Celebrating Irish Food

We do love potatoes!

Unless you are Irish, you probably don't come to Ireland for the food.

If you are a foodie you travel to France, Italy, Spain, Greece - countries renowned for food. 

But this is changing.

Ireland is one of the best producers of lamb and beef in Europe, we are an agricultural based country. We are also expertly located for fine fish and our vegetables are some of the most organic, sweetest produce in the world.

So why are we not pulling in the punters for our food? Is it that we can't cook? Of course not. 

We are just too easily influenced.

Galwayfoodfestival.com

A recent Lonely Planet guidebook on Ireland said you could order a panini in almost every town in Ireland - it is more accessible here than in Italy!

For too long we looked upon our own traditional foods as poor. It has taken us a long long time to get over the famine, to look past our poor decrepit history, to see the positive in the bare meals our ancestors survived on, but I think we are beginning to understand.

Food Festivals, celebrating our splendid produce, our traditional feasts and our cultural knowledge are springing up all over the place.

Galway Food Festival Brochure
(c) fifiheavey

The inaugural Galway Food Festival, which I attended over Easter attracted an estimated 30,000 visitors to the city, offering more than 70 food-themed events, from cooking demonstrations to foraging trails. And the majority of those visitors were foreign tourists, many quite surprised by what they were seeing, hearing and of course tasting.

More than 50 restaurants and outlets took part in Galway, with some reporting an increase in turnover of over 80% - what a result in a recession. What an inspiration for other towns and cities.Food festivals have “sky rocketed” in the last two years, according to  Fáilte Ireland. In that time the list of Irish food festivals across the country has gone from around 15 to 40. Irish Food Tourism is growing and rightly so.

Demo on how to cook the perfect steak
(c) fifiheavey

We visited a food demo on 'Cooking the perfect steak' at the festival. The cooking part took only a few minutes. First we heard about the history of beef in Ireland and why it is among the best in the world.

Our beef is among the best because of our strategic location and surprisingly our terrible weather. 

(Next time you curse the rain think about a nice juicy steak!)

Happy cow!

The secret ingredient to the perfect steak? 
Salt?
Pepper? 

Oil?

Nope the secret ingredient is:

A happy Cow!

Of course there were oysters galore, muscles, fish of every size and colour alongside beautiful breads, homemade lemonade, sweets, nuts, deserts and BBQ goodies.

The Food Festival was a delight.

A success. More of these please!

Lost at Slane

I lost my phone, my camera, my jacket and some memory cells, but Slane 2011 was worth it!

The Kings of Leon kicked off Ireland's festival season last Saturday night, they played a truly marathon set and although some will condemn their lack of interaction with the crowd, and their failure to experiment with their live sets - to be honest there just wasn't time!

Slane ticket - not my picture obviously!

They played all the hits, some really old stuff and a few new songs.

They sang and played exactly like you hear on their albums, which can be disappointing for some, but really it is impressive, when all you hear about is sound editing and audio perfecting, to listen to a live band that are studio quality is extraordinary.

I love the festival atmosphere, and so even though I wouldn't be the King of Leon's biggest fan and only know a few Elbow and White Lies tracks I went the Slane way because it may be the only big outdoor event I get to this year.

Walking through Slane Village and into the castle grounds, you really get a feel of festival go-ers mood. This was not the place for young 17 year olds, because the average age I would guess to be about 27 or 28. The vibe was laid back and despite the gloomy weather forecasts, all us revelers received were a few showers and they were light and well received!

Moving on from an episode where my partner in crime lost her ticket and we had to trick our way in, and after smuggling some alcohol, we arrived in the beautiful grounds just in time to hear Thin Lizzy really tear it up. Thirty years on and missing a vital ingredient, the guys really were the highlight of the day.

Elbow were good, but we missed a few songs as we prepared for King of Leon (this meant queuing for the toilets and finding 'The Best Spot').

When King of Leon arrived on stage, we were ready and so were they. We jumped (and fell) and sang, it seemed as if everyone knew all the words to every song. Man Utd supporters cheered arm in arm with Barcelona jersey wearers and the only complaint about the concert was that it passed too quickly.

As usual we had some issues with getting out bus (back to City North Hotel) but as a consolation after losing all my worthy goods God sent us a man from Glan (Mc Govern Coaches, Glangelvin) to ferry us to our comfortable beds.

A few bruises, and a hangover later with no photos to claim my own, I will always have the memories of Slane 2001, the Kings of Leon, the lost ticket, my lost items and that scar on the top of my head ...

Can you ever be too old for a festival?!

Festival fever

Looking for something to do this June Bank holiday? Take a gander at some of the interesting festivals on in Ireland that weekend.

Writer’s week, Listowel, Kerry (1^st – 5^th June) 
For budding writers and authors, head to the lively literary festival in Listowel and get your creative juices flowing. Learn from established writers in intimate workshops and debates, get your point across in seminars and join in readings and competitions.

