Food Festivals
What better excuse to celebrate than fine food? Food
festivals around the country offer wonderful ways to
sample Ireland’s vibrant food culture and to mingle
with Irish people eager to praise local y grown, farmed
and harvested foods. The world-famous Oyster Festival
at Clarenbridge, County Galway, in early fal celebrates
the start of the native oyster season with competitions,
Galway oyster tastings (washed down with a pint of
Guinness, of course), the glamorous Oyster Bal and
much more.
In Northern Ireland in the four fishing vil ages of
Kilkeel, Annalong, Ardglass and Portavogie, the largest
celebration of seafood is the Festival of Fish and
Gourmet Seafood Trail. Mind you, anywhere on the Irish
coast you are never far from a celebration of the sea’s
harvest; the Kilmore Quay Seafood Festival in County
Wexford and the Hil sborough Oyster Festival in County
Down are just two others of noteworthy status.
But food festivals don’t stop at seafood! There are
autumn mushroom hunts throughout Ireland, fraughan
(wild blueberry) walks in County Wicklow, and a
Strawberry Festival in Enniscorthy, County Wexford. The
“Orchard County” of Armagh celebrates in spring with the
beautiful apple blossom season. The Taste of West Cork
Festival brings artisan foods to Skibbereen, while the
chef-led Taste of Dublin outdoor festival lets you sample
taster plates from the capital’s leading restaurants.
Food festivals are wonderful ways in which to
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Galway Oyster Festival, County Galway
