Eating in a restaurant is but a casual meeting with Irish produce; our food culture extends far beyond what’s served on the plate. It really lives in the stories behind the ingredients.

The best way to hear those tales is by meeting the makers themselves – the farmers and foragers, brewers and bakers, cheesemakers and chocolatiers – all the talented artisan producers who work with the land and sea to capture the tastes of Ireland.

Food tours around the country take you to meet artisans where they work, from the Kingdom of Kerry to the Hidden Heartlands and beyond. Visitors from at home and abroad are increasingly drawn to look for deeper connections with Irish food culture through immersive food experiences led by expert local guides.

Ireland’s food stories come to life on the ground, so let’s take to the road. Few places offer as vivid a snapshot of Ireland’s food story as Sligo.  

Food champion and restaurateur behind both Eala Bhán and Hooked, Anthony Gray is one of Sligo's most compelling culinary storytellers. On his weekly Taste of Sligo food tours, Gray guides bands of intrepid food explorers through the heart of town, weaving stories of people and produce through tastings and toasts. A two-and-a-half-hour movable feast through the town’s best-loved food spots, from Clotilde Rambaud’s sumptuous French patisserie at Le Fournil to the timeless treasure that is Hargadon Bros pub and bottle shop, each tour is punctuated by locals, laughs and lore, delivered with Gray’s unmistakable charm and wit. 

One of Sligo’s most prized delicacies is found hidden in stunning Strandhill, shaped by the pristine waters and salty air of Sligo Bay.  

Husband-and-wife Glenn and Aisling Kelly Hunter run the Sligo Oyster Experience, welcoming visitors on a rare opportunity to dive into the working world of a family-run oyster farm. From seed to shucking, learn all about Sligo’s ancient seafood traditions and the unique flavours the bay delivers. Taste the oysters at the source, chased by a local craft beer or bubbles against the background of Benbulbin.  

Just as Sligo proudly tells the story of the Atlantic coast, in Ireland’s Ancient East lies one of the country’s most quietly influential food destinations. Along the banks of the mighty river Boyne across the counties of Meath and Louth, the same fertile soils tended by Neolithic farmers are still rich in pasture, people and produce today.  

Boyne Valley Flavours is a close-knit collective of producers and outlets dotted around the two counties, from leading towns like Drogheda, Dundalk and Navan to the surrounding hinterland of Kells, Trim and Athboy. Rooted in people and inspired by place, each year the Boyne Valley Food Series offers a comprehensive calendar of events, tours and festivals. From farm walks to cheesemaker visits, craft distillery tours to baking workshops, every corner of the valley offers rich food-led experiences. 

Just outside Slane alone, you could meet Michael Finegan’s goat herd and taste his Boyne Valley farmhouse cheese, then minutes later sip Cockagee cider, made using the traditional keeving method, at Mark Jenkinson’s artisan mill. Further down the road, swing by Newgrange Gold where the Rogers family produce liquid gold rapeseed oil overlooking the Unesco World Heritage Site Brú na Bóinne, a mysterious message from the past, older than both Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids. While on the road to Kells, drop by Martry Mill, Ireland’s oldest working watermill where the Tallon family have been producing stoneground wholemeal flour since 1859. 

While self-guided explorations allow you to travel at your own pace, Ireland’s passionate foodie tour guides come with a depth of knowledge as the culinary storytellers of today, cutting to the heart of the country’s food culture by linking heritage and history with contemporary influences and modern flavours. 

Karen Coakley’s Kerry Food Tours serve The Kingdom on a plate, running both public and private experiences across Kenmare, Killarney and the Beara Peninsula. Each tour showcases cherished local producers and personalities, from French chocolatier Benoit Lorge to Argentine pizzaiolo Facundo Rodolfo of Tango Street Food, offering an authentic taste of Kerry’s rich and evolving food identity. 

In Kinsale, Suzanne Burns of Kinsale Food Tours captures the long-held gourmet status of the seaside town. Choose from a guided walking tour through the colourful harbour streets, savouring delights such as Koko’s handcrafted chocolates, Max’s famed seaweed soda bread and The Gourmet Pantry’s award-winning chicken liver pâté, or venture further afield with a coastal foraging experience complete with a locally sourced picnic. For something truly memorable, a private yacht charter around Kinsale Harbour offers a spectacular way to experience the town’s food culture from the water.

Along the Copper Coast, Co Waterford reveals a rich tapestry of history, landscape and flavour, stretching from Lismore and Dungarvan to Tramore and the Viking city itself. Taste Waterford offers a range of guided experiences, from Stíofáin Mac Cárthaigh’s Dungarvan Discovery to Jonny Landers’ culinary tour through the Comeragh and Knockmealdown Mountains. Along the way, visitors encounter wild foraging, seasonal mountain lamb, and the pride of the Déise, the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI)-status Waterford blaa.

Finally, we turn once again back to the land, where it all begins.

Small family farms are still the proud backbone of Ireland’s rural communities. Where tradition and heritage paved the way, innovation and enterprise now shape their future. Across Ireland many farm gates are open to visitors, offering rare insight into the craft, care and connection behind the food they produce.

In rural north Co Dublin, Patrick and Jenny McNally have been organically farming for more than 25 years and their produce graces the menus of the most celebrated restaurants in the city. Now, the second generation has come on board at McNally Family Farm, opening up the site for visitors with a farm shop, open five days a week and full of produce and provisions, and a fast-growing cafe whose counter is loaded with sweet and savoury seasonal bakes and sandwiches celebrating the family’s own-grown fruits and vegetables.

For an even deeper insight into the workings of the 99-acre farm on the outskirts of the capital, take a guided tour during the summer months through the polytunnels and fields, learning about sustainable growing practices and regenerative agriculture. 

On the opposite side of the country on Ireland’s wild Atlantic edge in Connemara, Mungo Murphy’s seaweed foraging experiences introduce visitors to the remarkable diversity of edible sea plants that thrive in the clean, cold waters of Cashla Bay. Sinead O’Brien not only shares skills in identifying, sustainably harvesting and understanding seaweed production but also educates guests on the importance of seaweed in sustaining coastal communities for centuries. Take a quick tour of the aquaculture farm Sinead’s mother, Cindy, runs and finish with a light lunch of delicious and inventive seaweed dishes. 

Food is the ultimate connector and Ireland’s expert-led food experiences turn fleeting moments into lasting food memories. Whether meeting farmers in their fields, brewers by the river or foragers along the shore, each one reveals another page in the story of Ireland’s incredible food scene.

Click here for more information and inspiration about Irish food experiences.