The man who has put loaf cakes centre table and who was influenced by his grandmother for whom eating boiled eggs was a ritual, will bring his easy style and love of cooking to his first ever demonstration in Clare during Scariff Harbour Festival.
Cavan man, Shane Smith has become a familiar face from RTE One’s Today Show & Virgin Media programmes, brand collaborations and from his on-line Cookery School.
Passionate about flavour and simplicity, his real desire is to make baking both accessible and enjoyable, not just for the experts but for everyone. Some of Shane’s happiest memories are around the table and the conversations that went with cooking good food. It’s personal for him and his relationship with food he believes has an amazing way of bringing people together in so many different circumstances.
‘I have travelled the length and breadth of Ireland from Ballymaloe in Cork to as far north as Donegal and from Virginia in Cavan to Wexford, but this is my first demonstration in Clare and I’m thrilled to be breaking new ground,’ said the pastry chef and brand ambassador for Gem Foods & Kenwood Ireland, who is the author of Ireland’s best-selling cookbook on release, with all 80 recipes using the humble loaf tin.
Chair and Co-founder of the Festival, Mike Rodgers said that Shane Smith’s Cookery Demonstration should be a crowd puller. ‘We are so pleased to have been able to book Shane for this year’s festival programme of events, on what is an incredibly busy weekend. He has a huge following on his social media platforms, and we hope he has many more after Scariff Festival,’ he said.
Shane Smith believes that the Irish food scene is getting better and better. Talent, produce and creativity abound but the biggest challenges are the rising costs of overheads and costs across the board. It is really hard work and to sustain businesses in hospitality, it is vital that people support their local cafes and restaurants.
The Cookery Demonstration is one of a vast range of entertaining events on Sunday 2nd August, the last day of the 2026 festival. From the U17s Barry Nash Memorial Hurling Blitz that welcomes young hurlers from East Belfast GAA Club to the free hourly waterbus tours courtesy of Waterways Ireland, the Riverside Activities on the Feakle Road are becoming increasingly challenging with team building and hang tough exercises, kris kross zorbs and stand-up paddle boarding.
And there are free professional genealogy sessions on both Saturday and Sunday for anyone interested in deepening their family history. For those who might be stuck in their current research, this may be the opportunity to unravel the conundrums that have stalled progress, often for many years, on fleshing out more complete family trees. Register interest in advance including name and mobile number to info@scariffharbourfestival.ie
Previous Coverage
July 12th – Bishop Fintan to Lead Camino Hope 10km walk
July 5th – Irish Council of State Member to Open Scariff Harbour Festival
June 29th – Don Stiffe & friends to launch Scariff Harbour Festival 2026