This weekend, the Burren Slow Food Festival takes place in the County Clare town of Lisdoonvarna for the first time in three years.

The 2022 festival will be dedicated to promoting ‘GEOfood’ – the official brand for environmentally-friendly food enterprises and produce located within a European UNESCO Global Geopark.

The festival is a collaboration between organisers Slow Food Clare, the famous Burren and Cliffs of Moher UNESCO Global Geopark and the Burren Ecotourism Network, which scooped a Lonely Planet ‘Best in Travel’ pick for 2021 for their amazing work in sustainable tourism.

Burren Slow Food Festival starts with a seafood supper on Inis Oirr, one of the three Aran Islands in Galway Bay, and continues on the Saturday and Sunday in Lisdoonvarna with tastings, talks and presentations, the Burren Slow Food Banquet, cookery demonstrations and all sorts of foods and crafts.

The diverse programme of events will highlight the connections between the local food, geological heritage and livelihoods of the people who live in the Burren region, which is regarded as one of the most unique landscapes on the island of Ireland.

Whether it’s a taste of St Tola goat’s cheese, a sliver of Burren premium beef, some oysters from the local Grade A waters, or a sip of elderflower champagne followed by a foraging walk in a park, foodies are in for a real treat.

As well as cookery demos by celebrity chefs using ingredients from the Burren GEOfood area, there will be talks by guest speakers, including one by the founder of the GEOfood movement from Norway’s Magma UNESCO Global Geopark.

The festival offers the perfect opportunity to sample Irish artisan foods, meet the local growers, producers and traders that make the area such a unique and dynamic food destination and mix with fellow foodies. A true taste of the County Clare culture in the stunning setting of the Burren is guaranteed.

Home to the incredible Cliffs of Moher, the Burren has been shaped by geological forces over hundreds of millions of years. Rocky, otherworldly and seemingly austere, the outstandingly beautiful region is named from the Irish word ‘boireann’ meaning ‘place of stone’.

And if there is time, away from the food tastings a multitude of eco-friendly activities awaits.

From walking tours, cycling, adventure sports, culture, wellbeing and surfing to traditional Irish pubs and restaurants, all promoting responsible travel and the conservation of the environment, there is no better sustainable experience to be had on the Wild Atlantic Way than in the Burren.

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