Star Chefs · Ireland
Neven Maguire The Cavan chef who made a border village a destination and became Ireland's favourite TV cook.
Decades of RTÉ cookery series, with the broadcaster's largest audience for a cookery programme, a long shelf of cookbooks, MacNean House in Blacklion with Georgina Campbell's Restaurant of the Year 2007, and warm, widespread press to this day.
Neven Maguire grew up in the family restaurant in Blacklion, Co Cavan, which his parents Joe and Vera opened in 1969[3]. He started cooking beside his mother at twelve, trained at Fermanagh College and then worked in Michelin-starred kitchens in Berlin, Luxembourg and San Sebastián[2].
At 21 he won the Euro-Toques young chef award[2]. Since 2001 he and his wife Amelda have run MacNean House & Restaurant, which Georgina Campbell's guide named Restaurant of the Year in 2007[1][4].
He has been on television since he was 21 and holds the record for RTÉ's largest audience for a cookery programme[5]. His travel series took viewers to Italy and Portugal, and in 2014 he opened a cookery school next to the restaurant[6][7].
Today MacNean House employs around 60 people and has 20 bedrooms, yet it still serves one sitting a night[8].
Life Timeline
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- Origins A Family Restaurant On The Border Joe and Vera Maguire open a restaurant in the Cavan village of Blacklion. Their son Neven will grow up in its kitchen and learn to cook at his mother's side. Read The Story
- Training From Catering College To Europe's Top Kitchens Fresh out of catering college, the teenage Neven is already cooking in Blacklion. Placements in Belfast and in Michelin-starred kitchens in Berlin, Luxembourg and San Sebastián sharpen his skills. Read The Story
- Award Ireland's Young Chef Steps Into The Spotlight At 21 Neven wins the Euro-Toques young chef award, starts appearing on television and catches the eye of the national press, all while cooking in his family's bistro in Blacklion. Read The Story
- Award Restaurant Of The Year In A Border Village Six years after Neven and Amelda take over the family business, Georgina Campbell's guide names MacNean House & Bistro its Restaurant of the Year and calls it a national treasure. Read The Story
- TV & Media Ireland's Home Chef On RTÉ Neven Maguire: Home Chef finishes its run on RTÉ, another series is on the way and Neven is shortlisted for Entrepreneur of the Year. The TV chef from Cavan has become a household name. Read The Story
- Business A Lifelong Dream: The Cookery School Opens Next door to MacNean House, Neven opens his own cookery school, with small classes, a station for every pair of cooks and courses from parent-and-child mornings to a two-day Home Chef course. Read The Story
- TV & Media On The Food Trail From Italy To Portugal After taking RTÉ viewers through Italy, Neven's Food Trails heads for Portugal in a seven-part series, while MacNean House back home grows to 60 staff and 20 bedrooms. Read The Story
Restaurants
- MacNean House & Restaurant Blacklion, Ireland chef-owner · 2001–today The family restaurant his parents opened in 1969; run by Neven and Amelda since 2001, with rooms and a cookery school. [1]
- Roscoff Belfast, United Kingdom trainee His first placement, under Paul Rankin. [2]
- Grand Hotel restaurant Berlin, Germany cook One of the Michelin-starred kitchens where he worked abroad. [2]
- Lea Linster Luxembourg, Luxembourg cook One of the Michelin-starred kitchens where he worked abroad. [2]
- Arzak San Sebastián, Spain cook One of the Michelin-starred kitchens where he worked abroad. [2]
Ranking History
Rank1Six-month average82Assessment of the month82
We update the ranking every month. It follows a six-month weighted average of the fame score, so one quiet month changes little.
| Assessment of the month | Rank | Fame Score | Six-month average |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 2026 | 1 | 82 | 82 |
Sources
Every fact on this page comes from these sources. Each number in the text points to the source it came from.
- Official MacNean House & Restaurant: About - Neven Maguire - MacNean House & Restaurant
- Press The Anglo-Celt: Neven Maguire: Cavan's own home-grown star
- Press The Irish Times: A slice of Neven
- Guide Georgina Campbell's Ireland Guide: 2007 Award Winners: Restaurant of the Year 2007
- Press TheTaste.ie: Neven Maguire: There's no hidden side to Neven Maguire, what you see is what you get
- Press TheTaste.ie: Neven Maguire Cookery School Review
- Press RTÉ: Neven's Portuguese Food Trails
- Press Irish Farmers Journal: Food, beats and passion – Neven brings the flavour