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In the run-up to St Patrick's Day, we proudly present our 11th annual Murphia List, in partnership with Bord Bia, the Irish food board, showcasing the Irish talent contributing to the creativity of London's food and drink scene.
Chefs
NEW - Christine Walsh
Head Chef - Chishuru
Growing up in Killenaule, Co. Tipperary, Christine credits her grandmother for sparking her interest in food. She began her career cooking at Waterford Castle and over the years, she’s worked at Chapter One (Dublin), Loam (Galway), Benu (San Francisco) and Noma (Copenhagen) to name but a few. She’s now the Head Chef of Michelin-starred Chishuru, working collaboratively with Joké Bakare, a role which Walsh says is her most interesting to date. Her sights are set for the coast in the next few years, however, with her own restaurant firmly on the horizon.
Follow Christine on Instagram at @Boggerchef
NEW - Christina Blevins
Head Chef - Row on 5
Born in Lurgan, County Armagh, the first restaurant Christina worked in was Deane’s Meat Locker in Belfast, under head chef Simon Toye and Michael Deane. Following a move to London, she started at Jason Atherton’s Little Social before moving to Outlaws at The Capital with Nathan Outlaw and Tom Brown. After seven years working under another Murphia List name, Clare Smyth at her restaurant Core, Blevins became head chef at the much talked-about Row on 5, which has just been awarded a Michelin star in the 2025 guide, only three months after opening.
Follow Christina on Instagram at @Christinablevins_
NEW - Brian Hennessy
Head Chef - Winter Garden Restaurant
Cork man Brian is the newly appointed Head Chef of the Winter Garden Restaurant at The Landmark London, having joined from another glitzy five-star London hotel, The Ritz where he was Sous Chef in John Williams’ Michelin-starred kitchen. His Michelin-level experience extends to Ireland too, where his earlier positions include a year at the one-star Campagne restaurant in Kilkenny. He has exciting plans for the Winter Garden, which he intends to turn into a destination restaurant.
Follow Brian on Instagram at @Brian_hennessy95
NEW - Hugh Corcoran
Chef and co-owner - The Yellow Bittern
Belfast-born Hugh has barely been out of the headlines since opening his restaurant in King’s Cross in October 2024. In setting out his stall - no online bookings, cash only, drinkers preferred but no wine list - he stirred up a social storm that shows no signs of settling down. Joining him in his endeavour as co-owners are fellow Irishman Oisín Davies and royal adjacent Frances Armstrong-Jones. Corcoran trained up in the Basque Country and plied his trade in Paris at restaurants including Delicatessen before making the move to London. Despite the controversy, The Yellow Bittern has plenty of fans - a recent diner was the famous chef Alice Waters, making the pilgrimage all the way from California.
Follow Hugh on Instagram at @hugh__corcoran
Luke Ahearne
Head Chef - Lita
Hailing from Clonmel, chef Luke Ahearne got his first taste for restaurant work interning at Neven Maguire’s MacNean’s House & Restaurant in Cavan. After running his family’s cafe followed by time at Garrett Byrne’s Campagne in Kilkenny, Luke then set his sights on London. He moved to The Clove Club which was then ranked 26th best restaurant in the world before transferring to its sister restaurant, Luca. At just 29 years old, he became Head Chef at Corrigan’s Mayfair. Today, Luke is head chef at the critically-acclaimed Lita, which won a Michelin star less than a year after opening.
Follow Luke on Instagram at @lukeahearne
Kate O'Sullivan
Head Chef - Baudry Greene
Kate grew up in Greystones in County Wicklow. As a student at the Dublin Institute of Technology, she left the course early after getting a job working in the pastry section of the luxury Powerscourt Hotel. Pastry skills proved to be her ticket to London, where she moved through the kitchens of 34, Sexy Fish and The Ivy while working for Caprice Holdings. Following a time as Head Pastry Chef at the well-respected wine bar and restaurant Noble Rot, she’s now heading up the kitchen at Baudry Greene in Covent Garden.
Follow Kate on Instagram at @kateos2
Paddy Maher
Head Chef - Pearly Queen
Chef Paddy hails from County Meath and started in hospitality young - taking his first kitchen job at just 16. In the intervening years, he’s worked in a series of well-known Dublin restaurants - most recently Orwell Row and Row Wines, where he was head chef. But it was a stint back in 2021 as the head chef of super-cool Greek hangout The Peligoni Club where he met the chef who offered him his current role. Tom Brown of Michelin-starred Cornerstone in Hackney was at Peligoni for a guest chef series and the pair got on like a house on fire. When Tom decided to open his next restaurant, Pearly Queen, it was Paddy he called on to be Head Chef.
Follow Paddy on Instagram at @maher_
Conor Gadd
Chef Owner - Trullo
At sixteen, Belfast-born Conor found himself working under the inspirational Michelin-starred chef Paul Rankin at the city’s Roscoff restaurant. Following university, he went to Ballymaloe, where he was further inspired by their produce-driven, ingredient-led cooking. From here, it was off to London, working at the newly-opened Terroirs, then moving to Trullo in Islington when he wanted to learn the business side of restaurants too. He’s been head chef here for over 10 years and as Chef Owner runs every aspect of the business. This Spring, he's taken the restaurant across town for a three-month pop-up at the swanky Knightsbridge store Harvey Nichols.
