View Moira Tighe video - in conversation with Brian Leyden.
Moira was born near Keshcarrigan in Co. Leitrim.
In 1977 she married Christy and moved to live in their new bungalow, on the quiet hillside over Lough Arrow, that was to become Cromleach Lodge. In 1978 Moira opened her home as a bed & breakfast catering mainly for anglers coming to fish the Mayfly on Lough Arrow and surrounding lakes. Because there were no restaurants within driving distance Moira also served dinner to her resident guests. Word of the quality of Moira’s cooking soon spread around the area and she was increasingly being asked to provide dinner for special family occasions, etc. In 1980 she opened her tiny restaurant in the dining room of their home, with seating for no more than 12 guests.
Moira very quickly gained recognition locally, nationally and internationally for the excellence of her cuisine and the exceptionally high standard of housekeeping and service she provided in the small but very elegant Cromleach Lodge of that time.
In the early 80’s the bungalow was extended to accommodate 10 guest rooms and a larger restaurant. Further expansion was to take place over the coming years.
Despite the fact that Moira has never had any formal training, she was soon to become one of the most highly acclaimed and respected Chefs in Ireland. She set new standards of food quality, service, customer care and general hospitality management on the quickly developing Island of Ireland.
Moira brought many accolades and awards to Cromleach Lodge over the years including:
Irish Hotel of the Year 1992 & 1999,
Irish Dessert of the Year 1994 & 1995,
Irish Restaurant of the Year 1996,
Moira was Irish Chef of the Year in 2000
Irish Hideaway of the Year in 2004
She was one of the first female chefs in the world to have achieved this level of success and in fact for a number of years Moira had an all female team in her kitchen – quite unique even to this day.
Moira was always keen to share her many talents & skills with the young people she employed and is responsible for training many fine chefs as well as service & accommodation personnel.
In more recent years Moira has eased herself out of the kitchen, but still works closely with Head Chef Lanka Fernando ensuring that the same high standards are maintained at all times.
She is constantly developing new recipes to ensure that her restaurant menu gradually evolves.
Moira is currently introducing a new dish each month - and can be seen preparing these on our video page.
She remains passionate about quality, not just of food but of all aspects of the hotel, especially in the area of hospitality, friendliness and making sure that a genuine warm welcome awaits all her guests.
Moira has always promoted the use where possible of local produce and has been a great supporter of small local producers, such as organic growers, cheese makers, etc.
She has recently teamed up with Yeats Country Foods to promote their range of organic milk, buttermilk and soft cheeses.
Moira & Christy have two sons – David 29 is a Restaurant Manager in Los Angeles & Derek who is 25 and a Restaurant Manager in New York. Quite obviously Moira’s talents have been passed on to the next generation so it’s looking good for the future of Cromleach Lodge.