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Bring your appetite and keep your wallet handy, because Galway's Oyster Festival is waiting for you.
Photo © iStock/lucafabbian
Location
Nimmo’s Pier, Galway City, County Galway, Ireland
Dates
Last full weekend in September.
Description
The Galway Oyster Festival is dedicated to Ostrea edulis, the European flat oyster. The local molluscs are left to grow for three years in the clean waters of Brandon Bay and Clarenbridge, blooming into a plump and juicy delicacy. Tens of thousands of the slippery critters are consumed on the Guinness Oyster Trail, on which the 30 pubs give out free trays of the seafood with pints of the dark stuff. Each establishment has a dedicated opener, and there’s more nimble-fingered action on display at the World Oyster Opening Championship.
International contestants vie to break the world record, set here in 1977, for prising open 30 of the tight-lipped urchins – one minute 31 seconds. If, at the end of the man-versus-mollusc showdown, they present the judges with a tray resembling a battleground, they lose points.
The city fills with craic such as the opening ceremony, where the Oyster Pearl (festival queen) presents the season’s first oyster to the mayor. Tickets for the more-exclusive Mardi Gras, gala ball and Saturday afternoon at the marquee, including the opening championship, cost up to €170.
Level of Participation
4 – you’ll never want to see an oyster again.
Essentials
Deep pockets and a big appetite will come in handy.
Other Local Attractions
Have a pint in Paddy Burke’s in the nearby village of Clarenbridge, where the festival began in 1954.
More Info: www.galwayoysterfest.com
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