The Bervie in Achill collect Georgina Campbell Host of the Year award

John and Elizabeth Barrett of The Bervie Guesthouse, Keel, have scooped the title of Host of the Year in the Georgina Campbell Irish Food and Hospitality Awards 2023.

Celebrating 25 years in their current incarnation, the independent Georgina Campbell Awards represent the four corners of Ireland and are the country’s longest running food and hospitality awards. They recognise and honour the standard-bearers in food and hospitality with particular focus, this year, on genuine hospitality, consistency, innovation and good value. They also pay special tributes to some of the giants of Irish food and hospitality – and the brave newcomers who, against the odds, continue to delight with inspiring new businesses.

Speaking at the awards held recently at the new Bord Bia Global Hub in Dublin, food writer and author Georgina Campbell said: “It’s been a joy to travel freely again this year but accommodation shortfalls (partly due to the continuing negative effects of short lets replacing serviced B&B), short weeks, reduced hours, early kitchen closures, minimum 2-night stays and other restrictions related to staff shortages and high costs, notably energy costs, have been challenging to work around. As always, we have been seeking out genuine hospitality and those striving to give the best possible guest experience, ahead of convenience to the host business. Each year a theme emerges in the awards, reflecting the weight of nominations proposed by the assessment team. This year suggests a swing away from cities towards rural destinations and smaller towns, possibly reflecting post-pandemic preferences and/or a levelling up of standards. And words like unshowy, consistent, genuinely hospitable, customer-focused, and kind are typical of our nominations.”.

The individual citation for the award winner read:

The Barrett family’s magical beachside house is a low, tucked-in kind of a place with a little wicket gate giving direct access to Keel beach, and an other-worldliness which is very rare these days. Since 1932, the Bervie has been the ultimate escape for the many guests who have stayed here. Elizabeth was born here and, aside from the location and the charm of the house itself - which has style without being at all ‘decorated’ - it is the sense of continuity that makes it special. And, of course, she has the ‘hotelier’s gene’. Hospitality comes naturally to her and her husband John, and to all of their delightful staff - which, together with comfortable, compact rooms, a cosy fire, great food (at both dinner and breakfast) - adds tremendously to the charm of this very special place. As Elizabeth says, 'Hospitality is what we do, what Ireland is all about, and we must treasure it. Without it, what is the point?'”