The Bell is Ringing

Meantime, more things are stirring in Tipp. Dermot Gannon, whom food lovers will recall as being one of the leading lights in Clifden before he took off for a Stateside excursion, has taken over Michel Clifford's old place in Cahir, in two lovely rooms over The Bell pub, just off the square.

Working with his brother-in-law, Ricky, Dermot is firing out his classy, hip fusion food with glee, especially his "Dipping Grill"starters, where you match their signature sauces with a variety of ingredients, so Peking duck has Thai mango sauce, hoisin and Malaysian satay dips, and BBQ roast pork has Thai barbecue, garlic mayo and Ballymaloe relish as its dips.

Lovely grills such as breast of chicken with baked Bluebell Falls goats cheese, or halibut with a Thai spiced butter, or pork steak with Traas Farm apple jelly are right on the money, and service is excellent.

Years ago, of course, they built a by-pass around Cahir: more public money wasted, for food lovers will be making a bee-line straight for the Square in Cahir to eat at Gannon’s above The Bell.

Megabytes hereby calls on Seamus Brennan to do the decent thing, and to fall on his sword.

Gannon's above The Bell, Pearse Street Tel: (052) 45911