Cookery Classes at Cloughan Farm & Cookery School

What to Expect

Fiona and Michael Egan run cookery classes from the kitchen of their working farm at Cloughan outside Abbeyshrule, and the autumn 2026 calendar is published with fixed dates rather than run on request. The next class is Midweek Meals, a Demo and Dine evening on Friday 4 September from 6.30pm to 9.30pm at €75, where Fiona cooks and the group sits down to eat what has been made. Hands-on days follow through September and October, with the group at the worktop for the whole session.

The menus follow the farm year. Meat is reared on the place, vegetables come from the kitchen gardens, eggs from the hens and fruit from the orchards, which is why the October dates lean into apples and the harvest. Two of the autumn sessions go beyond straight cookery: Apple Pressing and Preserving on Saturday 17 October takes fruit from the orchard through to bottle and plate, and Trails Ways and Autumn Feast on Friday 30 October pairs a seasonal lunch with stories of the National Famine Way, which passes close by. Classes include printed recipe sheets, and hands-on days include food during the session.

Good to Know

• Midweek Meals, Demo and Dine: Friday 4 September, 6.30pm to 9.30pm, €75
• Breads and Preserves, hands on: Saturday 12 September, 10am to 3pm, €125
• Fabulous Baking and Desserts, hands on: Saturday 19 September, 10am to 3pm, €125
• Dine at Mine, Demo and Dine: Saturday 3 October, 5.30pm to 9.30pm, €75
• Apple Pressing and Preserving, Orchard to Bottle and Plate: Saturday 17 October, 10am to 4pm, €125
• Winter Gardening with Niamh Flannelly: 23 October, 11am to 3pm, €125
• Trails Ways and Autumn Feast: Friday 30 October, 11.30am to 4pm, €75
• Back to Basics, Cooking and Baking, hands on: 7 November, 10am to 2pm, €125
• Venue: Cloughan Farm & Cookery School, Cloughan, Abbeyshrule
• Booking: through fionaegan.com, essential as class sizes are limited

Getting There

Abbeyshrule is in south Longford on the Royal Canal, about 15km southeast of Longford town and a short drive from Ballymahon on the N55. From Dublin, take the M4 to Kinnegad then head northwest through Ballynacargy, roughly 90 minutes. The farm is on rural roads outside the village, so a car is the practical option and there is parking on site. The nearest railway station is Longford on the Dublin Heuston to Sligo line, with a taxi needed for the last stretch.