Galway is preparing to welcome up to 450 Irish pub operators from all across the world for a three-day event designed to showcase the best the West has to offer.
The Irish Pubs Global annual Gathering will take place in Galway from 7 to 9 October and it is estimated that the attendees will spend an average of €1,500 each during their stay, amounting to a €675,000 boost to the local economy in the short term.
The theme for this year’s Gathering is ‘Famous For Food’, highlighting the importance of reflecting modern Irish cooking and using seasonal ingredients in Irish food in Irish pubs and restaurants around the world.
Over the course of the three-day event, delegates from as far afield as New Zealand, China, Thailand and Mexico will take part in a series of interactive food-focused tours around the West of Ireland and enjoy locally produced food and drink, learning how to incorporate new ideas, recipes and products into their businesses.
Colm O’Reilly, CEO of Irish Pubs Global, predicts that the publicans will leave Galway happy and inspired; “This is the first time for a number of years that we have held the Gathering outside of Dublin and we couldn’t ask for a better location.
“We are delighted to support Galway and the West of Ireland by bringing this major international conference to the area.
“Galway and the West of Ireland contains some of Ireland’s best suppliers of world class produce, and we’re confident that we will be seeing more of these quality ingredients on Irish pub and restaurant menus worldwide in the near future.”
The annual Irish Pubs Global Awards gala dinner will take place in the Galmont Hotel, Galway.
The welcome reception will see the event space transformed into an “Irish Market”, where attendees will sample some of the best food and drink the island of Ireland has to offer.
Over 25,000 votes were received from the public and here are the Galway pubs that made the shortlist:
Irish Pub of the Year
An Púcán
Garavan’s
Murray’s Bar, Inishbofin
Best Food Experience
John Keogh’s The Lock Keeper
Best Sports Experience
An Pucan
Kings Head
McGettigan’s
Best Cocktail Experience
Hyde
The Dáil
Best Whiskey Experience
The Dáil
Garavan’s
Hyde Bar
Best Community Pub
Murrays, Inishbofin
Best Marketing Campaign
An Púcán
Hyde Bar
Best Entertainment Experience
Roisin Dubh
Best Chef
An Pucan
Murrays, Inishbofin
John Keogh’s The Lock Keeper
Best Bar Person
1520
Garavans
The entire Irish and global shortlists can be found on https://www.irishpubsglobal.com/2018-awards-shortlist/ .
