How vegan friendly is Ireland?

Following on the heals of the UK, where vegan is now becoming mainstream, Ireland has progressed in leaps and bounds. As usual, it's the cities that lead the way, and the more rural parts can be more challenging.

In Ireland, people are becoming more aware of the negative impact of meat-heavy diets. A recent poll by Vitabiotics found that nearly half of Irish people are ready to go vegan for environmental and ethical reasons.

Vegan restaurants and cafes

Dublin, now has 10 fully vegan restaurants, and where it excels is the ease of finding vegan options in many other places. An analysis on TripAdvisor shows a fifth of Dublin eateries say they have vegan options. We also had no problems finding fully vegan places in Galway, Cork, and Limerick. It's not a massive list, but when you are travelling you only need a couple of options, and we make it a point to hunt them down.

Vegan friendly accommodation

The larger hotels are very switched on, to the exploding demand. You do have to warn ahead and be clear about what you want, as they will often need to bring in some ingredients, especially for you. The traditional Irish breakfast, is a heavy affair with bacon, sausages, baked beans, eggs..... It also features mushrooms, grilled tomatoes, and perhaps some cooked leftover potatoes made into a hash or a bubble and squeak. Porridge is common, so just be sure that there is a non dairy milk, or yoghurt available. Everything is served on toast, so they just need to hold the butter.

Because we travel in a group it's easier to negociate and ensure that it's going to be a true vegan fine dining experience and not just salad, with grated carrots and a lettuce leaf.

See our full list and reviews here....

Vegan food shopping

In the groceries and staples department, Ireland is actually doing pretty great, thanks to international giants such as Tesco (one of Ireland’s biggest supermarket chains) and local health food shops. While , in Tesco you will also be able to get vegan yogurts, cheese, sausages, and other refrigerated and frozen goods. In the health food shops, you will also find an abundance of specialty products, from vegan shampoos and deodorants to vegan food items such as chocolates, energy bars, and local vegan snacks.

Dublin is home to Ireland’s first 100 percent organic, vegan supermarket Veganic. It's vegan meats include plant-based steaks, bacon, fish, and chorizo. There is a range of cruelty-free cosmetics and toxin-free cleaning products. You can even purchase plant-based dog food.

All the major supermarkets will stock some basics like plant-based, yoghurts etc. and healthy food like grains, nuts and everything you need to rustle up some great vegan dishes.

Tesco's is leading the way, with many vegan options that would only have been available in the specialised health food stores, until recently.

See here for a list of food brands....

Vegan news and events

There is a thriving vegan community in Ireland, check out the events and keep up to date with the news and community. We have listings for fitness, fashion, business services, hotels.......

Vegan Influencers

Special call out to Dave & Steve who are leading the way with their recipes on social media. They are not alone and you can check out other influencers here....

Geoparks

Ireland has three Global Geoparks, which are areas recognised by Unesco for their exceptional geological heritage, and a great places to find wildlife inhabitants.

• The Marble Arch Caves Geopark spans from Counties Fermanagh to Cavan and includes cliffs, forests, caves and mountains;
• The Copper Coast Geopark in County Waterford, an outdoor geology museum dating back 460 million years.
• The Burren and the Cliffs of Moher is famous for its striking limestone landscapes

For a full list of national parks and nature reserves head over to National Parks and Wildlife Service

Visit Giant's Causeway, in County Antrim, an area of outstanding natural beauty with 18 miles of crumbling coastline, cliffs.