merrion street

Minister of State Tom Hayes opened the Savour Kilkenny Food Festival by congratulating the organisers of the event and the local community on their passion, entrepreneurship and commitment in promoting the best of Irish food.

The Minister was attending the Festival, which is in its 7th year, and has grown from strength to strength and said “by keeping our towns and cities vibrant and by people supporting locally produced food we can sustain our local economies. This Festival is not only a celebration of the local food community, but it also provides a valuable networking platform for local businesses”.

The Savour Kilkenny Festival has succeeded in attracting food lovers from all over the country and also internationally. Minister Hayes emphasised that “Food and Tourism are naturally entwined. No matter where one visits in the world the quality of food related experiences is an important factor when analysing the visit. Sampling food unique to an area gains a real sense of place to a visitor”.

Minister Hayes concluded by saying “food is our success story to build on. Combining food with the traditions of Samhain and the natural sociability of us Irish added to the backdrop of the medieval walls of Kilkenny Castle this weekend cannot be anything but a success”.

Notes for editor

The opening of Savour Kilkenny will be attended by local business people, members of the food producing community, sponsors, councilIors, Mayor Martin Brett, local media and general supporters of the festival. Approximately 100-150,000 are expected to attend.

Savour Kilkenny was founded in 2007 by a group of food enthusiasts as a means of celebrating all things related to food, and promoting the best of local and national produce. In 2010, the festival bright an open air food market in the heart of Kilkenny next to Kilkenny Castle, and this now annual event is one of the highlights of the year not only in Kilkenny, but for food lovers all over the country. Featuring food stalls selling a wide variety of street food and food products as well as cookery demonstrations, talks, exhibitions, street theatre, live music and more.