Word from the West

West of Ireland food writer Anne Marie Carroll introduces Galway Food Tours, Around the Marketplace, a culinary walking tour of Galway - just the thing if you have visitors from out of town

Sheena Dignam’s popular Galway Food Tours started a couple of years ago during the Galway Food Festival and has been going strong ever since. Sheena leads food enthusiasts around Galway’s finest food destinations and guests usually replace lunch with the tour as, along the way, you will sample fresh sushi, the finest cheese, Galway oysters, delicious breads, savoury bites and sweet treats while soaking up the atmosphere of Galway city - the 'City of the Tribes'.

Sheena is a Franco-Irish food and wine lover who is originally from Wicklow but grew up in the Loire valley, where she studied Culinary Arts & Wine. Having spent over 15 years in the food industry, her passion led her to launch Galway Food Tours.

The original daytime tour took in some of Galway’s culinary hot spots and market stalls from Dannys Doughnuts and Sheridans Cheese to An Cupan Tae. Sheena guides you along the streets where you meet artisan producers and sample their products.

The Saturday and Sunday tours include a trip to the now famous Galway Market and all days include visits to award-winning restaurants and cafés. Just the thing if you have visitors from out of town. Since then, the variety of tours has grown to feed the demand for these culinary adventures.

There has been a special 'Pastry Food Tour' visiting a selection of the best bakeries and cake shops in town as part of Galway Bake Fest, where a limited number of very lucky people were introduced to the history behind Galway’s best loved bakeries and pastry shops, sampling delightful bites from Griffins to Goyas, Petit Délice and more. They also found time to indulge in a glass of bubbles in Tigh Neachtain.

There is a unique Westend Food Tour, which started in May to celebrate all things tasty in Galway’s most bohemian neighbourhood. The tour takes in some of their best loved restaurants, food haunts and watering holes including Ernies fruit & veg, Eat @Massimo, Dela and Pearl Na Mara. Our guide, Sheena has some sound advice for people interested in any of her tours, “Come hungry and thirsty as there will literally be a feast of great food and refreshing drinks.”

The newest of these tours sees Sheena taking a small group out to experience the sights, sounds and tastes of Connemara and the Aran Islands. You can visit an abalone farm, a bakery and a brewery, meet a herd of goats and sample all that you have learned about with a lunch in Tigh Nan Phaidi before flying back to the main land.

Galway Food Tours is now ready to head to the East Side with a new evening food tour coming in November, visiting all the talent on that side of town - Loam, Raw- Sushi In The Sky, Le Petit Pois, Hotel Meyrick and others. It will be another great evening filled with good food and drink.

Times, prices and tickets are available from Sheena on 086-7332885. Check out Galway Food Tours Around the Market Place on Facebook and Instagram for more information.

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Anne Marie Carroll is a freelance food writer and member of the Irish Food Writers’ Guild who lives in Galway with her husband and two children. 

With a background in design and illustration, Anne Marie made the switch to journalism with a regular food and wine column in The Galway Advertiser. Her work now mainly focuses on restaurant reviews, writing and editing recipes, the development of food photo shoots, including styling and photography. She also writes for a number of other publications and works as a consultant for small producers, food retailers and restaurants.

Anne Marie writes about all things food from the West of Ireland at her blog, Warm & Snug & Fat. You can also find her on twitter as @Biscuits4ABear