07-08-2025
The story of the Irish farmers restaurant in the heart of Paris
Analysis: La ferme irlandaise set out to showcase the best of Irish food and ingredients when it opened in the French capital in 1979
Limerick ham and Irish stew were on the menu of a restaurant in France 40 years ago. La Ferme Irlandaise served traditional Irish food and fare in the heart of the French capital. Located at 30 Place du Marché-Saint-Honoré in the first arrondissement, it opened its doors in 1979. It was close to the Avenue de l'Opéra and Place Vendôme which contains upmarket hotels and jewellery stores, along with luxury boutiques.
The idea for the restaurant was to showcase the best of Irish food and agriculture in the centre of Paris. It was financed by Farmer Business Developments, an investment company that was started by farmers and led on to FBD Insurance. The restaurant was run by Peter Robinson, a classically-trained chef who had trained in London, Paris and Lausanne. His restaurant, Armstrong's Barn in Annamoe in Co Wicklow, won various culinary awards, culminating in a Michelin star in 1978.
The early vision for La Ferme Irlandaise was for a prestige eatery that would show off quality Irish ingredients. It was officially opened in November 1979 by the Minister for Foreign Affairs Michael O'Kennedy. Ireland's ambassador to France, Hugh McCann, and the deputy mayor of Paris, Christian de La Malène, were also in attendance. Oysters from Cork harbour were flown over for the event, together with beef from the Irish Meat Packers factory in Midleton and lamb from Dublin Meat Packers. Several semi-state agencies also helped in the early days. An Bord Bainne flew in fresh cream daily and An Bord Iascaigh Mhara flew in fresh seafood.
Head chef Hester Cowhig observed that bacon and cabbage was one option the French "didn't take to at all"
Brown bread was baked in the restaurant daily with flour from Howards of Cork. There was seating for 46 people. They were obviously going for a distinctive look with French designer Hubert de Givenchy advising on the decor. Diners ate from tables made of black Kilkenny marble. There were mirrors on the ceilings, deep pile carpets underfoot and the walls were painted cool black and off-white.
Half of the staff were Irish and the other half were French, including the wine waiter. An early menu included smoked salmon, lamb kidneys in Hennessy brandy and Dublin Bay prawns cassoulet. Robinson had hoped that it would become a "permanent fixture on the Parisian restaurant scene" and that they would eventually win a Michelin star, but he left the restaurant in May 1981.
The management was then taken over by Myrtle Allen of Ballymaloe House restaurant in Cork. When it reopened in August 1981, it looked different and the menu had undergone a shift in taste. Jim Whelan, who had worked in Ballymaloe, took over as manager and the architects Patrick Scott and Maurice Hogan advised on a new colour scheme. Allen said that she wanted to give the revamped restaurant the "style and atmosphere of a little farmhouse". On the new oak tables was the pottery of Stephen Pearce, a neighbour of Ballymaloe in Shanagarry.
From RTÉ Archives, David Hanly interviews Myrtle Allen for a 1988 episode of Hanly's People
Virtually all of the staff, from the chefs in the kitchen to the waiting staff, was Irish. Jim Cullinane from Ballycotton in Cork was the head chef and Rory O'Connell, now known for his TV cookery programmes and cookbooks, was the second chef. In terms of the new food offering, Allen wanted to "show how very good Irish products are" and to demonstrate "how good the traditions of Irish cooking are".
In the beginning, she paid regular visits to ensure that it was running smoothly. She brought wholemeal stoneground flour to make the bread, as well as rashers and eggs and apples to make apple tarts. O'Connell later recalled that he would bring back a suitcase with wheels of Cashel Blue cheese, frozen recently-picked blackcurrants and blackberries and herbs from the garden at Ballymaloe.
For Parisians, who were used to coffee and a croissant for breakfast at the weekend, La Ferme Irlandaise offered them a novel alternative with the Sunday brunch, featuring a full Irish fry of sausages, rashers and black pudding. Speaking about the brunch in 1983 to the New York Times, Allen said "the French love it" and "it's what they expect from Ireland".
Allen wanted to "show how very good Irish products are" and to demonstrate "how good the traditions of Irish cooking are".
Irish ice cream and carrageen moss were popular with the customers. The meat would come from the market at Rungis which had replaced Les Halles as the main wholesale market of Paris. It had arrived there from Ireland by refrigerated lorry. La Ferme became popular with locals, expats and tourists and was rated among the top 10 foreign restaurants in the city.
By November 1984, a typical menu included watercress soup, smoked salmon pâté, Ballymaloe Cheese fondue, Shanagarry beef and Guinness pie, chicken baked in thyme, sole with herb butter, Irish lamb with mint and butter sauce and Irish coffee. Not all Irish dishes were a success: head chef Hester Cowhig observed that bacon and cabbage was one option that the French "didn't take to at all".
La Ferme Irlandaise was taken over in 1985 by Brian Loughney, who ran the Kitty O'Shea Irish pub in the city, and closed in June 1987. Today, there are an estimated 50 Irish pubs in Paris. While they are all flying the Irish tricolour and wearing the green jersey to some extent, they have a tough act to follow compared to La Ferme Irlandaise. It will go down in the annals of Irish food history as one of the first restaurants on the European continent to showcase the very best of Irish produce and culinary traditions.
