An Irish chef has hit back at a US tech billionaire's critical comments about Ireland and its food.
Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince recently tweeted about how "no wants to live in Ireland unless they're Irish".
Responding to an Irish user, Prince - whose company has data centres in Dublin and Cork - claimed: "I’d be realistic about your strengths and weaknesses. You are not a very welcoming community to outsiders.
"And the weather and food suck. Hopefully you can fix 2/3. And then, maybe, global warming your friend."
I wish you no ill will, but I’d be realistic about your strengths and weaknesses. You are not a very welcoming community to outsiders. And the weather and food suck. Hopefully you can fix 2/3. And then, maybe, global warming your friend.
— Matthew Prince 🌥 (@eastdakota) November 4, 2020
The comments were made in early November, but have received renewed attention across social media in Ireland in recent days.
Paul Flynn - chef and owner of the Tannery in Dungarvan, Co Waterford - responded to the comments on today's Newstalk Breakfast.
He said: "I'm actually upset by that... what country has he been to in the last 20 years? We've come on in leaps and bounds.
"Irish food is fantastic. I'm back cooking here over 25 years now, and I was in London for a long time.
"Every single year, people like John & Sally McKenna and Tom Doorley and everyone who writes about food... they've been pushing great young chefs and restaurateurs to do better and better."
Mr Flynn said the diversity in the food culture in Ireland is "just amazing... I'm very proud of it at this stage".
The chef was on the show to discuss how to safely cook a turkey and the rest of your Christmas dinner.
You can listen back to his advice, as well as his comments about the Irish food culture, below:
