A new five-part series – showcasing Ireland as a tourist attraction and fronted by TV and radio presenter Dermot O’Leary – will begin airing on ITV1 today.
The series, called Dermot’s Taste of Ireland, is supported by Tourism Ireland and is expected to be seen by millions of people across Britain.
Each episode sees Mr O’Leary – whose parents hail from Co Wexford – visit a different location, meeting farmers, fishermen, artisan producers and chefs and discovering some of the country’s best food and drink experiences – from oyster farming in Co Cork to exploring Belfast’s newest whiskey distillery. The five episodes will air on each weekday all this week, from Monday to Friday, and will also be available to view on the streaming service ITVX.
In the first episode, viewers will see Mr O’Leary travel to Wexford – where he visits Curracloe Beach, picks Wexford strawberries at Danescastle Fruit Farm, cooks in Mary Barry’s, makes butter at Saltrock Dairy and plays hurling with some of the Wexford hurling team, together with his dad Sean. The series also takes him to Dublin, Kinsale, Cork city and Belfast.
Julie Wakley, Tourism Ireland’s Head of Great Britain, said: “Tourism Ireland was delighted to team up with Dermot O’Leary and support the production of this new five-part TV series, Dermot’s Taste of Ireland. With millions of people across Britain set to watch the series this week on ITV1 and on the streaming service ITVX, it’s an excellent way to shine a spotlight on the island of Ireland – showcasing our delicious local produce, wonderful culinary offering and beautiful landscapes.
“Publicity and broadcasts like this are a key element of Tourism Ireland’s programme of promotional activity, to inspire travellers in Britain, and elsewhere around the world, to put the island of Ireland on their holiday wish-list.”
Commenting on the new series, Dermot O’Leary said: “The island of Ireland has a very special place in my heart, it’s where I have my earliest and most fond memories and makes up a huge part of my identity. Filming there for this series was such a wonderful experience, bringing back some really happy memories and also allowed me to experience lots of new things I hadn’t seen before, and see how Ireland has evolved.”