The Battle of Kinsale: How a mussel farm is stirring tensions in tourist town

More than 5,000 people have signed an online petition opposing plans to develop 25-hectare mussel farm in Kinsale Harbour, saying the operation will not only harm the harbour but wreck it for everybody else who wants to use it

A protest at the Dock Beach earlier this month against the planned mussel farm in the nearby harbour. Picture: Bob Bateman

Chef Olivier Queva’s sautéd squid is a signature dish at the restaurant he has owned and run with his wife Anne Marie in Kinsale since 2019.

While the ingredients include mussels, Mr Queva has no interest in using mussels that could one day be harvested a five-minute drive away.