New Member: Joy’s Relaxation Therapy Centre
Thai, Balanese, Melay & Swedish Masssage and also Slimming Massage.
Reflexology, Back & Neck Massage and Head massage.
Sports and Walking injuries a speciality.
Address: 7 Pearse Street; Telephone: 021 4700985 or 086 3683968
Download pages from Joy's brochure: Brochure 1, Brochure 2, Brochure 3, Brochure 4, Brochure 5
Blue Haven Food Company wins Top Industry Award
The Blue Haven Food Company has won the 2009 SHOP Awards, Ireland's Retail Food and Drink Event, for its new Seafood Chowder.
The Blue Haven Seafood Chowder was deemed the best new Irish Food Product by a panel of judges and experts from within the retail industry. The award took place in the RDS in Dublin and some of the top names in the industry were competing for the prestigious overall award which was won by the Blue Haven. The Blue Haven Food Company also won two others awards at the awards ceremony in the Bakery Category for their Chocolate Chip Cookie and in the Grocery Awards for their new Orange Marmalade. The Blue Haven Food Company's new 'Fresh from Kinsale Range' is coming to a store near you soon so you can enjoy a taste of Kinsale at home!
Visit the Blue Haven Food Company web site.
Mad Hatters, Chefs, Foodies and Fun Lovers all set to Flock to 33rd Kinsale Gourmet Festival
9-11 October
Food and fun lovers from all over the world will descend on Kinsale, Co Cork, in two weeks time for the Kinsale Gourmet Festival. It is the 33rd Gourmet Festival in the renowned Foodie Capital of Ireland and promises to be the biggest event yet!
Over the years the festival has played host to a huge number of celebrities such as star chefs Richard Corrigan and one time resident Keith Floyd, the Duchess of York, Kinks star Ray Davies and former US Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith, who famously delayed the opening one year because she was having her bath!
The festival, which has been worth more than €20 million to the local economy since its inception in 1977, is the oldest food festival in Ireland and was born out of an end of season party for staff and local suppliers.
The picturesque sailing and fishing town of Kinsale is just 16 miles south of Cork and has earned the title of “Gourmet Capital of Ireland” with the heaviest concentration of top class restaurants in the country. From seafood bars to steak houses… from oysters to spiced beef, local chefs make the most of local produce and their prime location beside the water.
The Festival has been run for the last 33 years by the members of Kinsale Good Food Circle, a group of individual restaurateurs who came together to promote the use of quality local produce and the enjoyment of great food, simply prepared. The aim of the festival is to enjoy good food in good company with an emphasis on ‘fun’. In keeping with the wish to promote regional produce, there is an award for the best dish produced with food from within a 50 mile radius of Kinsale.
Festival Chairperson Roman Minihane, revealed the highlights of the food fest in Kinsale last night. He said “We start with a Cookery Demonstration on the Friday afternoon 9th October in the White Lady, followed by the Official Opening at the same location introduced by popular TV host Derek Davis.
“You then get to dine in a restaurant of your choice and then head to the Festival Club at the Blue Haven for late-night entertainment.” added Roman.
Saturday has become the most popular day of the festival with hundreds of eager foodies taking part in the Mad Hatters Taste of Kinsale. This “All-Day Food Crawl” around the restaurants of Kinsale sees participants donning mad hats and parading around the town from venue to venue tasting the best of what each venue has to offer.
“This escorted tour kicks off late morning with some bubbly at Actons Hotel to get in the party mood! Then it’s off around the town for the rest of the day to enjoy delicious food and wines at our tasting venues,” said Roman Minihane. Afterwards it’s back to Actons Hotel or the White Lady to party into the wee hours!”
