We can’t wait to see you in Galway!  ☘️​

Days
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MAY 12-17, 2024

gra bia logo

OUR CORE MISSION:​

Providing a lasting impression of the beauty of Irish food and cuisine, while maintaining culture and tradition. Meeting the farmers, cheesemakers, fishermen and chefs, who bring the food to your plate in a modern way, without sacrificing the historical past. We want to change your mind, and your perception of Irish food, and help you experience the incredible resources this small island provides.


GráBia roughly translates to 'love food'

Love food, yes we do! Join us as we let our senses come alive on this slow-food culinary tour of Ireland. You will cook, smell, taste, see, and experience many of the glorious resources of the Emerald Isle. 

County Galway

Concentrating on small geographical areas at a time, this experience will allow you to alter your perception of the food of Ireland. You’ll experience firsthand the wonders it offers, like the deliciousness of mussels plucked from the sea and simmered with seaweed and fresh Irish butter. Learn to make Irish Soda Bread and Treacle Bread in an Irish farmhouse kitchen. Taste as nature intended.

A small group (max eight guests) will make this a wonderfully cozy week, making new friends. We promise to have a hike, sea walk, or bog walk every day to walk off all the goodness we consume!

lunch of sea bass at ruibin in galway

Grá Bia iRish Food Tour 2024

May 12-17, 2024 (Sunday - Friday)
$ 3250 Per person (based on double occupancy, contact Shelagh for single or triple) | a $500 non-refundable deposit will be required at registration to reserve your spot. Airfare NOT included.
  • Five nights of first-class accommodation
  • Five hearty, made-to-order breakfasts
  • Four fabulous mid-afternoon lunches (hearty enough to last the remainder of the day!), promise
  • Two dinners, that will knock your socks off, by amazing Irish chefs, to bookend our tour
  • Comfortable coach buses with the friendliest drivers and minimal hours on the road (compared to other tours that take you all over the country-which is lovely, don't get us wrong!, but we focus on County Galway, because it's what we love)
  • Shelagh with Anne joining via Zoom from Galway, will host a happy hour/cooking class April 6, in Shelagh''s kitchen. It's a fun way to get to know one another before the trip!
  • Some of the most breathtaking scenery you will ever see and explore!
anne and shelagh



Meet Anne & Shelagh

You will travel the lush green fields of Galway with Anne Reddington and Shelagh Geraghty Mullen. Anne was born and raised just north of Dunmore and lives in a home she built on her family’s farm property. Anne and her husband Larry make goats cheese (Galway Cheese), and they sell to some of the finest restaurants in Ireland.

Anne Reddington

Anne has a background in finance and owns an accounting solutions business. Her first love in the kitchen is baking, and oh what a baker she is! Soda Bread and Treacle Bread are her specialties. She also loves to make ice cream (with good Irish milk and cream!), and wedding cakes. Anne also dabbles a bit in chocolate making. Pure talent!

Anne and Shelagh share a few things in common: cooking amazing food and a strong, deep love of Ireland. Both women studied at The Dublin Cookery School (at different times), connected by happenstance and became fast friends (over an 11 a.m. Hot Whiskey!). We’ll save that story for later. 🙂

SOME OF THE aMAZING THINGS YOU'LL TASTE ON OUR TOUR

field to fork

Anne will welcome us to her kitchen. We will bake Irish breads, and maybe have a hot whiskey or two. Learn about making goats cheese with Larry during his ‘Cheese & Chats’, and take in a bog walk. We’ll enjoy a Field to Fork long-table lunch, slow-food style. Traveling to the east of Galway for a dairy farm visit where we’ll feed baby calves, stroll the fields and enjoy a farmhouse ‘tea’ by the fire.

Sea to plate

You can’t leave Ireland without a private whiskey/poitín (the original whiskey) distillery tour. The next days will be at the sea as we travel to glorious Connemara. We’ll be treated to a lovely seaweed foraging tour along the sea, lead by our expert forager, followed by a seaside hike and an incredible lunch by the water. Exploring the food, music and culture while basking in the natural beauty of this small pocket of the island.

This itinerary is subject to change. due to weather and availability. If this occurs, terrific substitutions will be made, you can be sure of that. We’ve got lots in our back pocket to do!

Anne's Irish Soda Bread
Anne's famous Irish Soda Breads

accommodation

rosleague hotel in county galway, pink hotel

where will i stay?

