The Fertile Rock

Ireland’s most intriguing food destination

On the face of it, the Burren is perhaps the last place on earth where one would expect to find a Food Trail. It is an area of expansive karst limestone landscape, often referred to as ‘lunar-like’, which to the newcomer may appear as barren, inhospitable and forsaken.

However, it is not without good reason that the Cistercian monks, who settled here in the 11th century, gave the name Santa Maria de Petra Fertili, to the iconic Corcomroe Abbey, which still stands as a magnificent landmark of the Burren Landscape, to this very day. The name, St. Mary of the Fertile Rock, reflects the fertile nature of the surrounding Burren lands, which insured that here a Cistercian community could, by cultivation, provide itself with the necessary means of support and ultimately, selfsufficiency.

The Burren Food Trail members organise an annual series of food events, taking place at unusual locations around the Burren. They are a celebration of local, wild and seasonal produce of the Burren, as well as a chance to meet the producers, mingle with local people and learn about the Burren way of life. These events focus, not only on food, but also on the landscape that surrounds it. Each individual event represents a unique opportunity to combine good food with real, authentic interaction, with the people who produced or prepared it, or indeed with the surrounding landscape, activities and heritage.

European Destination of Excellence in gastronomy

The Burren Food Trail Long Table events for 2019 dates are Friday 7th of June, Friday 6th of September and Thursday 21st of November 2019. Following the success of the three Sold Out events of 2018, the Burren Food Trail members will join forces again to showcase the best seasonal, local and wild produce of The Burren.

The last event of the foodie calendar in The Burren will take place in Lisdoonvarna on the October Bank Holiday Weekend. The dual theme this year is “Burren Dinners” and “Taste Without Waste”. The festival kicks off on Saturday evening at the Burren Storehouse, with the launch of the Burren Dinners Book, a collaboration between the Burren Food Trail members with author Trevis Gleason & Brian McDermott. Brian will also be in attendance on the Sunday market at the Pavillion in Lisdoonvarna, where he will do a cooking demo with one of the book’s recipes. The Food Market on Sunday is free to attend for all and it will include Food and Craft stalls, cooking demos, outdoor food trucks, live music and a Vegetarian Street Food stall to suit all taste buds.

Don’t just visit the Burren: Taste It.