The Irish Sea is one of the United Kingdom’s most revered treasures. There you’ll find the ocean breeze is thick with the scent of brine and tang of salt. And at a certain time of year, focus falls upon the ocean’s most precious gift. The senses are awakened with a crack, a scoop, a dusting of salt, citrus, and spice. The oyster is rightfully celebrated for its simplicity, goodness, and tradition at this iconic Irish food festival.

Most would not be aware that finding a pearl in an oyster is one in ten-thousand. Making the odds look slim to none. However, since 1954 over the final weekend of September each year, over three million oysters have been consumed so far at the prestigious Galway International Oyster & Seafood Festival, Ireland. Surely the chances of finding a priceless wonder are pretty high in the friendliest city in the world. That’s an estimated 300 pearls discovered. So, take a chance and visit the land of the lucky, the generous, and the freshest seafood you can find at the Galway International Oyster & Seafood Festival.

Historic Irish Food Festival

The celebration has been running for over six decades to make the start of the season, running from September to April. Heralded as one of Europe’s longest running food festivals and famous for its hospitable atmosphere. Galway city centre will be buzzing with locals and tourists alike. Winding their way through street parades, open-doored pubs and restaurants, live music, and the famous oyster shucking competitions taking place over the entire weekend. Not forgetting the opportunity to gorge on delicious seafood, proper Irish Guinness, and oysters galore. This Irish festival of food assures a jubilant weekend filled with energetic vibes and sumptuous oceanic delicacies.

It was the Romans who first considered the slippery contents of a mollusc a delicacy. Since then, the Irish oyster has always been in high demand, it even fed the masses during the industrial revolution, becoming the first real fast-food. But is now an edible luxury. With aphrodisiac qualities, champagne pairing, and the need for artful and skilled preparation – the oyster is a shining pearl in and of itself.

Snap, Crack, and Pop: The National Oyster Opening Competition

Who would have thought watching competitors frantically jam open oyster shells to display and devour would be such a thrill. Well apparently, it’s exhilarating. The trembling hands, the gritted teeth, the roar of the crowd, and golden trophy all make for a dramatic display of sportsmanship. If you can call oyster shucking a sport… which after watching this match, one would.

Alongside the fervent Irish charm and sense of community there is a certified elegance to the event. The previous championship Galas have taken place in a chandelier-lit hall. Guests in black-tie seated at pearly-white covered round tables with food and drink served throughout. The snap of the cameras, the crack of shells, and countless pops of champagne fill the air at this prestigious Irish food festival. In Galway there is something for everyone to enjoy, particularly for devoted fans of fresh seafood.

Exploring Galway

This energetic Irish food festival has its own kitchen, ready and prepped to cook, and even to teach. Acclaimed local and Irish chefs prepare to indulge their audience with tips and tricks of the trade, using local produce and of course, freshly caught seafood. As well as demonstrations, there are markets and restaurants brimming with the finest of Irish cuisine all along Galway’s 8km Long Walk. The pastel painted houses that line the waterfront avenue present Galway as it is – the epitome of seaside charm. Pubs even hand-out their finest oysters for free to lucky passers-by.

Speaking of pubs. It would be sacrilege to taste the local seafood and not the local stout. Ireland has been making Guinness for over 260 years. Trustworthy and straight from the source, what better place to enjoy a pint than Galway. The people have spoken. And they have agreed via TripAdvisor that Irish music pub Tig Choili, serves the best pint of Guinness in Galway. A taste-test is necessary.

Discovering Ireland

Galway city has its undeniable charms, but as the Irish food festival dies down there is a chance to visit the surrounding rural areas. The idyllic Kylemore Abbey & gardens are only an hour or so out of the city, the Benedictine monastery towering in gothic grey above a serene lake with plenty of gardens to explore and histories to uncover is the perfect day trip into the heartland of Ireland. Alternatively, equidistant from Galway city and the Abbey, are two pearlescent horseshoes of sand fashioning an hourglass at the coastal head. Dog’s Bay beach and Gurteen beach. They are perfect for walking, swimming, and catching those final summer rays. These beaches are some of Irelands best kept secrets.

Dive head-first into the Galway International Oyster & Seafood Festival, an adventure full of laughter, luck, and mountains of exquisite seafood. At least one of those oysters must be housing a pearl. Whether or not a precious pearly keepsake is found; this festival will not easily be forgotten from the taste-buds anytime soon.