The Gluten Free Kitchen Company

25/02/2026

👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👇

Solidarity to the five farmers, including Patrick McCormick from Monaghan, who have been locked into Bord Bia headquarters for over four weeks now demanding fairness and accountability.
An important public meeting will take place in the Cavan Crystal Hotel this evening at 8pm. Unfortunately, Dáil business means that I won’t be able to make it but urging everyone who can to make it.
It’s time for government to listen to reason - you can’t chair the body responsible for promoting Irish food while heading a company that imports Brazilian meat!

25/02/2026

I highly recommend this Evidence Based Service to educate you and your colleagues 👇

Endometriosis awareness in your workplace. Chronic pelvic pain, fatigue and unpredictable symptoms don’t only affect people medically, they affect attendance, productivity, career progression and wellbeing at work. Many employees with endometriosis struggle in silence because organisations lack understanding and practical support. Up to 1 in 6 are forced to leave the workplace due to their symptoms and misunderstandings about what’s happening.

That’s where MISE workplace wellbeing sessions come in. Our sessions not only educate, but empower employees to advocate for themselves and others living with symptoms of endometriosis. Understanding starts with awareness and open communication.

Keen to bring a session to your workplace? Email info@miseireland.ie for more information.

25/02/2026

⚖️ Community Notice

Over the past number of months, I have been subjected to ongoing harassment and defamation online.

This matter is now formally under investigation.

If any member of this community witnesses further harassment, false statements, impersonation, or targeted commentary relating to me or my work, I ask that you:

• Report the content directly to An Garda Síochána
• Take screenshots (including date, time and profile name)
• Forward documentation to: info@thegfkitchenco.ie

This is now a serious legal matter.

I will not engage publicly with misinformation. Appropriate channels are handling it.

I want to reassure our community that advocacy for patient safety and evidence-based care will continue but harassment, intimidation, and defamatory commentary will not be tolerated.

Thank you to those who continue to act with integrity and support safe spaces.

We will not be commenting further on this matter.

25/02/2026

How many more women have to wait for answers?

A woman in London waited 10 months for a hospital referral for suspected endometriosis - and was later diagnosed with stage 4 cancer.

Delays in specialist care for women in Ireland & the UK are increasingly common. Waiting doesn’t just prolong pain - it delays ruling out life-threatening conditions.

Time matters. Resources matter. Early diagnosis matters.

Read the article:
https://www.ireland-live.ie/news/health/2019258/i-waited-10-months-for-a-hospital-referral-for-suspected-endometriosis-then-i-got-my-stage-4-cancer-diagnosis-at-27.html

Sign the petition for better endometriosis care and a national inquiry:
https://www.change.org/p/issue-an-expert-irish-endometriosis-framework-let-us-have-a-national-inquiry

Please share. Women deserve timely access to care - not years of waiting.

24/02/2026

✨ 13 Years Since The Sunday Times Front Page

Hard to believe it’s been 13 years since my business model hit the front page of the Sunday Times food section.

I was the first fully gluten-free and coeliac-safe café in Ireland.

It began in 2011 with a €13,000 bank loan.
And hard graft.

But the real story started before that.

This March marks 15 years since I sat in a Local Enterprise Board “Start Your Own Business” course.
My five-year relationship had just ended the day I started the course and he sadly died 15 months later.
The property sector had crashed so work had dried up.
I was working 2 x part-time jobs including running arts and crafts classes for primary school children just to top up my income so I could pay my mortgage so needed to look at bringing in more income and this was the direction life brought me.

All while navigating stage 4 endometriosis - at a time when there was no national framework, no specialist pathway, no roadmap.

Just survival.
And belief.

Today, as I prepare for more surgery in the coming weeks, I feel overwhelming pride.

Not just for the awards.
Not just for the media features.
Not just for building The Gluten Free Kitchen Company from scratch.

But for every single day I have shown up for my life.

For the support I’ve received.
For the community that formed around something bigger than food.
For the glimmers - especially in the darkest days.

Even when systems failed.
Even when my body struggled.
Even when life felt impossibly heavy.

It’s the glimmers that make life worth living. ✨

23/02/2026

Construction has begun on a Multinational Fast Food outlet in Manor West, Tralee.

In 2026 - when we know the impact of ultra-processed foods.
When local producers are struggling.
When chronic health conditions are rising.
When communities are fighting to survive.

Planning permission is not just about a building.
It’s about the direction of a county.

Back in 2011 when I established The Gluten Free Kitchen Company, I built my model on locally sourced ingredients and evidence-based nutrition. I was repeatedly told by grant decision makers and investors that profit margins mattered more than quality.

Fifteen years later, multinational expansion is still prioritised over long-term public health.

This is why I launched my petition calling for stronger scrutiny on ultra-processed food expansion and greater protection for local food producers.

This is from lived experience.
And I won’t stay silent.

