The most remarkable thing about West Waterford is not its glorious natural beauty, which ranges from an exciting and spirited coastline to a splendidly spooky forested interior. Nor is it the fact that it is splendidly undiscovered - almost virgin territory, indeed. And, strangely enough, it is not even the fact that West Waterford is home to interesting, spirited cooking - though, as we shall see, it is. No, instead West Waterford is curious in that, as you drive throughout the area, you are endlessly confronted by signs directing you to . . . Killarney.
Killarney, Co Kerry.
As one local man remarked to me: "Do you think for one minute that there is a big sign in the middle of Killarney pointing the direction to West Waterford?"
The Killarney signs are a throwback - in the modern world of Irish tourism, only a mug would go anywhere near Killarney during the season, and it is West Waterford which is now one of the newly unearthed jewels in the country's crown.
Unlike Killarney, it is a place devoid of cliches, and bristling with talents, as described in its new guide, The West Waterford Good Food Tree.
Here are some of its brightest diamonds.
The Tannery, Dungarvan
Paul Flynn left the town of Dungarvan 14 years ago to spend the best part of a decade as right-hand-man to Nico Ladenis in London, before taking over the kitchens in La Stampa, in Dublin. His work there was impressive, but I always felt Flynn needed a smaller, more intimate space to show his work at its best. In the gorgeous room that architect Denis Looby has created out of the old tannery, near the Look Out, Paul Flynn has arrived back home with a bang.
He is, in my opinion, one of the great modern Irish cooks. He mixes a ruthless discipline and correctness with an originality and stylishness which makes his cooking irresistible. Look at what he does with a bouillabaise, for example. In the recently-opened Tannery, he revises the French classic to twist it from a dense fish stew into a dish which is rich, with the lightness of Thai spices, lime and coconut milk. The symmetries of the dish, with its mixture of fish and shellfish flavours, are reinvigorated, with small potatoes and Dublin Bay prawns - artfully split down the back which makes them simple to eat - embracing the sweetness of the coconut.
This sort of intricate judgement is Paul Flynn's strength. He makes a classic crispy duck confit, pairs it with creamed peas and bacon and a fondant potato, and creates bistro food at its zenith. His baked cod Nicoise, with garlic and lemon, comes with black olives and plum tomatoes and a cooked egg, and once again it is the precision of the judgement that makes the dish so successful: everything is just so.
Our three starters were equally decisively delicious: a saffron risotto with aubergine and chorizo was further tricked out with sweet pepper and courgette and was superbly executed; some grilled field mushrooms were matched with salad leaves and an appositely simple warm bacon dressing, while crab linguini with tomato, garlic and ginger was equally definitive. Desserts were a strawberry creme brulee, a great chocolate souffle pudding with orange custard. The local Waterford cheeses - Ring, Knockanore and Ardsallagh - were in tip-top condition.
The wine list is short and well chosen, the staff right on the money, and the room gorgeous, and probably even nicer during the day when natural light waves in from the tall windows.
I wouldn't have minded the music being a little louder, but folk who don't share my passion for Anita Baker and Frank Sinatra would probably like it kept just the way it is. Prices are very keen - between £4 and £6 for starters, from £9.50 for the duck to £14 for grilled fillet steak: desserts cost £4.
The Tannery, Quay Street, Dungarvan, Co Waterford tel: 0585420, open Tue-Sat, noon-2.15 p.m., 6.30 p.m.-10 p.m. (10.30 p.m. Fri and Sat). Major cards.
Buggy's Glencairn Inn, Glencairn
Of all the folk who manage to create inimitable spaces in restaurants, hotels and country houses throughout Ireland, I think no one has a style as distinctive as Ken Buggy.
Mr Buggy and his wife, Cathleen, are famous as the people who ran Kinsale's Old Presbytery B&B for many years, and who made it the quintessential bed and breakfast. Their quiet and individualistic manners carved out a space which was, for many of us, purest bliss. When they sold the Presbytery, and moved east to the somewhat dormant village of Glencairn, one wondered if they would manage to do it again.
They have, of course, managed it, creating a pub so unique and so artful that it looks like a film set and feels like the pub in heaven. Indeed, it is not so much a pub as an inn of the old coaching style which has almost completely vanished. You enter under an arch of sweet pea, and walk into a low ceilinged dining room with an old Aga, or turn right into the bar with its crackling fire and warm lamplight.
The Buggys do not deal in pastiche, so the intricate and studious sourcing of articles and memorabilia which characterised the Old Presbytery is in full swing here. Created out of an old pub only a year or so ago, Buggys' Glencairn Inn already feels like it has been here for ever, and has never needed to change.
Best of all, having only three rooms - with gorgeous big beds and swallow-me-up claw-footed baths in the bathrooms - means Mr Buggy is able to cook each evening. He chalks up what fish has come in the door - lemon sole; black sole; cod; monkfish - adds in a few carnivorous things such as his excellent entrecote and his wonderful Irish Stew ("Irish people won't eat Irish Stew. Tourists love it") and then gets on with cooking them to perfection. His brown soda bread is - and this is no exaggeration - world-famous.