Follow Trullo on Instagram at @trullo_restaurant
Diarmuid Goodwin
Pop-up chef
Diarmuid grew up just outside Belfast but it was the time he spent on his grandparents’ dairy farm in County Tyrone that really kickstarted his love affair with cooking and produce. After joining the hospitality business at the tender age of 15, working at Nick’s Warehouse in Belfast, he moved to London to apprentice under Angela Hartnett, working for her for seven years before time spent with Bruno Loubet and then at Trullo in Islington. Having run Sager + Wilde’s Bethnal Green restaurant, he's now doing a series of pop-ups across the UK and Ireland with the next due in Dublin this summer.
Follow Diarmuid on Instagram at @diarmuidg94
Niamh Larkin
Executive Pastry Chef - 45 Park Lane
Born and raised on a farm in Co. Limerick, Niamh’s love of food was cultivated from an early age. She worked at the local hotel The Dunraven Arms where she had her first experience in a professional kitchen. At 19, she packed her bags and moved to London to work at the prestigious Dorchester Hotel. After that, she was part of the opening team at Coworth Park, Ascot. She moved back to London to open up a new sister property and she's now the Executive Pastry Chef at 45 Park Lane.
Follow Niamh on Instagram at @niamhlarkin_pastry
Max Rocha
Chef Owner of Café Cecilia
Max is the chef and owner of Café Cecilia, an East London neighbourhood restaurant serving simple and European-inspired food. Having previously worked at restaurants such as The River Café and St John Bread & Wine, Max’s cooking takes inspiration from what’s in season around him. Dubliner Max’s greatest influence is the cooking of his mum Odette and the food he grew up with in Ireland. Café Cecilia has been a runaway success since opening, garnering glowing reviews from the critics. In 2024, Max published his first cookbook with Phaidon, the Café Cecilia Cookbook.
Follow Max on Instagram at @cafececilialondon.
Kenneth Culhane
Head Chef: The Dysart
Originally from Lisselton, North Kerry, Roux scholar Kenneth has a wealth of experience behind him having worked for Patrick Guilbaud in Ireland, Tetsuya Wakuda in Sydney and Jean Georges Vongerichten in New York. He’s now at the bucolic restaurant The Dysart in Richmond, which has held its Michelin star for six years. Last year, Kenneth received the top honour of being elected as an Academician of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts and last year appeared on Michel Roux’s TV series Roux down the River on the Food Network.
Follow him on Twitter @kennethculhane
Nick Fitzgerald
Chef/Patron: Tacos Padre
Originally from Dublin, Nick is also half Spanish - his mother hails from Asturias in the north of Spain. A longtime fan of all things Mexican, his restaurant career eventually took him to Mexico City, where he joined the team at Pujol, one of Mexico’s most celebrated restaurants. Now he has his own taqueria in London's Borough Market. Tacos Padre is a very modern taqueria with a focus on traditional cooking techniques, exploring Mexico through its different regional cuisines. They change the menu on a regular basis and take in the seasonal produce directly from Borough Market.
Follow Nick on Instagram @nicholaspfg
Fiona Hannon
Head Chef: Daffodil Mulligan
Born in Bray, Country Wicklow, Fiona came early to the hospitality trade, starting as a kitchen porter in a local hotel during the school holidays when she was 15. She moved to London to work for Richard Corrigan, where she took the position as demi-head de partie at Corrigan's much-lauded Lindsay House. From there, she helped open Corrigan's Mayfair, was Head Chef at Bentley's and is now at Corrigan's East London restaurant Daffodil Mulligan, running the kitchen there. Referring to her long-term working relationship with Corrigan as a 'life sentence', she says he gives her "the freedom and space to get on with my job."
Follow Daffodil Mulligan on Instagram @daffodilmulligan
Anna Haugh
Chef Patron: Myrtle Restaurant
Anna Haugh began her career in her home town of Dublin at L'Ecrivain with Derry Clarke. She then moved to London, where she worked for Shane Osborne at Pied a Terre, Philip Howard at The Square, and then for the Gordon Ramsay Group. In 2019, she opened Myrtle Restaurant in Chelsea, taking inspiration from old Irish recipes, culture and stories to create a modern Irish cuisine. Last year, she opened her second venture The Wee sister, a wine bar featuring wines made by Irish people around the world. She’s worked on numerous shows for the BBC, is the residency chef on Morning Live and a regular on Saturday Kitchen and MasterChef. Anna’s Big Irish Food Tour for the BBC will be broadcast in 2025.
Follow Anna on Instagram @haughser
Colin Kelly
Head Chef: The Twenty Two
Hailing from Tullamore, Colin began his career at Dublin's L'Ecrivain before deciding to move to London 'for one year'. That was 21 years ago. In that time, Kelly spent eight years with Anthony Demetre, where he became Head Chef at Wild Honey. Then, alongside Tom Slegg and Alan Christie, he opened the highly-rated Picture restaurant on Great Portland Street and Picture Marylebone, followed by a stint as Executive Chef at the Corrigan Collection. Colin is now Head Chef of Mayfair hotel, restaurant and members' club The Twenty Two where he's teamed up once again with Alan Christie to run the kitchen.
