Martin opened Dwyers on Mary Street in Waterford in 1989 and ran his successful and critically acclaimed restaurant there for just 15 years until he sold it in 1994.
He started cooking in Snaffles Restaurant in 1972. Snaffles, under the kitchen rule of Rosie Tinne (author of "Irish Country House Cooking") was the most respected and fashionable Irish restaurant in the early seventies.
He and his wife Sile then worked for some time in the Chateau de Teildras in Anjou in France before going to England to work for Michael Waterfield (author of "Leaves from a Tuscan Kitchen") in his wonderful restaurant The Wife of Bath in Wye. It is interesting to note that Sam and Sam Clark of state of the art Restaurant Moro in London also got their early training from Michael.
The Dwyers returned to Ireland in 1976. Martin then worked in various restaurants
in the South East; The Galley on the Nore at New Ross, with George Gossip in Ballinakill House in Waterford
and with Edwina Foyle in The Strand in Dunmore East
In 1990 Martin co-founded The Ballyhack Cookery School with Pierce and Valerie Mc Auliffe of The Neptune Restaurant and he still occasionally acts as guest chef in their new venture Dunbrody Abbey Cookery Centre, across the road from the medieval Cistercian abbey in Co. Wexford.
Ballyhack Cookery School
Since 1990 Martin has been broadcasting a weekly cookery piece on Billy McCarthy's Deise AM on Waterford Local Radio wlrfm. This has a very strong listenership in the area and now, thanks to modern technology and the internet, it has listeners as far afield in the Turks and Caicos Islands and Ceylon.
He also writes a weekly recipe column in local paper; Waterford Today
Martin has been interviewed by Marion Finnucane on National Radio and has made several appearances on television notably on RTE's Pot Luck and has even cooked
Breakfast live from an Irish Naval Warship on TV3.
Martin has been a member of Euro-Toques since 1995. This is a prestigous group of Chefs, founded by, among others, Paul Bocose in France and Myrtle Allen in Ireland. Having served for many years years on the food committee and as one of the Commissioners (in which capacity he has represented Ireland in Sweden, Belgium and Spain), Martin served as Commissioner General in 2006 and 2007.
Martin with Myrtle Allen and Ross Lewis of Chapter One Presenting Myrtle with an award for services to Food in Ireland in Ballymaloe in 2001Martin at the 2002 Euro-Toques Food Fair in the European Parliment with chef Brid Torrades from Sligo and MEPs Mary Banotti (Ireland) and Baroness Nicholson (UK).
Martin has been married to Sile Ronayne since 1973.
Martin & Sile's Wedding, 1973
They have three daughters, Caitriona, Eileen & Deirdre, all of whom have now left home & none of whom show the slightest inclination to go into the cookery trade.
The Dwyer Family, Germany, 1987
Sile worked as a primary school teacher in Scoil Lorcain in Waterford, Caitriona is in IT in Dublin and married Aonghus Butler (also in IT) in 2005, Eileen is in the book trade, also in Dublin and Deirdre is busily freelancing with plays and players.
Martin and Sile are now looking forward to their new venture. They have bought an old presbytery in the village of Thezan Les Beziers in Herault in the South of France which they intend to turn into a B&B in the French Style.