As with the old Presbytery, it is the attention to detail, and the Buggys' ability to engineer the most wonderful atmosphere as they pull pints and fry fish which makes the Glencairn Inn special, unique. Prices are absurdly low.
Buggy's Glencairn Inn, Glencairn, near Lismore, 058-56232. Lunch 12.30 p.m.-2 p.m., Mon-Sat, dinner 7.30 p.m.-9.30 p.m. WedMon. No credit cards.
Richmond House Cappoquin
In The West Waterford Good Food Tree, Paul Deevy's cooking in Richmond House is the only establishment to claim the coveted three-star classification (the booklet appeared before The Tannery opened).
And Deevy is, indeed, a fine cook, with an understated but well understood style and a rich appreciation of local foods which well explains his stars.
He cooks in the family house, a handsome three-storey Georgian house just outside Cappoquin. Part of its charm comes from the ageless nature of the decoration, which has echoes of old country hotels, while the newly decorated bedrooms conform to a more modern style. The subtlety and gentleness of the style of Richmond is matched by the graciousness of the staff, led by Mr Deevy's wife, Claire, and by the food: it is a very comfortable place, and very relaxing, a place to put your feet up and to chill out.
A local grower, Maureen Fox, supplies the leaves which team up with smoked duck breast and roast beetroot. The excellent local Knockalara cheese appears on crostini and in fresh salads, and the local Knockanore cheese is used in a twice-baked souffle with chives. There is good salmon from the Blackwater river, Helvick sole on the bone with beurre blanc, local duckling with a plum and cointreau jus, and Death By Chocolate to send you blissfully off to meet your maker. Logical, friendly, fun cooking in a fun, friendly place which has not a jot of pretention or artifice.
Richmond House, Cappoquin, Co Waterford, tel: 058 54278 Dinner 7 p.m.-9 p.m. (Sun and Mon residents only).
Hanora's Cottage, Nire Valley
Is the breakfast in the Wall family's Hanora's Cottage the finest in the entire country? I think that probably it is. It is not so much a bumper feast as a comprehensive index of just what breakfast can include.
Poached nectarines. Apricots. Prunes. Mrs Wall's special porridge. Every type of cereal. Baylough cheese, in three varieties. Ripe melons. Shiny apples. Warm nutty brown bread. Squidgy scones. Batch loaf. Juicy plums. Smoked salmon. Juices of every hue and variety. Yogurt and thick cream.
You are agonisingly trying to make up your mind as to just what you will choose from this feast of foods, and then Mrs Wall comes in and says, "Good morning. Did you sleep well? Now, what would you like for breakfast?".
I'm not joking.
So, after a raid on all of the other stuff, you have some scrambled eggs, and some good, sweet bacon, and a blast of coffee. And then you head off to do some serious walking in the beautiful Nire Valley.
When evening comes, and you sore-footedly stumble down for dinner, young Eoin Wall struts his stuff, showing that the generous, flavour-filled cooking of Hanora's Cottage is not confined to breakfast. A few days of walking in the valley, with your daily exertions book-ended by delicious food, is some sort of heaven.
Hanora's Cottage, Nire Valley, near Clonmel, Co Waterford, tel: 052 36134
Other Good Tree Members Are:
Ballyrafter House Hotel, Lismore, Co Waterford, 058 54002. Fishing is one of the big attractions in Ballyrafter, and both the fishing and the good cooking account for the many happy folk who return year after year to Joe and Noreen Willoughby's hotel.
Barrons Bakery and Coffee House, Cappoquin, Co Waterford 058 54045.
Esther Barron's beautiful bakery is one of the finest traditional bakeries in the country, and a visit to buy some breads and to enjoy sweet things in the coffee shop is a must. Don't miss the blass, one of few surviving local specialities which can't be found elsewhere.
Carrigahilla House and Gardens, Stradbally, Co Waterford 051 293127.
Vincent Morrissey's lovely house has been praised in these pages on many occasions, and the combination of lovable food and the lovely gardens makes Carrigahilla someplace special.
Melody's Nire View Bar, Ballymacarbry, Co Waterford 052 36147.
Pat and Carmel Melody's secret is good soups and good sandwiches, in this fine traditional pub run by the family for more than a century. There is also live music some nights of the week, and they can organise trail riding in the valley.
Round Tower Hotel, Ardmore, Co Waterford, 024 94494. Like Carrigahilla, the Round Tower is a former convent, but today Aidan Quirke devotes himself to simple food with a homemade character.
Seanachai Bar and Restaurant, Dungarvan West, Co Waterford 058 46285.
Maura Curran's pub is a landmark on the N25 road (a word of warning, incidentally, about the N25. The local gardai are very keen that you observe the speed limits.). The Seanachai is celebrated for its ageless atmosphere and good bar food, especially local fish.