Follow the Twenty Two on Instagram @the22.london
Marguerite Keogh
Head Chef: The Five Fields
County Clare born and bred Marguerite Keogh apprenticed at Dromoland Castle hotel before heading across the water to London. For five years, she worked alongside Marcus Wareing - first at Petrus and then at Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley. She then launched The Five Fields in Chelsea with Taylor Bonnyman and quickly gained a Michelin star. Sadly, The Five Fields closed its doors for good at the end of February 2025.
Follow Marguerite on Instagram @margueritekeogh
Dave McCarthy
Head Chef: Scott's
From Midleton, County Cork, Dave caught the restaurant bug working in a family-run restaurant and moved to London when he was 22 to work at The Ivy. He stayed there for two years before moving to Harvey Nichols to work for Henry Harris as Chef de Partie. From here he moved to J Sheekey under Tim Hughes where he worked for nine years. In 2006 he was in the team that helped to relaunch Scott's and has been Head Chef here since 2009.
Follow Dave on Instagram @maccer73.
Patrick Powell
Culinary Director, One Club Row and The Knave of Clubs
Originally from Killala, Co. Mayo, Patrick's career spans both sides of the Irish Sea and started under the tutorship of acclaimed Irish chef Derry Clarke at the Michelin-starred L'Ecrivain in Dublin. Following time at Cutler & Co. in Melbourne, Patrick moved to London where he worked with Anthony Demetre at Wild Honey, followed by four years at Chiltern Firehouse as Head Chef, under Nuno Mendes. In 2019 he opened his first restaurant, the highly acclaimed Allegra in Stratford, followed by The Midland Grand Dining Room in 2023. He’s now Culinary Director of the newly opened The Knave of Clubs pub and the much-anticipated One Club Row restaurant.
Follow him on Instagram @ppowellchef
Clare Smyth MBE
Chef Patron: Core by Clare Smyth
Born on a farm in Country Antrim, Clare Smyth MBE moved to England at the age of 16, building a career that included working at Alain Ducasse’s Le Louis XV in Monaco and with Gordon Ramsay for 13 years. Her first restaurant, Core opened in August 2017 in Notting Hill. The restaurant is an elegant, fine dining restaurant, which also has a standalone bar Whiskey & Seaweed with a focus on whiskey from the UK and Ireland. Clare is the first and only British female chef to hold three Michelin stars and is only the second chef in history to hold three hats at the same time for her restaurant Oncore by Clare Smyth in Sydney, Australia. Clare's next big project is a restaurant at the Admiralty Arch Waldorf Astoria, which will open in 2026.
Follow her on Instagram @chefclaresmyth
Restaurateurs
NEW - Daniel Haugh
Co-owner and Manager - Myrtle
It’s a family affair for Daniel Haugh who works alongside his cousin, chef Anna Haugh, at Myrtle in Chelsea - a restaurant he’s now also part owner of. Born in Tallaght, in Dublin, his earliest food memories and inspiration came from family holidays, but he credits his wine education to Ely Wine Bar in Dublin where he began his first job as a waiter before later joining the management team. He moved to London to work at Myrtle where he continues to develop the warm Irish hospitality that the restaurant has become known for.
Follow NAM on Instagram at @Haughdan
NEW: Lynsey Coughlan
Co-Founder - INIS
Dubliner Lynsey’s first role in food was a Saturday job at a local deli in Dublin, teaching her very quickly that she wanted to work with food and with people. She then spent four years working in high-end food retail in Australia before heading to London, where she worked for top butcher The Ginger Pig for a decade and eventually became its head of operations. In 2023, she opened local restaurant INIS with her partner Lindsay in Hackney, where the pair have lived for the past ten years. It serves up seasonal British and Irish food. She’s also a consultant at Borough Market, advising on animal welfare and provenance.
Follow Lynsey on Instagram at @lynseycoughlan
Eoghan Shankey
Co-owner- Shankeys
Hospitality is in Eoghan’s blood, having been raised in Dublin pubs by his bartending father, Fintan. A move to London saw him honing his skills at the iconic cocktail bar Milk & Honey before founding Síbín, a hospitality and cocktail consultancy. He’s now co-owner (with head chef Sacha Henry) of Shankeys, an Irish/Indian restaurant serving Irish booze and Indian food in a converted bookies in Hackney. The restaurant opened in 2022 and aims to celebrate Irish and Indian culture through food, drink, and warm hospitality. In 2024, Eoghan and Sacha teamed up with Muireach (Eoghan's brother) to open The Raglan, a pub with a warm Irish welcome in E17.
Jay Bradley and Ian Duignan
Co-founders - BÓHA London
As CEO of Craft Irish Whiskey, it’s fair to say that Dublin-born entrepreneur Jay Bradley knows his stuff when it comes to reinventing luxury spirits. Fellow Dubliner and Chief Commercial Officer and Partner for the Craft Distilling Group, Ian has a similar passion for the spirit industry - their inaugural release The Devil's Keep, was named the world’s Best Irish Single Malt at the World Whiskies Awards. The pair also own BÓHA London, a restaurant and cocktail bar serving a unique style of elevated Irish and British cuisine in the heart of Chelsea.
Richard Corrigan
Chef Patron of the Corrigan Collection
Dublin-born, but raised in Meath, Corrigan is one of the leading forces among the Irish in London’s hospitality industry. He runs Bentley's in Piccadilly, the eponymous Corrigan's in Mayfair and Daffodil Mulligan in Old Street, which saw him partner with John Nugent and Tony Gibney. Most recently, he opened The Portrait Restaurant on the top of the National Portrait Gallery which enjoys killer views over London. All of Corrigan’s restaurants are supplied with vegetables, fruit and salads from his Irish estate, Virginia Park Lodge in Cavan.
