O'FLYNN'S BUTCHERS O'Flynn's Butchers in Marlboro Street may…read morewell be out of the shared limelight that the English Market endows on its tenants but, such is the quality of product and service that O'Flynn's have maintained for decades, their customers will seek them out time and time again. Called in there this Jazz Weekend Saturday and, after some banter and spot-on advice, left a happy customer. Happier again later on when that first class pork was on the plate Chez Moi. And some left over for sangers, as predicted by the man behind the counter. John O'Flynn & Sons, Master Butchers, 36 Marlboro Street. 427 5685

The only butchers that serves highest quality meat i actually want to eat,and its so convenient…read morewhen you can pick up a pre prepared potato gratin or a ready made meat dish like stir fry or chicken rolls,nice to see a place that really cares where the meat comes from its no wonder they hav a shop in every corner of town!keep up the great work!

We called in to get some ready made mince burgers for a BBQ dinner we were planning at the house…read morewe'd rented for the week. My partner spotted the deal outside, for 20 EUR you got: 1lb mince Five burgers Five pork chops Five Chicken Fillets A bag of Kerr's Pink potatoes What a deal! What a deal indeed. The potatoes were not Kerr's Pink, but Roosters and they didn't ask us at the time if this was OK. We didn't need them straight away, but by the time we opened the bag back in Dublin the potatoes were mouldy and off. I know we'd had them a number of days by then, but to be covered in mould? I've made my SpagBol recipe enough times to know what a pound of mince visibly looks like and did not seem to be full pound of mince. The burgers were not great. The texture of the mince when you bit into them was not natural. It was like there as some bonding agent put in the mix to keep the mince together. Also they didn't shrink when cooked like most homemade burgers do. The chops were OK and the chicken was fine. I would not recommend this deal, a waste of money instead saving money.

Great selection of meats and side dishes. Friendly staff. Knowledgeable about the town and…read moresurrounding area. Excellent food and travel advice.

A personal touch to shopping local. A shopkeeper that likes to keep the community spirit alive and…read morebring humor to his customers.

The beautiful town of Clonakilty, Ireland, has a hidden gem only steps away from the town center…read more(where the Battle of The Big Cross monument is). So I guess most visitors will go to the pubs to try out traditional Irish food and we've done that. But I said to myself, these pubs and restaurants get their meat and perhaps pasties and pies from the butcher, so why not cut the middle man? It turned out to be one of the best decisions on our trip. Scully and his staff cheerfully greeted us the moment we walked in and later chatted about life in the fast-paced US metropolitan vs. Ireland countryside (we both agree that the Ireland version contributes better to your mental and physical health). We selected the delicious fish pie, a freshly baked steak and kidney pie, the best chicken & mushroom pie I've ever tasted, along with a beef pastie and quiche for a quick lunch. I usually do not enjoy food that taste and smell too gamey, but the steak and kidney pie actually pleasantly surprised me with its full flavors. Realizing that we're going to have a quick lunch by the small park by the monument outside, Scully provided the utensils and everything else to make our meal enjoyable. We absolutely love the graciousness and hospitality on this nevertheless short visit to this picturesque small town. I can't recommend this joint enough!

JACK MCCARTHY Kanturk was en fete last evening as French…read moresociety La Confrérie des Chevaliers du Goûte Boudin arrived in the Duhallow town to present Jack McCarthy with a Gold Medal for the quality of his famous Black Pudding. McCarthy's were giving it away last night and it is fantastic, really really good and well worth the Gold Medal. The Gold Medal butchers had roasted a wild boar. I had a few chunks of that. Different class. McCarthy's do a whole range of classy meat products in their Main Street shop and you can see the whole range on-line.

Gosh. Hate to rain on the parade regarding McCarthys of Kanturk, but some recent empirical…read moreexperience prompts me to do so. Let me begin by saying the holiday order was for an older relative living in Ireland. A little old lady in fact who has difficulty getting out and about due to her age. It sounded like a great idea to avail of the online services of a shop like McCarthys in Kanturk : quite a lot said about some products on the internet , so it was worth a try. I mean what can go wrong , in this day and age of online commerce?. It is a simple order , to be delivered to my elderly relative and really just that easy. Well, that is when Murphys Law hit hard and the sentence was indeed painful to behold. Notably, their online order system was probably not tested first before installation. I was billed twice and then comes the kicker : after receiving several emails from the shop, they indicate the delivery info was incomplete so would be providing a refund. Now, that is very puzzling as it is impossible to complete the order without proving the required info. Then, upon pointing it out , Tim McCarthy at the shop, explained they needed a street address or P.O box for delivery. Hmmmm now. Not buying it at all, as a similar order was placed online with a similar butcher shop and no problems whatsever. Incidentally, both shops use the same software. So, I hate to say it but McCarthys is either misleading customers or not taking the time to learn their online software. In any event, a total waste of time and dealing with Tim McCarthy was less than pleasant as he has obviously not been sent the memo on basic customer courtesy. He was both curt and rude over the whole duration of the attempt to make an order. Now the result is for my elderly relative to not get her holiday gift as planned. I wasted considerable time in dealing with an operation which needs better management and confidence to display basic courtesy to the public. Be warned so you can avoid nightmare shopping experiences as with McCarthys of Kanturk.

O'CRUALAOI BUTCHERS O'Crualaoi Butchers have been trading…read moresince 1957 and new shops in Fermoy, Carrigaline and Wilton have seen a rapid expansion in recent times. Ballincollig is their first shop and I called to see their set-up recently. Here there are two sections, an inviting delicatessen and a very impressive and well laid out butcher shop. Wasn't on a meat buying mission on this occasion but did pick up one of their fresh soups (mushroom) from the deli. It was an excellent soup, very tasty indeed.

I get delivery sandwiches from O'Crualaoi once every now and again. The overall quality of the food…read moreis good and the price isn't massive for a delivery but the amount of meat in the 'sandwich specials' is quite light- this can be good for someone in an office as it will not produce food coma but I would recommend getting a regular sandwich as the toppings are better and portions are quite good. Many choices of things to have here.

O'MAHONY BUTCHERS O'Mahony Butchers can be found at the…read moreGrand Parade end of the English Market. Had been alerted that they had good vale in bavette, the type of steak you might come across in French bistros. The helpful courteous assistant cut five of them for me and they cost eight euro. The equivalent in fish would cost between €12 and €15. They went down very well that evening with four out of five giving them the thumbs up. "It loves a good raw heat, where you cook it nice and fast, where the flames hit it," says Shannon Gregory, a butcher at Cafe Rouge in Berkeley, which sells Niman Ranch's flap meat in both its meat market and in the restaurant as a plate of bistro-style grilled steak with red wine shallot butter. "Make sure you cut across the grain. Otherwise it's like eating a lot of rubber bands." Read more, including a good explanation of the bavette, at:http://bit.ly/6R4ayu