Do you know what the national dish of Ireland will be in three years’ time?” Martin Shanahan asks Irish Country Living.

We don’t know, but given that Martin is one of Ireland’s top seafood chefs and the owner of Fishy Fishy in Kinsale, the answer won’t be bacon and cabbage.

“It’ll be fish and chips. The country has gone mad for it,” he says. “I’m telling you, it’s going to happen.”

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It remains to be seen if Martin’s prediction will come true, but if it does then he’ll be the man responsible. The Fermoy native is on a mission to get the country eating fish. This writer is impressed by his enthusiasm for all things marine.

“Sure why wouldn’t I be enthusiastic?” he says. “We have the best food and Kinsale has the richest fishing grounds in the world. Good food makes you feel good.”

We’re in Fishy Fishy, a seafood restaurant which Martin opened with his wife Marie in 2006. He previously worked as a chef in the town and ran a fish and chip shop and deli.

“You don’t come in here looking for duck,” he says. “It is only right that a seaside town would have a restaurant dedicated to fish. It’s good to see more towns follow suit.”

On the wall are portraits of the local fishermen who, in Martin’s words, “keep Fishy Fishy in existence”. There is also a group photo of the restaurant staff with a picture of fellow chef and friend Paul Flynn taped on the corner “as a joke”.

Martin and Paul worked together on RTÉ’s Surf and Turf, which later developed into a cookbook. Martin also had his own show, Martin’s Mad About Fish, followed by Martin’s Still Mad About Fish and three cookbooks.

So why is Martin so enamoured with fish?

“It’s never boring, there’s always something new in season. There’s about 70 different species of fish around Ireland that you can eat,” he explains. “It’s very healthy for you but I think it’s a much underutilised product.

“Do you know why the girls from Kinsale won the Young Scientist? It’s because of all the fish they eat,” he adds. “There must be something in it. Trust me, they’re all eating it – and not the processed kind.”

Fishy Fishy is one of 10 Good Food Circle restaurants hosting the upcoming Kinsale Gourmet Festival, which takes place in the town from 10-12 October. It’s the 38th year of the event and Martin has been on board for around a decade.

“We work collectively to promote the town and it’s a thank you to our customer base for coming during the summer,” says Martin. “It’s done wonders for Kinsale and helped develop our foodie reputation. Look out, look at the water. It’s a great town. The pace of life in Kinsale is lovely – even when it’s busy, it’s not manic.”

Martin, who trained as a chef in Rockwell College, is a great believer in honest, Irish food.

“My mother, who is still alive, is a great cook and so was my grandmother,” he says. “I had great food growing up. I feel sorry for kids growing up now. They think home cooked food is throwing a pizza into the oven or going to the chipper, which is a pity.”

He adds that children should learn about food at a young age.

“Schools should be educating children on food from the age of five. I blame that on the education system. Why can’t children learn how to cook?” he asks. “It should be standard and part of the curriculum. They can spend two hours per week learning Spanish but learn nothing about food. It doesn’t make sense. If they don’t eat well, they won’t live.”

After years of working as a chef, he now sees himself as a promoter of food and home cooking.

“A lot of people don’t know how to purchase fresh fish and meat. They don’t know how to ask for a cut of meat in the butcher’s,” he says. “When I do demos, people say I make it look so easy, but I’m no different to anyone else. I’m only showing people how.”

For more information on the Kinsale Gourmet Festival, click here

Visit www.fishyfishy.ie for menus and bookings.