The speed limit lowers to 60km per hour going though Cullohill in Co Laois, but not for long. After a few hundred metres, it is back up to 100km. The village passes in an instant. A shop, a pub, a church, a post office and a community hall: all the essentials are there. It is not the type of place you can access easily by public transport. The 828 bus goes to Portlaoise once a day. From the outside looking in, Cullohill is a typical Irish village and, driving through, it could be any village in Ireland.

But, scratch beneath the surface and you will see there are many things that set Cullohill apart from the rest, not least of all the huge effort being put in by the community to revitalise the locality. At 6.30pm the street is deserted, bar three men in hi-vis jackets ready to direct traffic – but by 7pm the place is buzzing with activity.

Over 300 people have turned out to support the Bord Bia-sponsored Christmas Feast with Rory O’Connell that is on in the local hall. The cookery demonstration was organised by the newly formed Cullohill Community Council and chair James Walsh says they are working hard to ensure the area is promoted and uplifted.

“If we didn’t actively promote Cullohill, the post office would go, the shop would go, the pub would go and the whole place would shut down. It’s important that rural Ireland stays alive. Nobody outside of this community is coming along to give this place a lif: Cullohill has to lift itself.”

The funds from the night are going towards supporting local projects, including the establishment of a learning centre that will help farmers gain IT skills and support second-level students: “All our funding is going to be used in supporting community-based initiatives, to revitalise and reignite life in this village,” explains James.

Chef Rory O’Connell is a Cullohill native and demonstrates not only amazing Christmas dishes, but also the importance of using good-quality local produce. Rory, who is based in Ballymaloe House with his sister Darina Allen, says local produce is crucial for him as a chef, because he is only as good as the ingredients at his disposal.

“The link between the farmer and the food on your table is everything. If I was a painter and I didn’t have the correct oil paints, I wouldn’t be able to paint. As a cook, if I don’t have good ingredients, which come from the farmer, I have nothing. So the farmer is key – and farmers need to be valued, celebrated and paid properly.”

Cullohill Community Council is currently drafting a town development plan to ensure their village stays on the up and is not left to wither and die. Events like this Rory O’Connell cookery demonstration are a firm step in the right direction.