Discover Ireland's delicacies, culinary specialities and tipples
You have to eat sometime, right? So you know what to sink your teeth into, and where and when, we’ve included some helpful tips below.
Irish cuisine
Irish food can be very tasty especially with the fresh local produce they can get their hands on. You could always start your day with a full Irish breakfast and fill up on some protein.
Make sure to try Irish soda bread, which can be a good accompaniment to the famous Irish stew. Another excellent side dish? Potatoes! They are in everything and go well with everything. Try the colcannon, a side dish of mashed potatoes and cabbage.
We also recommend tasting the delicious seafood! Ireland has many miles of coastline and especially along the west coast and the Wild Altantic Way, why not take advantage of the local specialty and try the catch of the day or even fish and chips?
To dig your teeth into more than Irish food, you could visit on a culture and history tour of Ireland.
Get a taste of these Irish specialities
- “Full Irish breakfast”: Eggs, bacon, sausage links, buttered toast, baked beans and tea or coffee, often with a side of black or white pudding, and maybe served with potato pancake. This is the go-to dish for mornings, especially after a night out.
- Potato pancakes: There is ‘Boxty’, called this way after the Gaelic ‘bocht ti’, a pancake made from raw potatoes and served with pumpkin. Potato cakes are made from boiled potatoes and are often served at breakfast.
- Irish stew: This is a casserole dish made of mutton, potatoes, onions, and herbs and simmered for hours. You’ll maybe find a ‘modern version’ with poultry or beef instead of mutton.
Specialities in Northern Ireland
Make sure to try the Ulster Fry! It is the Northern Irish equivalent of the Full Irish Breakfast or Full English Breakfast.
To travel at your own pace, browse our Ireland self-drive tours. And did you know you could combine a tour of Ireland with a road trip around Scotland? Taste the local cuisine of both Celtic nations!
Irish whiskey and beers
Whiskey in Ireland has always been famous and popular, at home and abroad, but it is living through a renaissance at the moment with around 25 distilleries around the country. Ireland takes whiskey seriously, so the production and labelling is tightly controlled.
By law, Irish whiskey must be distilled and matured on the island of Ireland, and have a minimum alcohol by volume content of 40%. Why not take a guided tour of a distillery and sample a wee dram?
Ireland is also known for its variety of craft beers and specialty breweries. And of course, the famous Guinness Storehouse is one of the most popular attractions in Dublin, if not the whole of Ireland.
Good to know: To experience this fine drink at its best, you could also book a whisky-specific tour of nearby Scotland.
When you’re ready to start planning, get in touch with our travel consultants or browse our Ireland tours.
