Travel Information

Not a lot of people know that Ireland is also a center for gastronomic feasts – and we’re not talking of just Guinness. Ireland is actually known for its fine oysters, which are caught in Galway Bay. In fact, an annual festival is held in the area to celebrate the wonderful Galway Bay Oysters. The Galway International Oyster Festival is a major event in the region and people from all over the world participate in this event to sample the fresh oysters of Galway Bay and the craic of Western Ireland. During the last September weekend every year, the town of Galway hosts the feast where participants and visitors can watch live entertainment and partake of gourmet food, great wine and the star of the show – Oysters and Guinness. More than 10,000 people attend this annual festival, including celebrities and popular figures from different industries. The Galway Oyster Festival began in 1954 as a brainchild of Brian Collins, a hotel owner from Great Southern Galway. Collins’ idea was to try to extend the short tourist season into September. He thought that holding an Oyster Festival banquet will be a good way to entice tourists to stay until September. About 34 people attended the first ever festival. Since then the festival has grown exponentially every year. Recently sponsored by Guinness, the festival now generate an estimated two million euros to the local economy and is now considered as one of Ireland’s best event. Travellers can plan their trips to Ireland so that they can also participate in the Festival. Galway Bay is easily accessible by car. A growing number of tourists are renting cars in their tour of Ireland. Travelling by car through the country is fast becoming the preferred choice of visitors to the country because of the many destinations Ireland offers and the very safe roads.