Who doesn’t like to eat? Well, I certainly do. Therefore I got extremely excited when I learned about the Dingle Food Festival which combines one of the most picturesque places in Ireland with the most delicious food in Ireland. A festival made for people like me!

The 2012 Dingle Food Festival takes place from Friday 5th October until Sunday 7th October and will be the 6th of its kind and the biggest and brightest yet. Founded in 2007, the Festival showcases the quality of the food that is locally produced. Festival Highlights include a taste trail in over 60 outlets, where festival goers can purchase taste tickets and sample local cuisine delights in locations that vary from pubs and galleries to shops and restaurants; cookery demonstrations, food markets, food workshop, children’s entertainment, music and just a lot of fun. And to make it even more exciting, the Dingle Food Festival is also the home of the finals of the National Irish Food Awards! You can download the full festival programme here.

The Dingle Food Festival is organised by a voluntary committee of local people on a non profit making basis. Many of the events are free of charge and some events do have a small cover charge purely to cover costs. Any profits generated are donated to charity and this year’s beneficiaries include Action Breast Cancer, Hope Guatemala and Kerry Hospice.

Dingle is the perfect location for a food festival as the town is renowned for its restaurants, most of which offer excellent local seafood. Once cited as ‘The most beautiful place on earth’ by the National Geographic, Dingle was voted among the top 100 destinations in the world by Trip Advisor. If you are looking for a place to stay on the Dingle Peninsula, make sure to check out the Tralee Bay Holiday Village and Kerry Cottages in Castlegregory.

Bon Apetit!