality to hydration to milling grains on this week’s episode.

Fresh from the recent opening of his Rathmines spot Reggies, we talked to the Ballymaloe alum about finding work that sparks joy; using ingredients that make you happy so the food tastes better; and the problems associated with restaurants that look at pizza as just the pathway to a high profit margin. For all the pizza nerds out there, we also discussed whether New York City really does have the best water for making pizza, the strengths of different varieties of flour, and an issue called “off-gassing,” which isn’t really as bad as it sounds. In what should come as a surprise to absolutely no one, Max and Reggie also agreed that using nicer s**t is the secret to good pizza.

Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.co

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Just off the Antrim coast, in a town called Ballycastle, lies Broughgammon Farm, 50 acres of carefully managed meadow, pastureland, gardens, and forest. It’s such an idyllic spot and an equally inspiring operation, so you might be surprised to learn that neither Charlie nor Becky Cole imagined that they’d be running their own regenerative farm one day. Motivated in part by the desire to find a market for male kid goats who are commonly disregarded as by-products of the dairy industry, the Coles have exceeded their original vision for their farm and now also raise pigs and rose veal; grow vegetables; and run a farm shop where they hold classes and host pop-up dinners.

In an era where family farms are going under all the time, the Coles have managed to envision and create something beautiful and thriving. On this episode, we talk to Becky and Charlie about bringing their vision of regenerative farming to life; how to make a living in line with your ethics; and the challenges of introducing customers to new tastes and flavors. We also discuss Becky’s book, the Garden Apothecary; developing specialty products; and the benefits of collaborating with other local small businesses.

In 2013, artist Jennie Moran started an art project at National College of Art & Design in Dublin in the form of a college canteen called Luncheonette. Guided by Moran’s vision of “ghostis,” her curation of the canteen, nourishing food, and—with the support of NCAD—Luncheonette became a food destination in the city, won awards, and created a convivial community space that lasted for ten long years. Her new book, How To Soften Corners, celebrates the success of Luncheonette and highlights Moran’s refreshing philosophy of hospitality.

On this episode, we speak with Jennie about how food can be used to diffuse the pressure of a shared space; the limits of understanding hospitality as providing the best customer experience; planning a menu that cares for the guest holistically; and nurturing our instinct to welcome strangers rather than giving in to the suspicion of people we don’t know.

Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com

Despite being an island nation with almost 2,000 miles of coastline, only 9% of Ireland’s oceans are currently being protected. Irish organizers, backed by fishermen, small businesses, and local communities, are working to pressure the government to increase the protection of Irish seas to at least 30% by 2030 in the form of Marine Protected Areas.

Ón this episode, we speak with Jack O’Donovan Trá, a marine biologist and representative from the Fair Seas campaign about the emotional connection Irish people have with the sea; making radical changes in policy that benefit people; the source of Ireland’s emerald green; and the great migration of fish from the twilight zone—as well as one of Kate’s favorite topics, how salmon farms are legitimately devastating to marine ecosystems.

Did you know that Ireland requires developers to have an archaeologist on hand when breaking ground on a new site? Or that Irish feasts in medieval times often featured professional farters alongside musicians as part of the evening entertainment? On this week’s episode, Max & Kate travel back and forth across time with archaeologist Neil Jackman, co-founder of Abarta Heritage.

We speak with Neil about the impact of the economic crash on archaeologists; how to get people to value heritage sites in order to ensure their protection; food as existence; the relationship between folklore and archaeology in our reverence for ancient sites; and the role that archaeology played in developing Ireland’s sense of self after independence.

Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com

Our guests on this week’s episode followed their passions for food from the Philippines and Poland to Denmark, where they met, fell in love, and honed their craft, before moving to Kilkenny to open one of the best bread bakeries in Ireland. Since opening in 2019, Nicole and Bart have won the Supreme Champion Award at Blas na hÉireann; the Irish Times Top 100 Best Places to Have Lunch in Ireland; Ireland's Best Brunch at the Georgina Campbell Irish Breakfast Awards; and were recently named Best in Ireland 2025 by the McKenna Guide.

On this week’s episode, we talk to Nicole and Bart about going from fine dining in Denmark to serving brunch in Kilkenny; how Noma is a four-letter word; faking it till you make it; and the trials and tribulations of using heritage grains.

Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com