Paula Mee, who died in Dublin shortly before Christmas, was an inspirational “rock of sense” with a deep reserve of food knowledge and a huge capacity to explain complex concepts with great clarity, according to just some of the tributes which have been paid to her.
Ms Mee was one of Ireland’s most prominent dietitians and food experts for almost two decades, and a frequent and highly respected contributor on radio, television and across print media.
She was also an accomplished author and had published three books as well as writing a food column for this newspaper for several years.
She died in Our Lady’s Hospice in Harold’s Cross on December 20th with her funeral taking place in Booterstown, Co Dublin, on Christmas Eve. She had been diagnosed with a form of muscular cancer in November 2021.
She is survived by her husband, David; son, Cian; stepdaughters, Olivia and Phoebe; and stepson, Charlie.
“At the intersection where food meets health there has never been a shortage of advice,” said Irish Times Health and Family editor Damian Cullen. “Everyone has an opinion, so it can be difficult to find experts who are knowledgeable, can be trusted, and whose advice is clear and easy to follow. Paula was all of those.
“She wrote many times for The Irish Times – about everything from recipes for a healthy gut, to exercise for menopause. And because she was so generous with her time, when a writer needed a quote from an expert about health and food, the advice was often, ‘ask Paula Mee’.”
Neven Maguire, the chef, food writer and educator and owner of McNean House in Blacklion, Co Cavan, said she was an inspirational character who would be greatly missed.
“She did an awful lot of good over such a long time,” he told The Irish Times. “I worked with her on a lot of different food campaigns over many years and she was always a rock of sense and so passionate about good eating and good living. She was a great lady and so charismatic, just a lovely person.”
The Galway native, who would have turned 60 next summer, graduated from NUI Galway with a BSc in biochemistry in 1983, after which she completed a postgraduate qualification in dietetics before qualifying as a dietitian.
She worked with both retailer Superquinn and the National Dairy Council as a nutritionist before setting up her own consultancy and growing her profile as one of the country’s foremost food experts.
She also practised as a clinical dietitian in hospitals across Northern Ireland and was a long-time member and former president of the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute, the professional body for dietitians in Ireland.
She was an associate lecturer on the masters in culinary nutrition course in TU Dublin and taught modules on human nutrition and nutrition assessment.
On social media, people within Ireland’s dietitian community expressed shock and sadness at her passing.
“Such a lovely lady with an infectious smile, and an inspiration to the dietitians who came behind her of how diverse our role could be,” said dietitian Niamh Maher.
Her comments were echoed by fellow professional Mairead Ahearne who described Ms Mee as “a true face of dietetics and how to bring evidence-based dietary advice to the public”.
On Twitter the Food Safety Authority of Ireland described her as a “a very valued member” of its consultative council while the British Dietetic Association extended its condolences to her family and friends, and described her as “an inspiring dietitian [who] helped many people throughout her career”.
The Irish Universities Nutrition Alliance (IUNA) described her as “an inspiration within the nutrition and dietetics profession and a wonderful person to be around”.