Sunday sees the Fruits de Mer lunch where every participant will enjoy a spectacular array of local seafood including: Lobster, crab, prawns, oysters, mussels and many more unusual ‘fruits’ of the sea including the sought after Abolone. The local chefs from all the Good Food Circle restaurants will be joined by their colleagues from Newport Rhode Island to prepare this delicious banquet. Two of the very best chefs in the region will be amongst the visiting chef delegation in attendance this year, namely Eric Steinhauer, Executive Chef with the Marriot Hotel group and Kevin Thiele, Executive Chef at the Hotel Viking.
Every year we see the familiar faces of our loyal supporters, both local and visiting and others who are experiencing the festival and Kinsale for the first time. The festival has grown into a fantastic weekend that really gives us an opportunity to show the wonderful tradition of eating out that the region has to offer,” said Mr Minihane
For more information or to book tickets contact Maria O'Mahony, Kinsale Good Food Circle, 71 Main Street, Kinsale, Co Cork; Tel / fax:- +353 21 4773571, , Website:- www.kinsalerestaurants.com
First prize in EU for Kinsale Young Scientists
THE WINNERS of the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition 2009 have secured a first prize at the EU Young Scientist Contest in Paris, France, it was announced last night.
John D O’Callaghan and Liam McCarthy (both 14), from Kinsale Community School, achieved the success for their project “The Development of a Convenient Test Method for Somatic Cell Count and its Importance in Milk Production”. The research involved developing a cheap, efficient way for farmers to detect infection in milk cows, using somatic cells as an indicator, based on the belief that a drop of washing-up liquid could help warn of infection in milk cows.
The boys received a prize of €7,000. Three first prizes worth that sum were awarded at the EU event.
The boys won the right to contest the European event as part of their prize in the Irish version in January. Their submission was praised by Irish judges for its commercial viability. The two have developed it since in preparation for the EU contest.
Commenting on the European win, Chris Clark, BT chief executive, said: “This is fantastic news and we are very proud of John D and Liam’s latest achievement. As farmers’ sons, they were acutely aware of the challenges all farmers face. In developing this test method farmers may very soon have a practical and affordable way of dealing with milk souring.”
New Members: Atlantic Charters & O'Murchu B & B
We are happy to welcome two new member to the Kinsale Chamber of Tourism:
Atlantic Charters provides private sea charters for up to ten people on board the 2009 catamaran, 'Ocean Ranger'. We work with your group to create the perfect cruise, whether you wish to anchor off the idyllic Oyster Haven and enjoy an on board picnic or to cruise the breathtaking West Cork coast line and hop off at the any one of the patchwork of exquisite, harbour villages. Visit their website.
 O'Murchu B & B is a spacious modern bungalow with landscaped gardens. T.V., Hairdryer and Tea/Coffee facilities. En-suite rooms. Private Parking. 5 minutes drive from Kinsale on the R600 to Garrettstown’s Blue Flag Beach. Visit their website.
New Member: Snap Printing
We are happy to welcome a new member to the Kinsale Chamber of Tourism: Snap Printing. Snap Printing Cork are a long established centre with years of experience. They have the facilities and the expertise to manage all of your design & printing requirements. So whether it's brochures, flyers, websites, large format posters, or banner ups, promotional pens or corporate gifts, contact Snap Printing Cork, for all your design, marketing and communication needs. Visit their website
Kinsale Family Fun Day!!!
The people of Kinsale are gathering on the streets of the town to for a Family Fun Day! On the 12th of July, the town will be alive with a carnival style party and the Kinsale Chamber of Tourism are inviting all locals, businesses and “friends of Kinsale” to join in.
The town has been congested by roadworks over recent months and while some may have sat back and let it happen… not Kinsale! As a result of Open Meetings & brainstorming sessions earlier in the year, working groups have been set up to tackle a wide range of issues that effect both locals & visitors to the town. Concerns were mainly surrounding the disruption caused by the road works and the cleaning up of the town. A huge surge of support has meant that the town is now looking better than ever and is ready for the main Tourist season to start.