Follow him on Instagram @chefcorrigan
See also: Richard's daughter Jessica also works with the hospitality sector in London too, as co-founder of Crab Communications, a PR agency.
John Devitt
Owner: Koya
Dubliner Devitt opened Koya in 2010 after being inspired by a Parisian restaurant devoted to the udon noodle, having cunningly spotted that London was undersupplied in decent noodle joints. Koya Bar followed pretty smartly after and both developed an almost fanatical fan base. Koya has evolved over the years, joined by Koya City at the Bloomberg Arcade and Koya KO in Broadway Market in East London.
Robin and Sarah Gill
Restaurateurs and chef: Sorella, Darby's and Bottle & Rye
Both from Dublin, this powerhouse restaurant couple are now responsible for a boutique group of restaurants across London. Robin earned his stripes working at La Stampa in Dublin, The Oak Room with Marco Pierre White and under Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons. Their first restaurant, The Dairy in Clapham, was a massive success and led to the opening of Sorella in the same area. In 2019 they opened Darby's in Embassy Gardens right beside the American Embassy along with a bakery and grill in Brentford, Rye by the Water. The pair scored again with the opening of their Parisian-inspired wine bar Bottle + Rye in Brixton and have recently been working with Ruben of Ruben’s Ruebens, who's currently popping up next to Darby's.
Follow Robin on Instagram @robin.gill.food and Sarah on @sarahmurfgill
Brian Hannon
Restaurateur: Super 8 Restaurants
Dubliner Brian Hannon came to London as a graduate working for Bass, where he ended up running over 400 sites. He then spent two years as Selfridges Food & Restaurants director before teaming up with Ben Chapman to open Smoking Goat. They now co-own the Super 8 Restaurants group. Super 8’s partnership with Tomos Parry covers Brat in Shoreditch, Brat x Climpsons Arches in London Fields and Michelin-starred Mountain in Soho. Hannon is also a founding board member of the Soho Business Alliance, supporting predominately independent hospitality and retail operators throughout Soho.
Follow Super 8 on Instagram @super8restaurants
David Moore
Founding Director: Pied à Terre
Moore was born in Monaghan and got his first taste of the trade working in his mother's hotel. Having graduated from Blackpool catering college, he landed a job front of house at Le Manoir Aux Quat’ Saisons, where he honed his skills. Moore opened Pied à Terre in 1991 at the age of 26, achieving a Michelin star in its first year; a 32-year run with Michelin puts Pied à Terre as London’s longest-standing Michelin-starred restaurant. The restaurant comprises three private dining rooms, including a first-floor Chef's Table and Cookery School and has garnered plaudits for its particularly inventive plant-based offering.
Follow him on Twitter @davidpied
John Nugent
CEO: Green & Fortune
In his early career, John was MD of Corrigan Restaurants and CEO of the London caterer, Searcy’s. In 2008, he launched Green & Fortune with the opening of Kings Place in Kings Cross. There, he set up Rotunda Bar and Restaurant as well as Kings Place Events. Across town at Sea Containers, his company operates restaurant, bar, event and roof terrace spaces. His company is also behind the hospitality operation at Central Hall Westminster and Rose Court Events space with spectacular views over the river on the South Bank. He’s also a partner with Richard Corrigan and Tony Gibney in Daffodil Mulligan and its downstairs bar, Gibney's London as well as being an investor in The Dally, a member’s club in Islington and a founder of Patina Bakery in Edinburgh
Follow John on Twitter @_JohnNugent
Pubs and bars
NEW: Muireach Shankey
Co-owner- The Raglan
Born and raised in Dublin but now living in London for over a decade, Muireach has worked his way up from serving in the dive bars of Shoreditch, to most recently running Clapton’s famous Crooked Billet through more Euros tournaments than he cares to remember. In October, he opened The Raglan pub in Walthamstow, along with his brother Eoghan and chef Sacha Henry, co-owners of Shankey’s restaurant in Hackney. Serving up great pints of Guinness, Achill oysters and a mix of Indian and Irish-inspired dishes, The Raglan is bringing the best of Irish hospitality to London’s East End.
Follow Muireach on Instagram at @theraglan_e17
NEW: Nobuko Okamura
Wine Manager - Farm Shop Mayfair
Born in Dublin to Japanese parents, Nobuko is a qualified sommelier who studied languages in Japan and France before embarking on a career in wine at the Université du Vin in France. She’s worked in fine dining restaurants all over the world before settling in London, where previous roles have included sommelier at Le Petit Maison London and Wine Shop Manager at Fortnum & Mason. She’s been Wine Manager at Artfarm’s Farm Shop wine bar in Mayfair since it opened last year, where she’s curated a strong and evolving wine list of around 200 bins as well as organising regular wine-tasting events.
Oisin Rogers
Co-owner and pub landlord - The Devonshire.
