Food & Wine

‘It’s been rough, but I’m grateful for all I have’: Danni Barry’s new beginning at Ballynahinch

The Northern Ireland-born chef, who won a Michelin star in 2014, is immersing herself in life in Connemara after a difficult chapter in her life

Danni Barry in the grounds of Ballynahinch Castle: having won a Michelin star at Eipic in Belfast, she is now executive head chef at the luxury hotel. Picture: Emilija Jefremova

Danni Barry pops her head out of the library just off the entrance hall in Ballynahinch Castle. “It’s nice and cosy in here,” she says, beckoning me in for our chat.

Cosiness is important on the day we meet. It is one of those Connemara Sundays when the rain is coming down in sheets, and when spending the day sitting beside a fire seems like the only sensible option.

Barry, the new executive chef at ...