The Family Fun Day is being planned by the Kinsale Chamber of Tourism to quite literally reclaim the streets. “We’re hoping for a real carnival atmosphere” says Ciaran Fitzgerald of the Chamber of Tourism. “We’ve had such great support & involvement that we all deserve a great day out”.
The Party will be 11am - 3pm on Saturday 12th July and will take place all over the town, with an Official Opening at 1pm in the Plaza. There will loads of family street entertainment including music, clowns, a food tasting tent, a parade by the Kinsale Vintage Car Club and much much more…
Local businesses, clubs and organisations are being encouraged to get involved and decorate businesses, cars & people!!! And Buskers are welcome to set up wherever they can find a spot!
For more information or to get involved, .
Kinsale Chamber of Tourism Member Fishy Fishy wins at Irish Restaurant Awards
Kinsale Taking Steps to Combat the Recession
by Howard Crowdy and Leo McMahon
KINSALE is taking action to combat the recession with its biggest ever multi-media marketing campaign starting on April 13 and at a very well attended public meeting in the Trident Hotel on Monday March 23rd, many positive suggestions were put forward aimed at putting in place an action plan of achievable targets aimed at revitalising the town and its tourism industry when the town aspect of the sewerage scheme ceases at the end of May. Eighty seven people who care about Kinsale and its future attended the meeting called by the local Chamber of Tourism chaired by its president Ciaran Fitzgerald, assisted by Maria O'Mahony where the consensus was a the need for people from all tourism and business interests to 'work together' for its benefit. Management and strategy consultant with SHRC Ltd, Conor Hannaway took ideas and views from the floor after which it was agreed on the suggestion of former councillor Dermot Ryan, that all of these should be collated and a further meeting held in three weeks time to establish a working committee that will oversee a plan of action for a town regarded as one of the 'jewels in the crown' of Irish tourism. The meeting began with a power point presentation by marketing officer Kate Howey who outlined Kinsale Chamber of Tourism's marketing campaign which received matching funding of €50,000 from Failte Ireland South West. Such a campaign was needed now, she said, so that the town would be ready when the town phase of the main drainage scheme ended on May 31. Read details of the new campaign on page six.
Further suggestions were welcome and in order to maximise the effectiveness of the ten weeks marketing campaign, Kate Howey encouraged tourism interests to make their pitch with voucher offers etc and invited submissions which could be included on press releases such as specialist activities. These could be made to the chamber in an
. Conor Hannaway then opened up what he called a "strategy session" and a large number of views and ideas were expounded. Positive suggestions included:
- 'Reclaiming of the Streets' event to celebrate the completion of the sewerage scheme in June (Cormac Fitzgerald)
- Shopfront, hanging basket and other competitions run by the town council and businesses in the aftermath of the drainage scheme (Henry Mitchell).
- A general 'power wash' of all the streets when the sewerage scheme has finished.
- More effective directional signposting to highlight Kinsale's attractions and new walkways (Colette Boland)
- An inter-active map of Kinsale (Cormac Fitzgerald).
- A call on Cork Airport in conjunction with Failte Ireland to highlight Kinsale and West Cork with photographs of the region in the terminal and better signposting for Kinsale from the airport.
- Promotion of Kinsale's newer attractions such as the Arts Week, the Pottery and Arts Centre and the Land Train and as a venue for music and entertainment in addition to its traditional attractions of gourmet food, sailing, fishing and golf.
- Draw attention to Kinsale's beauty from the air for visitors arriving into Cork Airport.
- Encourage more businesses to leave the lights of their premises on by using low energy bulbs and thereby add to the attractiveness of the streets by night. o Maximum promotion of Kinsale if the Swansea-Cork Ferry service is revived.
- Greater use of the internet as a marketing tool which could include special packages and an engaging 30 second video of Kinsale to serve as an 'enabler' to visit.
- Better promotion of what is unique to Kinsale, especially its heritage, such as Charles Fort, Desmond Castle, St. Multose's Church and the museum etc (Howard Crowdy).