Sligo-born Oisín’s life in London can be traced through the hugely popular pubs he’s run from The Ship in Wandsworth to his tenure at the Guinea Grill, where he turned the venue from a traditional mainstay to a cult destination. He also helped set up the Audley - a pub favoured by His Majesty The King. Of course, now everyone knows him as the landlord of London’s most talked-about pub The Devonshire, which has been an unqualified hit from Day 1 of opening and has had everyone from Ed Sheeran and Margot Robbie to Bono through its doors. It currently boasts the position of being the pub that sells the most pints of Guinness in the UK.
Photo: Mike Taylor
Follow Osh on Instagram @mcmoop
Colin Maher
Group Bar Manager - JKS Pubs
Dublin-born Colin first got into pub work while studying at UCD, including time spent at the Guinness Storehouse. After college, he went over to NYC working in various sports bars before moving to London, where he joined The Rushmore Group, bartending in Redhook and Giant Robot. Next up was eight years as Head Bartender at Hawksmoor, followed by his current job which saw him open The Cadogan Arms in Chelsea as assistant bar manager for JKS Restaurants, then The George as Bar Manager. He now looks over all beverage aspects of all their pubs (they most recently opened The Hound in Chiswick) as Group Bar Manager.
Gearoid Devaney
Founder - The Black Book
Gearoid left his hometown of Belfast nearly 30 years ago to immerse himself in the world of wine - working in the vineyards of Bordeaux and as a sommelier in Michelin-starred restaurants in London and Paris. Now director of Burgundy importer Flint Wines, Gearoid is also co-owner of Cabotte, a Burgundy-centric restaurant in the City and The Black Book, a wine bar in Soho. One of only 220 Master Sommeliers and the only Irish one, Gearoid also sits on the Board for the Court of Master Sommeliers, setting exam papers, teaching and guiding the next generation of sommeliers through the programme.
Follow Gearoid on Instagram @gearoiddevaney
Aaron Wall
Owner - Homeboy
Dubliner Aaron is owner of Homeboy Bar in London and the creator of the neologism Modern Irish Hospitality, which now seems to be growing a life of its own. Homeboy have gone from strength to strength since opening in 2018 having been nominated for Best New International Cocktail Bar and Top 10 Best International Cocktail Bar Europe. Food is now a big thing here too, with chicken fillet rolls and a great Sunday roast on the menu. They also say - fighting talk this - that they pour the best pint of Guinness in London.
Follow Aaron on Instagram @themightyirishmanawall.
Ciarán Smith
Owner - The Bottle Cocktail Shop & Bar
Dublin-born but Wexford-raised Ciarán Smith is behind The Bottle Cocktail Shop & Bar, which opened in Islington in 2021. It offers a unique cocktail bar experience with an annual rotating menu of innovative drinks. Smith, who is a Top 50 Cocktail Bars UK award-winner, has brought together a team of skilled bartenders to craft cocktails which you can either enjoy in their cosy bar or 'bring the bar home' with a range of eleven bottled cocktails.
Conor Daly
Ops Manager - JKS Pubs
Greystones-born Conor moved to London after studying at Trinity College, Dublin. Having worked in hospitality throughout school and college the decision to move to London came after a meal at Robin Gill's The Dairy in Clapham ended up with a job offer to work at the highly rated restaurant. Conor’s now part of top London restaurant group JKS, for whom he opened The Cadogan Arms in Chelsea, The George Public House in Fitzrovia and The Hound in Chiswick. Right now, his days are spent looking after the commercial operations of the pub group.
Follow Conor on Instagram @conor_daly_49
Nicola McDonagh
General Manager - The George
Originally from Galway in the west of Ireland, Nicola spent years working in pubs and restaurants both there and in Australia before moving to London and joining the pre-opening team at the critically well-received Bibi restaurant in Mayfair. From there, she joined the opening team of The George in Fitzrovia, where she is now General Manager and has been key to establishing The George as one of Central London’s best and most hospitable public houses.
Follow Nicola on Instagram at @nil_fhios_agam
Cafes and bakeries
NEW: Sarah Fox
Patisserie baker - N5 Kitchen
Top baker Sarah grew up in Dublin, where she started learning how to bake courtesy of lessons from her talented grandmother Helen. She went on to study Culinary at the Dublin Institute of Technology before starting her career in the pastry kitchen at the city’s iconic Shelbourne Hotel. From there, she moved on to No Messin’ Bakery in Stoneybatter, where she learned to appreciate local and seasonal produce from Hilary Quinn. She made the leap over to London in 2022 and baked in popular bakery Pophams for 2 years, where she fell in love with viennoiserie and recipe development. She’s now working for N5 kitchen in Highbury, running the pastry section.
Follow Sarah on Instagram at @sarahfox2
Ciara O'Shea and Ken Nally
Owners - F. Mondays
Ken is from Wicklow, where he grew up on his dad's trout farm in Annamoe. Born in Tipperary to a family of butchers (her brother Darragh is also on this list), Ciara is a makeup artist by trade and uses her world travels as inspiration for the grocery and coffee store that she and husband Ken opened in Brixton nearly a decade ago. F Mondays has a stellar reputation in Brixton for being a great spot to sit and have a coffee with friends or buy something special to have at home. They also have a second site on Brixton’s Coldharbour Lane.
