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10 great food experiences on the Wild Atlantic Way
Croithlí Distillery Experience, County Donegal
1. Croithlí Distillery Experience, County Donegal
Close to Ireland's prettiest airport and the steep peaks of Errigal, at the base of which St Colmcille was distilling alcohol in 560 AD, the Gaeltacht village of Croithlí houses Donegal’s first functioning licensed whiskey distillery in 180 years. An Drioglann Chroithlí (The Crolly Distillery) is fully accessible and open daily with hourly tours. Learn about whiskey production past and present, taste new-make single malt with its Maillard effect flavour that comes from the distillery’s distinctive direct-fired Cognac stills, and sample from their oak series experiments with mash bills and wood maturation.
Sligo Oyster Experience, Sligo town, County Sligo
2. Sligo Oyster Experience, County Sligo
Relish oysters direct from Sligo Bay under Ben Bulben mountain with an oyster farm tour, or pop into WB’s Coffee House in Sligo town for a choice of serves – natural, baked or deep-fried and in a toasted sandwich with salad and Po Boy sauce. If you like the sound of that, but you’re not in County Sligo, then you can enjoy a visitor experience with other Taste the Atlantic seafood trail members including Connemara Smokehouse, DK Connemara Oysters, Burren Smokehouse, Flaggy Shore Oysters and Woodcock Smokery.
Great Western Greenway, County Mayo
3. Gourmet Greenway, County Mayo
Connecting the seaside bustle of Westport with the island life of Achill, the Great Western Greenway is a 49km walking and cycling route along an old railway through bogland, woodlands and farmlands with vistas across Clew Bay to Croagh Patrick. Along the way (and accessible by car) are special spots to refresh and refuel, from seafood trucks to country house dining rooms. Mulranny Park Hotel created the self-guided Gourmet Greenway so go at your own pace and enjoy the chocolatiers and coffee roasters, craft brewers and distillers, butchers and bakers and sea salt makers along the way.
Irish oysters © Luke Kwiatkowski
4. Morans on the Weir, County Galway
Just minutes from a motorway to Shannon, Galway and Dublin, this dreamy pub is beloved for oysters. Choose between cosy snugs, fireside bar tables or a lively dining room, or enjoy views outside of the tidal estuary where the Clarenbridge and Dunkellin rivers meet the wild Atlantic waters. Wherever you dine and whatever you order from the seafood-heavy menu, don’t miss the stars of the show from Clarenbridge oyster beds.
Galway Food Tours, Galway city © Hu O'Reilly
5. Galway Food Tours, Galway city
Galway city is a hotbed of gastronomic talent and you could spend days here enjoying some of the best eating and drinking in the land. For a fast-track overview, Sheena Dignam’s 2.5-hour culinary walking tour shares a taste of local flavours – from beers and cheese to patisserie and sushi – and the best eateries and pubs, shops and markets to find them in. Alternatively, simply browse Galway’s lively weekend food market and adjacent Sheridan’s Cheesemonger, a national treasure that started life as a market stall.
The Burren, County Clare © Gareth McCormack
6. Burren Food Trail, County Clare
With its starkly beautiful karst limestone hills, the Burren appears an unlikely gastro-destination, but this unique landscape is not dubbed “the fertile rock” for nothing. The UNESCO Global Geopark’s fascinating food heritage can be directly experienced through farm visits and wild food walks, smokehouse tours and oyster shucking workshops, weekly markets and annual food festivals, from May’s Burren Slow Food Festival through to October’s Burren Winterage Festival with its local food fair and community cattle drive walk. Singular dining settings include a Michelin-starred thatched cottage, bean-to-bar chocolate cafe and quayside lobster bar.
Treaty City Brewery beer, Limerick city © Nicola Brady
7. Treaty City Brewery Tour, Limerick city
Tucked away in a 250-year-old building in the medieval quarter of this Shannon-side city is Treaty City’s working craft brewery. Join a master brewer to learn about Limerick’s history of brewing since the 1700s through to contemporary brewing processes and ingredients, before judging the results for yourself with a complimentary beer tasting. If you’re visiting at the weekend, don’t miss the nearby Milk Market (Fri–Sun); with some 50 stalls and 21 shops, this covered market makes a great deep dive into Ireland’s vibrant food scene.
Dingle Cookery School, County Kerry
8. Dingle Cookery School, County Kerry
With bright, colourful shop fronts, a harbour filled with fishing boats and a moody mountain backdrop, With bright, colourful shop fronts, a harbour filled with fishing boats and a mood mountain backdrop, Dingle is arguably one of the island's most charming towns. The coffee scene is strong, there’s a ton of great places to eat from Irish-style tapas at Solas to fine-dining at The Chart House, and the pubs – from Foxy John’s to Dick Mack’s – are legendary. Right now, it’s a great place to connect with the Kerry food scene, and if you want to expand your culinary skills then the Dingle Cookery School is the place to head. In the company of chef Mark Murphy, you can embark on a spot of Traditional Irish Cooking or Learn to Cook Fish To Perfection, but our advice? Head out on one of the Catch and Cook days on a fishing boat around Dingle Harbour, before heading back to the school to cook up your catch! It’s an experience you won’t forget.
Up There The Last, Leap, County Cork
9. Up There The Last, County Cork
Join traditional food conservationist Max Jones as he shares his passion for transforming our natural landscape into sustaining food. In Myross Wood near Leap village is the Booley, his off-grid research space inspired by mountain huts once used by cattle herders, where Max hosts natural cheese and butter-making workshops. Down on the shoreline itself, he preserves ancient traditions of the sea through shoreline feasts and hands-on workshops, where you can learn to find, harvest, prepare, cook, cure, salt and smoke the bounty of a coastal forage. Max also helped establish The Keep at Woodcock Smokery where Ireland’s last wild salmon smoker, Sally Ferns Barnes, now runs workshops, courses and events.
Kinsale Mead Co, County Cork © Therese Aherne
10. Kinsale Mead Co, County Cork
Kate and Denis Dempsey established Ireland’s first meadery in 200 years, bringing the preferred tipple of Celtic kings and chieftains into the 21st century. The tour is full of surprises, starting with the refreshing mead itself which is as versatile for food pairings as for cocktails, from negronis to sangrias. Learn too about the ancient Irish bechbretha (‘bee laws’ to protect this precious resource) and mead-related myths and legends, and discover how this award-winning mead is made today.
