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The Happy Pear twins inspire ATU staff and students with simple steps to healthier living
Identical twins David and Stephen Flynn, better known as The Happy Pear, brought their enthusiasm for sustainable living to ATU's St Angela’s Campus on Monday, 20 October 2025, for a lively session on healthy eating and making probiotics from everyday ingredients.
The event, which drew an audience of over 100 staff and students, featured a hands-on demonstration, engaging discussion and plenty of fun. The brothers prepared a no bake cake using dates, coconut oil, and peanut butter, topped with flaked sea salt, and demonstrated a simple fermentation technique.
Audience joined in the conversation, answering questions about health and nutrition, receiving plenty of goodies in return.
“Food is the most intimate relationship we have with a landscape,” said Dave Flynn, adding that:
What we eat affects not only our bodies but the world around us. We need to regenerate what we have and make choices that sustain us and the planet.
Reflecting on how food culture has changed over time, the brothers noted how “forty years ago at Halloween, you might have come home with five sweets, and now it’s 140 chocolate bars.”
They highlighted how the modern diet has shifted toward ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and how returning to natural, minimally processed food can improve both personal and planetary health.
Drawing inspiration from Blue Zones, regions where people live longer and healthier lives, the twins shared 5 lifestyle factors associated with longevity, encouraging everyone to focus on five simple daily takeaways:
- Eat more vegetables
- Move regularly- movement is tonic
- Build strong connections
- Spend time in nature
- Seek satisfaction and joy- hugs count too!
“Cooking is an opportunity to express yourself,” said Steve Flynn. “And when you eat better, you feel better- it’s as simple as that!”
The brothers were full of praise for ATU’s St Angela’s Campus, describing it as “the nicest campus in Ireland” where “walking around the woodland feels like being in a movie”.
Founded in 2004, The Happy Pear began as a small fruit and veg shop and has since grown into a well-known movement promoting healthy, plant-based living. Their portfolio includes cookbooks, a popular YouTube channel, online courses and a range of healthy food products.
Featured image: L-R: Steven Flynn, The Happy Pear, Dr Orla Flynn, ATU President, David Flynn, The Happy Pear, Professor Frances Lucy, ATU Lead for EU Green Alliance, Mary-Clare Conneely, St Angelas Green Team, Grainne McCaughey, St Angelas Green Team, Dr Fiona Crowe, Head of School of Education, ATU St Angelas.
Ivana Hanjs
Communications Officer
Tel: +353 89 963 9559