Follow them on Instagram @fmondayscoffee
James Hennebry
Co-founder - Rosslyn Coffee
Rosslyn is a collection of 6 award-winning, independent specialty coffee bars serving London’s Square Mile. All 6 sites are now amongst the busiest in the world and Rosslyn will be adding more to their portfolio this year. Kilkenny-born James began his career in the music industry with Live Nation before swapping his late nights for early mornings. Having honed his coffee skills in Melbourne, James relocated to London to work with Caravan Coffee Roasters. In 2018, alongside his business partner Mat Russell, James launched Rosslyn in the City of London.
Follow James on Instagram at @rosslyncoffee and @j_hennebry
Dee Rettali
Owner - Fortitude Bakehouse
Artisan baker Dee was born in North Cork but has lived and worked in London since the late Eighties, developing award-winning businesses like Patisserie Organic and the Fernandez & Wells group. In 2018, she opened her own bakery, Fortitude Bakehouse, a craft bakery in Bloomsbury where her groundbreaking techniques have seen the bakery become a huge viral hit. Dee published her first baking book Baking with Fortitude in 2021 which won the prestigious André Simon award. In 2024, she opened a new baking site down the road from her current bakery. Next on the books is Fortitude Bodega, which will open on The Colonnade this summer, next door to the bakery.
Follow Dee on Instagram @fortitudebakehouse.
Front of House
NEW: Jason Patrick Glynn
GM - Daffodil Mulligan
Hospitality is in the bloodline for Galway man Jason who hails from a family of fourth-generation publicans with Glynn's pubs still spotted all across the county. He started his career at the age of 18 in Dublin, working at one of the city’s best-known pubs The Stags Head. In 2018, he moved to London to continue his bar career with positions at The Sun Tavern, Scout and Three Sheets under his belt and was placed twice in the Diageo World Class UK bartenders competition before turning to restaurant management. Since then, he’s worked at Crispin, The Hoxton, St. John and The Pelican before joining Daffodil Mulligan and Gibney's last year as General Manager.
Follow Jason on Instagram at @jasonpatrickglynn
Sean Devoren
Director of Butlers - The Dorchester
With more than 40 years of experience under his belt, Limerick man Sean has worked at almost all of London’s grande dame hotels. The first was Claridge’s where he joined fresh from Rockwell Catering College in Tipperary. He later made a name for himself at The Savoy where he played a pivotal role in the television documentary of the same name. He’s now at The Dorchester, where his job sees him taking responsibility for the hotel’s butler department who are the first port of call for the hotel’s demanding guests.
Sean McDermott
Head Doorman - Scott’s
It’s a long way from Cappawhite in Tipperary to being the person holding the door open for London’s celebrities but doorman Sean has seen it all in his years at the frontline of London’s restaurant industry. Back in the Ivy’s heyday in the Nineties, Sean was the man running the gauntlet of paparazzi. From there he moved to The Wolseley under Corbin & King and from 2008 has been the first person you see when you arrive at Scott’s in Mayfair. Eagerly anticipating the arrival of Scott’s in Dublin, he’s the elder statesman of Caprice Holdings.
Niall Harte
General Manager - One Club Row
Sligo-born Niall grew up with hospitality in his blood - both sides of his family were in the business and his first job was as a Kitchen Porter in his aunt's restaurant. Having moved to London to study, he supplemented his student loan working at bars across the city and three years later made that his business. Senior positions followed at The Camberwell Arms & Leroy before taking over as General Manager at Michelin-starred Lyle’s in Shoreditch. Last year, he moved to New York to lead the team at Estela but he's been lured back to London again with the GM position at upcoming Shoreditch restaurant One Club Row alongside fellow Murphia List name Patrick Powell.
Follow Niall on Instagram at @niallharte
Michael Lynch
Head Butler - Claridge’s
Michael hails from Rathcannon, outside the village of Athlacca in Limerick. He studied at the Rockwell Hotel and Catering School in County Tipperary and first joined Claridge’s in 1976. Homesick for Ireland, he left after three months but realising that he missed the hotel (and a certain North London football club), he returned to London the following year and has been part of the Claridge’s world ever since. For Michael, “Claridge’s is a place where dreams come true. It is more than a job for me. It is a lovely place to work" and he is known for his attention to detail. A firm favourite with guests and staff alike, Michael’s fame spread when he featured in the original ‘Inside Claridge’s’ BBC documentary which aired in 2012, and ‘The Mayfair Hotel Megabuild’ that was shown last year.
Follow Claridge's on Instagram at @claridgeshotel
Olivia McGowan
GM - Akoko
Born in Enniscrone in Sligo, the daughter of one of the town’s two butchers, Olivia and her siblings were all roped in to help with the local golf club dos at the weekends. So it’s perhaps no surprise they all became involved in hospitality. While studying in Dublin, Olivia caught the bug for fine dining while working in Cooke’s Café and then Avoca Café. Her first job in London was at The Anglesea Arms, and then she ended up at Portland before moving on to open Clipstone. After a stint at Scott’s as a Maitre D, she found she missed being on the restaurant floor and moved to become GM of Scully. Next, she helped launch Mayfair restaurant Niju before moving to lead the front-of-house team at West African restaurant Akoko, where she says she now has "the chance to lead a team in creating unforgettable moments that fully immerse the guests".
