He's part of the rebirth of Irish cuisine

Ireland looms large on Boston's map of the world, so bringing over an Irish chef to celebrate St. Patrick's Day is a sure-fire draw. This week, Kevin Dundon, chef and owner of Dunbrody Country House in County Wexford, is all over Boston: a dinner at the Omni Parker House last night, a gala with five other Irish chefs and seven local culinary luminaries tonight at the Hotel Commonwealth, a dinner tomorrow night at the Stanhope Grill in the Jurys Boston Hotel, and back to the Parker House on Friday for a Charitable Irish Society dinner.

Besides running the inn, Dundon, 39, has just published a cookbook, ''Full On Irish"; runs a cooking program; is part owner of an Orlando restaurant on Disney's Pleasure Island; and appears regularly on British television. Last week he spoke to the Globe by telephone from Ireland about the state of Irish cuisine, what he loves about his ingredients, and what he sees in his globe-trotting future.

Q. We all know the rap on Irish cuisine but have also heard it's changing. Is it?

A. It's fantastic [laughing]. There are a few reasons it's happened. Chefs in the 1980s, when few jobs were available in Ireland, traveled the world. I traveled outside of Ireland for 10 years, living a year in Switzerland, a year in the Caribbean, and then 7 1/2 years in Canada. So these influences plus the good Irish ingredients helped creativity. And now the Irish tiger -- the economy is so good and the Irish palate is changing. Diners are looking for more than meat, potatoes, and veg from the days gone past. Things are a lot hipper in Ireland than people realize.

Q. Your cookbook emphasizes the freshness and purity of Irish ingredients such as salmon, vegetables, cheeses, and other dairy products. Is there a difference in the way the Irish view or treat their environment that makes these better?

A. It's completely different. We're organic by nature. We don't mass produce anything. No one in Ireland is more than 100 miles from the coast, and trawlers only go out for a few days, so we don't need to treat the fish to prolong freshness. The Irish population now is so aware of good food and wants to know where every piece of meat or fish comes from and how it's been handled. If you take our vegetables, we [at Dunbrody Country House] grow 90 percent of our fruit and vegetables on site.

Q. Is the awareness about food sources partly due to a closeness to rural life?

A. Even if you were in Dublin, 20 minutes drive and you're looking at green fields and growers. Rural life is a huge part of the Irish imagery. It's one of the beauties of living in a small country. On the other hand, we don't produce any foie gras. Our markets are fantastic, but a wide array of vegetables isn't there. But we were really missing the boat in terms of what we're about until we starting using our own ingredients. It's made a huge difference in the quality of our food.

Q. Tell me about Raglan Road in Orlando. How did you come to open a Florida restaurant?

A. I own a piece of it. It's like everything, isn't it? I did an Irish concept restaurant in Las Vegas, and Disney asked me to come into Orlando as a chef-partner. I go there four times a year; it's doing extremely well. Brian Kenney, who I trained, is chef. We're planning a second one in Disney in California.

Q. Do you plan a worldwide career as a restaurateur like Todd English or Jean-Georges Vongerichten?

A. What I say is that it's my intention to open five restaurants in America. I was asked to do one in Dubai, but it's not on my flight plan. I would love to open a Boston restaurant. I use [Boston-based] Foley Fish as my fish purveyor in Florida, even though it's so far away, because it's closest to what I'd get in Ireland.

Q. What do you think about St. Patrick's Day and the American obsession with it?

A. Everybody always has a lot of fun. Even if they're not Irish, they say they are for the day. It's a great marketing day for Ireland.

For information on the dinners with Kevin Dundon and other Irish chefs in Boston, go to www.irishmassachusetts.com.