- Promote Kinsale as being open year round as 'a town for all seasons' and a place for families to visit.
- Build on the niche success of the past two years of 'Kinsale Christmas' promotion (Cormac Fitzgerald).
- Promote Kinsale's green image as Ireland's second Fairtrade town and the world's first Transition Town (Alan Clayton).
- Seek to attract visitors from the large population base in Cork City possibly through a tourist bus service.
- Re-opening immediately of the public toilets (Dermot Ryan).
- Promote Kinsale's churches and history.
- Extended opening hours for the tourist office.
- A questionnaire survey of tourists to get feedback (Howard Crowdy).
On the negative side, two speakers said dog fouling in the town and the lack of bins for dog waste was appalling. A cafe owner, who acknowledged the good work by council staff on weekdays, said Kinsale was "absolutely filthy" at weekends and had photographs showing raw sewage on one of the roads and footpaths just 40 feet away from his premises. A guest house owner said the smell from the harbour and sewage was a serious problem as was the lack of parking.
In attendance with fellow town councillor Fred Treacy was Tomas O'Brien who explained that the proposed hotel, marina and removal of pungent slob to accommodate the latter would solve this but the project was currently on hold. He added that the sewerage scheme was proceeding. Brian Graham, a long serving member of the chamber and a founder of the website, said Kinsale had lost the knack of being tidy. He also believed that promoting 'gourmet' in a time of recession was wrong and it would be better to highlight 'good food served well' and provide incentives that would serve as a 'nudge' to attract new visitors. Another speaker claimed that because of pay parking, the town was losing support from its catchment area because people could park for free in Clonakilty or Bandon.
Dermot Ryan recalled that the Tidy Towns national success of 1986 was built on people of all ages and backgrounds which made it a good place in which to live and do business and there was need to strive for this again and for people to have a knowledge of their town and its visitor attractions. It was a view supported by county councillor Kevin Murphy who said that Kinsale had many positives but he also urged the importance of ensuring value for money. Another speaker said there was need for Kinsale to change its 'price image' because it was perceived as being expensive.
Conor Hannaway then sought views about access and there were calls for Kinsale to set about providing a designated parking area for touring coaches, a multi-storey car park and attracting more visitors from the large population base that is Cork City, possibly through a tourist bus pilot project entitled 'Spend a day in Kinsale' and maximising promotion of the town via Cork Airport, the ferries and cruise liner visits. Views were also expressed that the actual quality of life in Kinsale needed evaluating because as John Thuillier once put it, Kinsale wasn't a tourist town but a working town and port to which tourists came and were most welcome. Another speaker said rowdiness at night and street drinking did nothing for tourism and there was unanimity that all interest groups must work more closely.
After further debate, it was agreed that, as suggested by Dermot Ryan, all ideas should be collated by and summarised in a newsletter by the chamber and a further meeting held in three weeks time aimed at setting up a working committee to implement proposals that can be achieved in the short term.
Ciaran Fitzgerald thanked all who attended, especially Conor Hannaway and fellow marketing committee members Kate Howey, Michael Smith, Jack Walsh, Hal McElroy, Carole Norman and Maria O'Mahony. A huge amount of work had been put in and information gathered already by the chamber though a survey and the marketing plan. "We can't do everything, we need help" and said, adding it was now more important than ever for people to work together to better promote a unique town with great people, organisations and businesses and a lot to sell.
New Member: Belfry Kinsale Self Catering
Ciaran & Cormac Fitzgerald, winners of the KPMG Cork Business Person of the Year
Kinsale Represented at the BBC Good Food Show in the UK
Recent Events Kinsale West Cork Ireland
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We are happy to report that member restaurant Fishy Fishy has won the "Most Creative Use of Seafood Award" (sponsored by BIM Bord Iascaigh Mhara) at the 2009 