Follow Olivia on Instagram at @oliviagrew
Richie Corrigan
Managing Director: The Corrigan Collection
From an early age, Richie Corrigan has had hospitality in his blood - working at his dad Richard Corrigan's restaurants during his school holidays, doing everything from pot-washing at Lindsay House to being a waiter at Bentley’s. Following a stint as Assistant GM at Corrigan’s Mayfair overseeing the launch of Dickie's Bar, he moved to Hong Kong where he worked as Restaurant Manager of Michelin-starred Belon. He’s now across the whole Corrigan Collection, including Corrigan’s Mayfair and The Portrait Restaurant in London along with Virginia Park Lodge in Ireland
Follow Richie on Instagram @richiecoggs
Shane McHugh
Group Wine Buyer - Goodman Restaurant Holdings Ltd
Mayo-born and Roscommon-raised, Shane arrived in London in 2014 after years working in hotels in Ireland, the UK and USA. He started out at Vinoteca Marylebone, followed by a Michelin star-led odyssey which included working for Jason Atherton, Gordon Ramsay and Adam Handling. Having joined just to "help out", Shane went from helping out in July 2019 to becoming Group Wine Buyer for Goodman's holding company, overseeing buying and wine operations for the three Goodman steakhouses as well as Beast.
Follow Shane on Instagram @corkageandcraic.
Joe Warwick
Head of Hospitality - The Public House Group
A County Down native, Joe has worked as a restaurant critic, magazine editor and reporter for the BBC Radio 4 Food Programme. He helped spawn the World’s 50 Best franchise and the bestselling international restaurant guide, ‘Where Chefs Eat’. For his second rodeo, after nearly 20 years out of the game, he returned to working FOH with a CV that includes Sola, Bouchon Racine and Cubitt House. Now with the Public House Group, he helped launch The Hero in Maida Vale last year, and is currently working on the imminent opening of The Fat Badger in Notting Hill.
Follow Joe on Instagram @joe_warwick_
Behind the scenes
NEW: Paul McKenna
Born in Armagh, Ireland, into a family of pub owners and restaurateurs, Paul grew up within the hospitality industry. A founder of Sushinho in Chelsea in 2007, he followed this by launching Red Branch Hospitality, working on restaurant and bar projects for clients such as Selfridges, The Doyle Collection and Rosewood Hotel. Recent projects have included Sol’s wine bar in Bayswater, Clarkson’s Farm for Amazon TV and the restaurants and bars going into the Montenotte Hotel in Cork. Most excitingly, he’s overseeing the food concepts for Diageo at the soon-to-open Guinness at Old Brewers Yard project in Covent Garden (a London version of Guinness Storehouse). He’s also a partner in The Allsopps brand, which recently opened The Blue Stoops in Kensington.
Follow Red Branch Hospitality on Instagram at @redbranchhospitality
NEW: Tommy Cummins
Ops Manager - The Umbrella Project
Tommy is a proud Galwegian. Having grown up in an Irish home of music, poetry and the arts, he decided the pub game might be a bit of fun. After rising through the ranks at some of Galway’s best-known bars and clubs he decided he head to London in 2013, where after a brief flirtation with the world of bourbon, he landed at The Sun Tavern - which he would go on to manage - where he was able to share his passion for Irish whiskey and poitín. Since then, he has managed Discount Suit Company and The Umbrella Workshop, and now heads up operations at The Umbrella Project.
Follow Tommy on Instagram at @umbrellaproject
NEW: Seán Deane
Market Specialist - Bord Bia UK
Hailing from Galway, Seán Deane has been immersed in the hospitality industry from a young age, pulling pints in his local pub before embarking on an international career in food and drink. He first joined Jameson Irish Whiskey, where he played a key role in building the brand across Belgium, Cameroon, and Ghana. Seán later brought his expertise to Bord Bia, beginning with a stint in New York before joining the UK team. Today, he focuses on ensuring bars and restaurants have access to the finest Irish ingredients, championing Irish food and drink on the global stage. Recognized for his impact on the industry, he was named a Rising Star in Hospitality by Restaurant Marketer & Innovator for 2025.
Follow Sean on LinkedIn
Jessica Garland-Blake
Co-founder- Bash Studios
Originally from Dun Laoghaire, Jessica moved to London 13 years ago after graduating from The Grafton Academy. Internships followed in the fashion industry along with restaurant work which led her naturally towards working in events at companies including fellow Murphia listee Fiona Leahy and Knightsbridge store Harvey Nichols. Designing and producing tablescapes and menus was a fashion foodie's dream combination. In 2021, she co-founded her own events agency BASH Studios. The agency designs and produces parties, mailers and activations for clients including Soho House and Elemis, but tablescape is still something BASH is most passionate about.
Follow Jessica on Instagram at @jessicagarlandblake
Shayne Brady
Co-founder and Director of Hospitality - BradyWilliams
Born in County Kildare, Shayne’s had a passion for art and design from an early age. Having trained in Dublin, he moved to London co-founding the design studio BradyWilliams with business partner Emily Williams. Over the last decade, he has been responsible for the design of some of London’s best-known restaurants, including Bob Bob Ricard Cite and The Maine. He also collaborated with fellow Irishmen Richard Corrigan on the design of The Portrait Restaurant at the National Portrait Gallery and The Savoy on the design of Gallery. He’s currently working with Jeremy King on his next opening, Simpsons In The Strand, and Daniel Boulud at the Admiralty Arch Waldorf Astoria. He will also be returning as a guest judge on the BBC’s Interior Design Masters show.
