Seafood trail on the Wild Atlantic Way

Ireland’s seafood development agency and tourism agency have joined forces to create a dedicated seafood trail on the Wild Atantic Way. Initally focussing on a stretch from Ennis, Co Mayo to Connemara and Galway Bay, Taste the Atlantic – a Seafood Journey, gives visitors a real appreciation of the quality of Irish seafood and a key understanding of how seafood is caught and farmed.

Mike Kelly, Kelly’s Oysters; Padraic Gannon, Croagh Patrick Seafoods; Tomas McDonagh, McDonagh’s restaurant, Galway; Seamus McCruddin, Padraicins; Alex Goor, Killary Fjord Cruises & Port Finn Lodge; Ronnie Counihan, Renvyle House Hotel; Fergus O’Halloran, The Twelve Hotel; Seamus Commons, Executive Chef, Knockranny House Hotel; Graham Roberts, Connemara Smokehouse; Ian Mannix, BIM; Pascal Marinot, Chef, Delphi Lodge; Mike Burke, Pier Head; Nicolas O’Dowd, O’Dowd’s Restaurant; Richard Donnelly, BIM; Kate O’Connor Kennedy, Killary Fjord Shellish; Catherine Nee, Marty’s Fresh Shellfish; Mick Wade, Delphi Lodge; Sinead Hennessy, Failte Ireland

“Irish seafood enjoys an excellent reputation on our international markets, and the opportunity to link with Failte Ireland to further promote the provenance and quality of our seafood on the WAW is an obvious one,” remarked Michael Keatinge, BIM’s interim CEO. Irish seafood sales are expected to reach €1.5bn by 2025.

With Irish people consuming only 21kgs of seafood per annum, compared to 34kgs in France and 70kgs in Japan, “we are behind, not only in terms of buying frequency but also in the variety of the fish species we eat,” he added.

BIM plans to use the trail not only to promote Irish seafood and local producers, “but to educate and inform consumers of the expertise and skill involved in producing quality, sustainable seafood,” he added.

Along the trail, visitors can expect to see sustainably farmed rope mussels in Killary Harbour; pot fishing for lobster off Achill Island and Irish organic salmon smoked using traditional methods in Connemara.

“The Wild Atlantic Way has quickly become a draw to international and domestic visitors, and a unique culinary experience is a big part of this. Our clean seas and rich fertile soil produce the best raw ingredients which are of critical importance to Ireland’s attractiveness to visitors,” remarked Sinead Hennessy, Failte Ireland.

Included on the trail are restaurants that source their seafood from producers including: Connemara Smokehouse, Croagh Patrick Seafoods, Killary Fjord Shellfish, Keem Bay Fish, Marty’s Mussels, Kelly’s Oysters, and fishermen Gerry Sweeney and Gerard Hassett. 

BIM has produced a dedicated seafood trail video of the seafood producers against a backdrop of wild, unterrupted scenery.

Further information www.wildatlanticway.comand http://www.bim.ie/tastetheatlantic/