President’s Report – April 2026

Dear Members,

Welcome to your April newsletter.

In March, Adrian Cummins and I met with Alice Mansergh of Tourism Ireland and Caroline Bocquel of Fáilte Ireland to discuss culinary tourism and the central role restaurateurs play in shaping that offering. This renewed focus is a direct result of the sustained work and lobbying of the Association to ensure that food tourism is put back on the map. We look forward to continued engagement in the months ahead with Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland and to the publication of the Culinary Tourism Strategy later this year. It is fantastic to see the sector once again recognised as a vital part of Ireland’s tourism story.

Like many of you, I am concerned about the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and the pressure it is placing on input costs and customer footfall. As an association, we will continue to highlight the realities of the cost of doing business to Government, particularly the disproportionate impact on food-led hospitality businesses due to tighter margins, higher energy use and more cautious consumer spending. This is a worrying time but rest assured the Restaurants Association of Ireland is at the table speaking for you.

Last month, I travelled across the country for the Irish Restaurant Awards regional events, where we celebrated the very best of Irish hospitality. It was fantastic to see such positivity across the sector despite the challenging trading environment. Congratulations to all nominees and winners. We now look ahead to the All-Ireland Awards on the 18th of May.

We are also preparing to welcome hospitality leaders from across Europe to the HOTREC General Assembly, which we are hosting in Cork later this month in partnership with the IHF. This will be an excellent opportunity to showcase the strength and quality of Ireland’s hospitality sector to a European audience.

Yours sincerely,

Seán Collender 
President