Kenmare leading the way in food
The Menu has been dining in the beautiful town of Kenmare for more years than it cares or is even able to remember, knocking back fine Irish food even in the dark days before the Great Culinary Conversion began on the Oul’ Sod. So it finds it strange next weekend’s Kenmare Food Festival (July 13-15) is the inaugural event. With the town permanently en fete and the food culture long in situ, perhaps this is simply a matter of formalising a longstanding arrangement. A splendid family-friendly programme includes demos, tastings, markets, pop-up restaurants, debates and exhibitions, along with entertainment for all ages. Highlights include: James Mulchrone’s pop-up restaurant; Food Photography Exhibition at Skyline Gallery; Ballyhoura Mushrooms Supremo Lucy Deegan’s Wild Mushroom lecture (and perhaps a sneaky sample of her new ‘Mushroom Ketchup’); Whiskey Voyage Masterclass at the Park Hotel; all fuelled by regular top-ups from the Taste Kenmare signature dish nibbles available all around town. kenmarefoodcarnival.com/
