Sally Barnes, the only exclusive smoker of wild salmon in Ireland and a legend in the artisanal food world, was recently awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Irish Food Writers’ Guild.

Born in Scotland, Sally washed up on the shores of West Cork with a fisherman husband. With a kiln that she procured from a man with a drinking debt, the young woman made sea-smoking history. 

In our chat, Sally talks to us about her passion for the ocean and her concerns for its future. She delves into her experience as a Scottish woman in West Cork in the 1970s, and how she refined the process of her smoked fish, which is still made by hand and continues to be one of the most luxurious products in Ireland today. As a master of her craft, Sally has also begun to do fish-smoking workshops, transmitting her broad knowledge in her smokery, outside of Skibbereen, West Cork. 

Dee and Mei were privileged to take a plunge with Sally Barnes, fishwife (her term, not ours!) and fish-whisperer, and understand her love for smoke, salt, salmon, and the sea. 

For Sally’s fish and for more information about her fish smoking workshops: www.woodcocksmokery.ie

Special thanks to  the Celtic Ross Hotel in Rosscarbery, West Cork where this episode was recorded. www.celticrosshotel.com

Correction 8/04/2022: We originally said Sally was the last wild salmon smoker in Ireland. That was factually incorrect, there are several other smokers of wild salmon. She is the only smoker who exclusively smokes wild fish and does not use farmed or organic.

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