👉 Sign & share: https://www.change.org/p/irish-people-deserve-real-food-not-hidden-harm-ban-upf-ads-fund-healthcare/exp/cl_/cl_sharecopy_490913134_en-GB/4/136573860?recruiter=136573860&recruited_by_id=ec9dd6c0-9427-11e4-87b5-fdab5d72db84&utm_source=share_petition&utm_campaign=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_content=cl_sharecopy_490913134_en-GB%3A4

BanUltraProcessedFoods

23/02/2026

I am absolutely thrilled to share that the Cneasú Retreat has been featured in the 50 Ways to Wellness list by the Irish Independent - highlighting feel-good experiences happening across every county in Ireland to start 2026.

To see our retreat included among Ireland’s leading wellness experiences is truly special - especially as we only learned the news today, while attending our final meeting with Ballygarry Estate Hotel & Spa to prepare to welcome you all from March 6th–8th.

What began from lived experience…
From navigating medical trauma…
From needing spaces to heal in community…

…is now nationally recognised.

The Cneasú Retreat was designed from the tools I use in my own life:
🌿 Forest bathing in Ballyseedy Woods
🧖‍♀️ Thermal suite overlooking the Slieve Mish Mountains
🎶 Sound therapy for deep rest
🥗 Nourishing, quality food
🎙 to the Official Launch Party of Cneasú the Podcast on International Women’s Day

This recognition belongs to every single person who has supported this journey.

We can’t wait to welcome you March 6th–8th 💛

Limited tickets remain for Sound Therapy & the Launch of the Podcast - and this year we have a small number of sponsored tickets available for unwaged attendees because healing belongs in community.

23/02/2026

I remember when my uncle owned Bilko’s in Tralee town center and he said when “McDonalds” moved to Tralee we would see a huge decline in locally owned businesses.

So many Irish Independent businesses would love the opportunity to receive funding from Investors but instead this is what investors are spending their money on - international multi billion dollar corporations serving carcinogenic (cancer causing) ultra processed foods which is causing the rise in Healthcare Issues 👇

Support local independent businesses that are trading to keep communities alive!

RESTAURANT chain KFC has confirmed it will be opening a new restaurant at Manor West, Tralee with construction already underway. A KFC spokesperson told TraleeToday.ie: "We’re buzzing to confirm we’ll be opening a brand-new KFC restaurant at Manor West Retail Park. Construction is now under way ...

21/02/2026

Two weeks to go until our 3rd Annual Cneasú Retreat at Ballygarry Estate Hotel & Spa and I am so excited.

Cneasú was designed from lived experience - from the wellness tools I personally use to manage, regulate and navigate life after trauma.

From:
• Delicious, quality nourishing food
• Forest bathing in nature
• Thermal suite access (sauna, steam room & hot tubs overlooking the estate and the stunning Slieve Mish Mountains)
• Restorative spa treatments
• Sound Bowl Therapy to wind down for a luxurious sleep
• And to top it off - the official LIVE launch of Cneasú the Podcast 🎙️

How cute are these cotton tote bags for retreat guests - filled with fabulous products from our incredible sponsors-in-kind Viridian Nutrition and True Natural Goodness 💛

I have my final meeting with the hotel on Monday to lock everything in - so I’ve extended the Eventbrite link until Sunday night for the remaining retreat tickets.
Guest Schedules must be emailed out this week.

✨ One-day tickets available
✨ Full weekend bookings - contact the hotel directly
✨ Only 8 Sound Therapy tickets remaining (almost a full lodge!)
✨ Cneasú the Podcast Live tickets also available on Eventbrite

Tickets for Sound Therapy & Cneasú the Podcast remain on sale until March 7th on Eventbrite.

If you are unwaged, we have a small number of sponsored tickets available - please reach out. Healing belongs in community.

Cneasú the Podcast Live will be recorded as the final episode of Season 1 as we fundraise for Season 2.

idonate QR code for anyone who wants to support this event and Season 2 of the Podcast - we are fundraising to also build an independent website for Cneasú.

I am deeply grateful for every single person who has supported this community-led project. Every like, share, comment and follow truly matters to create awareness.

Cneasú was created to hold space for people on their healing journey and for the services and voices who walk alongside us - sharing lived experience, education and hope.

🎟 Tickets:
https://www.eventbrite.com/o/76437028823?aff=ebdsshios

Looking forward to seeing you all March 6th to 8th

Grá agus buíochas,
Doireann 💛

19/02/2026

19/02/2026

Last Day to Book Your Retreat Ticket 🌿

This is your final call to join us for the 3rd Annual Cneasú Retreat at Ballygarry Estate Hotel & Spa ✨

March 6th–8th
A weekend of healing, connection, storytelling, forest bathing, sound therapy and community.

If you’ve been thinking about it… this is your sign.
If you’ve been waiting for the “right time”… this is it.

Join us. We would truly love to have you in the room.

🎟 Book now:
https://www.eventbrite.com/o/76437028823?aff=ebdsshios

Healing belongs in community.
Doireann 💛

About CneasúCneasú, the Irish word for healing, is a community-driven wellness platform created by Doireann Barrett — founder of The Gluten Free Kitchen Company, Cneasú, and Cothú. What began as a small support network has grown into a national movement supporting people navigating chronic ill...