Flat Lake Festival 2011, Monaghan (3^rd – 5^th June) 
Feast your eyes on film screenings and sculptural exhibitions, feed your soul with literary and historical talks and poetry recitals and indulge your senses with delicious food and drink, that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, at the festival of creative skulduggery in the glorious Hilton Park Estate in County Monaghan. With children’s entertainment, campfire camaraderie and heated debates, this festival has something for everyone! 

Bloom, Phoenix Park, Dublin (2^nd – 6^th June)
For a ‘blooming’ amazing June bank holiday weekend, why not head to the Phoenix Park for Bloom, a festival full to the brim of show gardens, floral displays and gardening workshops? Whether you are a gardening enthusiast or not, Bloom is the perfect festival pick for a day out, with a large scale artisan farmers market, live cookery and craft demonstrations and family entertainment. 

The Beat on the Boyne Festival 2011, Louth (3^rd – 6^th June) 
The beat is on the street from June 3^rd to 6^th at the 3^rd annual Beat on the Boyne Festival, which is an extravaganza of music on the banks of the River Boyne. Due to popular demand, this year’s event takes place over two days. From Funk to Punk, Ska to Rock, Blues to Bluegrass and Trad, expect to catch it on the Boyneside stage, located in the relaxed and open river walkway close to the D Hotel and Scotch Hall. Pop into the many pubs and venues over the weekend to catch other live acts in the evenings. 

Rosscarbery Festival by the Sea, Cork (2^nd – 5^th June) 
Rosscarbery Festival by the Sea, brought to you by the Rosscarbery Business Association, is a festival of fun for all the family. From bouncing castles, face painting in the playground and puppet shows for the kids, to music from some of Ireland’s hottest acts for the teenagers, and pitch and putt and fishing competitions for mom and dad, this festival has something for all ages. Rosscarbery will play host to two free open air concerts in the amphitheatre square, along with open air dancing, so go on, get your jig on! 

Castlebar Blues Festival, Castlebar, Mayo (4^th – 7th^th June)
Don’t have the blues this June bank holiday weekend! Instead, get out and enjoy the Blues at Ireland’s longest running Blues festival, the Castlebar Blues Festival, which will see performances from Imelda May, Willie Nelson and Status Quo. Soak in the atmosphere in all the main pubs in the town, root through the myriad of CDs and records at the fair or enrol you kids in a vocal workshop or fun day on the mall. 

Clancy Brothers Music & Arts Festival, Tipperary (3^rd – 5^th June) 
Not heading to Mayo but love the Blues? Then pop to the Clancy Brothers Music and Arts Festival in Tipperary. Listen to live music in all the main pubs in the town for free, bop till you drop with the headlining acts in The Royal Theatre Castlebar or hunt for your favourite tunes at the CD and record fair in The TF Royal Hotel.

The Cat Laughs Comedy Festival, Kilkenny City (2^nd – 6^th June)
Looking for a laugh? Spend the weekend in stitches at the internationally acclaimed Cat Laughs Comedy festival in Kilkenny, which showcases the very best in Irish and international comedy acts. With no shortage of side splitting humour in the atmospheric setting of this charming medieval city, Kilkenny is the place to go for laughs, giggles and lots more.

Ocean to City – An Ras Mor, Cork (4^th June) 
Fancy an adventure this bank holiday? Then, the unique and spectacular 15 mile rowing race, Ocean to City, is for you! Starting at Crosshaven, travelling through Cork Harbour, to finish Cork City, the Ocean to City festival takes place on Saturday, 4^th June.  Dive into Irish food and craft at the market in Cork, submerge your kids in the many activities available or soak up the music and maritime exhibitions. Organised by Meitheal Mara, boats are available to rent for crews who are unable to bring their own craft. 

Gordon Bennett Irish Classic Car Run, Carlow, Kildare & Laois (3^rd - 6^th June) 
Fine tune your engine for the 7^th annual Gordon Bennett Irish Classic Car Run and see if your vintage car peps up to the range of vintage and classic cars, which come from all over Ireland, the UK and further. The festival kicks off in style with a civic reception at County Hall for all participants on the Friday evening. On Saturday the cars link in with the Rose of Tralee Qualifiers for a parade through the town of Portlaoise. Then, the main event happens on Sunday when the cars drive the original Gordon Bennett Route. 

An Tostal, Drumshanbo, Co Leitrim (May 30th - June 6th)

One of the last remaining An Tostal's in the country is still running in Leitrim. Join in the folklore, heritage and music of Leitrim. Impromptu sessions, folk, country and rock music will take over the streets of this idyllic town. Think colour, life and flavour mixed with old time traditions and a good old knees up!

What are your plans for the June Bank Holiday?