• Preheat the oven to 400° F. Have ready an enameled cast-iron Dutch oven or a baking sheet. Line the pot or the baking sheet with parchment paper. Have a floured surface ready for a quick knead on the dough, and a bench scraper if you have one.

Make the dough:

• Stir together in a large bowl the Irish wholemeal flour, all-purpose flour, sugar baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• Pour in most of the buttermilk and stir it into the dry ingredients. If the mixture still seems very dry, stir in the rest of the buttermilk. 
• Turn out the contents of the bowl onto the floured surface - the dough will still have some dry flour visible. Give the dough just a few quick squeezes to pull it together. (You don't want to over-knead this bread as it will make it tough once baked.)
• Quickly shape it into a ball and place the dough into the lined pot or on the baking sheet. Use a sharp knife to slash a cross in the top of the dough, and poke a hole in each corner of the dough (to let the fairies out!)

Bake:

• Place the pot or baking sheet in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 375° F and bake the bread for another 40-45 minutes. The bread should be risen and browned, and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
• Remove the bread to a cooling rack and let it cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing it.
• Serve slices of the bread with butter and jam. Tightly wrap leftover bread and use it within 2-3 days.