Follow BradyWilliams on Instagram at @bradywilliamshospitality
Fergal Lee
Director of Operations - The Wolseley
Fergal first came to London in 1996 after graduating from the Galway Hotel School in Ireland. He worked for both Forte Hotels and O'Neill's Bars for several years before heading to top seafood restaurant J. Sheekey in 2001 and then moving to The Wolseley's opening team. He opened The Delaunay as Assistant General Manager and was appointed General Manager there before returning to Piccadilly and The Wolseley in the role of General Manager. Most recently he headed up the opening team of The Wolseley City.
Darren McHugh
Head of Operations - Tom Sellers’s HiStory Hospitality
Dublin-born Darren heads up operations at chef Tom Sellers’s HiStory Hospitality, which currently includes the two Michelin-starred Restaurant Story, Story Cellar, Dovetale & Once Upon A Time, a hospitality and events business. Prior to this, he oversaw restaurant ops for MJMK’s chef-led projects which included KOL, KOL Mezcaleria, Lisboeta and AngloThai. Almost eight years as General Manager of The Ledbury was preceded by stints working with Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley along with Adam Byatt at Trinity Restaurant. An alumnus of The Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, UCD what is less well known is he also used to be an actor and writer working across theatre, film, television and radio
Follow Darren on Instagram at @darrenlmchugh
Molly Hutchinson
Founder - MIAM Management & Sarnie Party, Event Director of Meatopia
From Dublin, Molly has been working in food-focused events for over 15 years. She founded MIAM Management, a creative culinary agency which represents and manages a growing roster of chefs including Lee Tiernan, Brad Carter and Ruben Dawney. Molly also produces and directs Meatopia, the annual live-fire celebration in Tobacco Docks and founded Sarnie Party in 2024, a festival dedicated to celebrating the humble sandwich.
Follow Molly on Instagram @mollyhutchinson
Fiona Leahy
Founder - Fiona Leahy Design
From growing up in Tipperary to creating memorable parties for London's fashion set hospitality has always been in Fiona's family. As a child, she helped out in her parents' hotel in Cashel before running off to New York where she worked first as a waitress and then as a fashion stylist. She returned to London in the early 1990s, becoming assistant creative director at Garrard. Her first event was the wedding of Dita Von Teese and Marilyn Manson at Gurteen Castle in Ireland. Now, she's most likely to be found curating the most exquisite tablescapes while also working on her eponymous tabletop brand and online store which is set to launch on the summer solstice this year.
Follow Fiona on Instagram @fionaleahydesign.
Sinead Mallozzi
CEO - sketch
With a background in hotel management - at one point she was the youngest and only female London hotel General Manager - Sinead, who's from County Clare, moved into events when she created London's first ice rink at Somerset House. Now as CEO of the sketch empire in London, including its three-Michelin-starred restaurant, she does charity work for Place2Be, and also for Hospitality Action. During lockdown, she wrote a coffee book on sketch which was released in 2024.
James Goggin
Founder - Barrel Aged Consultancy
James first entered hospitality back home in Carlow, working in bars, hotels and clubs from the age of 16. But it was New Zealand where he fell in love with the cocktail industry in particular. Moving to London, after a short stint at Happiness Forgets in Hoxton he became an ambassador for Maverick Drinks, training up hundreds of bartenders. He judges whisky, cognac and rum for the IWSC, World Drinks Awards and Spirits Masters and is a keen advocate of Irish spirits in the UK market. Recently, he left his head of sales role at Danish distillers Empirical to start his own consultancy business.
Follow James on Instagram @barrelagedgoggin
The producers
Simon Lamont
Owner - Rocks Oysters and Events by Rocco
Dublin-born Simon Lamont's Rocks Oysters is one of London's best-known oyster wholesalers, focusing on low-yield independent farms from Britain and Ireland, supplying some of London’s most exciting restaurants. They’ve been seen at everything from the National Restaurant Awards and Meatopia to our own Murphia List party. You can also find them shucking London’s briniest at Canopy Market in Kings Cross every weekend. In 2024, Simon also launched 'Rocco', a harbour-side inspired kitchen in The Montpelier in Peckham.
Follow him on Instagram @RocksOysters.
Steve Ryan
Food Photographer - Founder of Root + Bone, 40FT Brewery and Acme Fire Cult.
Steve Ryan is a food & drink photographer and entrepreneur from Kilkenny. He moved to East London in 2010, where he founded Root + Bone magazine (2013) and 40ft Brewery (2015) in Dalston, where he is currently Managing Director. In 2022, he opened Acme Fire Cult together with chef Andrew Clarke. His photography clients include Guinness, Jamie Oliver, Tabasco and British Airways.
Follow Steve on Instagram @_steveryan_
Rising star
Isabella Condon
Junior Assistant Manager Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
Limerick-born Isabella was brought up in the hospitality industry, working with her family at Marguerite's Bakery & Restaurant in Newcastle West. She graduated from Shannon College of Hotel Management in 2022, joining the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park London as a manager in training before being appointed junior assistant manager at the hotel’s two-Michelin-starred restaurant Dinner by Heston in 2024. She was named the 2025 Gold Service Scholar, a prestigious UK-based Front of House hospitality competition. As a result, this year she will receive a range of prizes tailored to support her professional development - work experience in Waterside Inn in Bray, Mandarin Oriental and Rocco Forte Hotels and a trip to Laurent Perrier in Champagne just to name a few!
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