While midsummer is the time of year for a range of arts festivals up and down the country as summer is ending and we draw onto autumn, the food festivals kick into gear. September and October it appears are the months for genuine lovers of good food with a number of key food festivals highlighting the best of Irish food, drink and local culture. In the next few weeks expect to see the towns of Skibbereen in West Cork (Taste of West Cork festival 10-16th Sept) the cities of Waterford (Waterford Harvest Festival 10-16th September) and Galway (Galway Oyster Festival 28-30th September) showcase the best in local produce and cooking in conjunction with a fun resident festival vibe.
And if one is interested in even more food festivals and top cooking, then in October one can look forward to the Dingle Food and Wine Festival in the beautiful scenic region of Dingle peninsula. An area of outstanding natural beauty, being in lonely planets top 100 places on earth, Dingle is also renowned for the quality of local food with seafood a highlight, showcased in its many top restaurants and highlighted to the full in this delightful and overlooked festival.
Now in its fifth year and running from Thursday 4th– Sunday 7th October, expect to see a variety of food related events (cookery demonstrations, a food market, wine tastings and many food related workshops such as a two day chocolate making workshop with Benoit Lorge to name just one) throughout the town and surrounds. The highlight of the festival though looks to be the ever popular Taste Trail where festival goers with the purpose of taste tickets can sample local cusine in over 55 outlets throughout the region.
With fine food and a fun festival atmosphere in one of the most scenic places in the world, the Dingle Food and Wine festival should be a welcome break and a good time to look into an Ireland vacations whether you like good food or not.