TASTE THE ATLANTIC

The Wild Atlantic Way’s greatest treasures, however, may be found underneath the Atlantic’s rolling waves and on the shores of the many regions that make up this astonishing route.

The freshly caught bounty that was given up by this ocean has nurtured and nourished locals and visitors alike for generations. The clean waters of the Atlantic offer some of the freshest and most nutritious seafood that the world has to offer.

From Haven Shellfish in Cork to Crocknagee Oysters in Donegal, The Wild Atlantic Way is littered with all types of seafood that is freshly caught and sustainably sourced from the local area. The locals are immensely proud of their produce and as you travel along the coast you can sample a variety of seafood that has in some cases been enhanced by recipes and techniques that have been handed down for generations or has new twists and flavours that blend both the old and new delivering exciting new flavours to old favourites.

It can almost be guaranteed that a festival or food trail celebrating local produce will not be far from you while travelling the west coast, The Galway Oyster Festival, Sligo food Trail, Burren Food Trail are just a small selection of these. There is one route that stretches along the entire Wild Atlantic Way and offers visitors an alternative way to experience the journey. Taste the Atlantic – a Seafood Journey is exactly that. Stretching south from Donegal to Connemara, Galway Bay to Dingle and on to Cork, passing some of Ireland’s most breath-taking seascapes and landmarks, it’s a whole new way to experience the Wild Atlantic Way and to learn more about how Irish seafood is caught and farmed.Dotted among the natural wonders are 21 renowned seafood producers including the Connemara Smokehouse, Croagh Patrick Seafoods, Killary Fjord Shellfish, Keem Bay Fish, Kelly’s Oysters and The Burren Smokehouse to name but a few. These people not only serve incredible food, but they also illuminate those who visit their outlets on how they source, flavour and prepare their products.

The Atlantic is brimming with fresh flavourful fish as well as oysters, mussels, salmon, lobster, crab and sensationally good seaweed. It is essential that while on this route you embrace the local cuisine and sample the bounty’s that this ocean offers each and every day to anybody why who is willing to Taste the Atlantic.

Trivia

Cork is the largest and southernmost county in Ireland. It is known as “The Rebel County” due to a history of independence from the Viking invasions to the Irish War of Independence when it was the scene of a considerable amount of fighting. The Gaelic word for Cork means “Marshy Place”, this is because the city’s main thoroughfares are built on covered up river channels. Cobh is located in cork and its port is known as “The Teardrop of Ireland” due to the large history of emigration from this location, it was also the last port of call for the ill-fated Titanic in 1912.