The first three-nights a four-star experience will welcome us in the heart of Galway city at Park House Hotel. Heading to Connemara, sweet dreams will accompany us with lovely family-run guest house accommodations of Rosleague Manor.

We will pull up a chair in some incredible local restaurants for unforgettable meals, where chefs embrace and celebrate new modern Irish food heritage.

We will welcome each day with a hearty Irish Breakfast prepared using the best local Irish produce. We will have plenty energizing fuel for our daily adventures.

Please note, pricing is based on double occupancy. Contact Shelagh for single occupancy information.

spring risotto dinner

Why our GRABIA tour?

The concept of our food tour is for you to dip your toe into the amazing produce, grass fed meats and dairy as well as the spectacular scenery of Ireland. The flexibility of the trip offers you time on either end to rent a car and explore more, hopefully enjoying more food excursions and restaurants. You always want to leave a glorious place, wanting to go back.

PLUS! AerLingus will start flying direct from Minneapolis to Dublin, starting at the end of April 2024.

FAQ's

Great question. Guests are responsible for getting to the Park House Hotel in Galway by 4:00 Sunday, May 12. That means airfare and transportation from your origin/home. Then, for the next five days, boy, have we got you covered! Accommodation, transport, tours, fun and most importantly food are included. 

We will require each guest to fill out a registration form* that contains waivers, and a copy of your current vaccination card. A $500 per person, non-refundable deposit will be required to secure you and your companions spot on the tour.

*please fill out the form before registering, there is vital information needed before you agree to sign up. 

Heck no! You just need to get yourself and your travel companion to Galway in time for the Welcome Dinner Sunday night. Aer Lingus and Delta have lots of flights to Ireland, IcelandAir too.

Yes, on our tour we can only offer double occupancy. So find a fun friend, companion or partner. Each room will have two beds if requested, so no worries there. Contact Shelagh if you must have your own room, we will do our best to accomodate.

We will have time on our tour bus each day, but we hope to stop along the way for short hikes (weather permitting), as well as some other surprises along the way! There will be time each day when we return to our accommodations to go out and stretch your legs too. We are doing our best to not over-book each day!

The tour includes two amazing dinners, four lunches and five Irish breakfasts. We found with our first trip that we were feeding our guests a bit too much, and also, this gives you more time to explore whatever area we are in at the moment, or just relax at the pub. Any lunch provided will definitely carry you for the day. Trust us, you won’t be feeling the hunger!

Wine will be provided with most meals. Pints in the pubs will be your responsibility. 

Sorry, at this time, only 21 and older can join. Whiskey tours and nights out would not be advisable.

Strongly unadvisable on this food tour, gluten, shell fish, meat, dairy and eggs. And a lot of it! 🙂

At this time, although we’d really love to have you, if you need assistance walking, it’s not advisable for you to join us. Although we will be cooking and touring quite a bit, this trip is an active one, with walks and hikes scheduled every day.  

Yes! Anne and myself with be with you the entire time. Our roles are to provide the most fun, informative, and enjoyable time of your life (I’m feeling very confident today! :). We want you to come back for our next tour! Besides, how else are you going to learn how to make the most amazing Irish breads from Anne?

Oh my goodness, no way! The point of this trip is to introduce you to the marvels of modern Irish cuisine. Land and sea, that’s what it’s all about. Oh and a little whiskey, wine and a Guinness or three. 🙂

Highly suggested. But please note: the deposit is non-refundable. AIG Travel Guard is recommended.

We sure will. When we get your flight information from you, we will give suggestions on getting to Galway City Centre. Once you arrive, we take care of all the transport for the week. In other words, we gotchu! 🙂

When we come to the end of our journey with a particular driver, we encourage a €5+ per person tip. Our drivers will be with us for multiple days, and are often very enjoyable lads.

Tipping at sit-down/table service restaurants is encouraged only if you are satisfied with the service, typically 10% Tipping in pubs is typically not required, especially if the publican is the owner.

Follow this guide throughout your trip, and you’ll be grand.

photos from graBia 2023

ITINERARY ​

(subject to and likely to change, just like the Irish weather; a more detailed itinerary will be sent closer to the trip)

12th
amuse bouche GraBia Food Tour
SUNDAY, MAY 12 | WELCOME!

Arrival at Park House and
Welcome Dinner

SUNDAY, MAY 12 | WELCOME!
13th
grabia tour in anne's kitchen
MONDAY, MAY 13 | LAND!

Cookery class in Anne’s farmhouse kitchen, cheese & Chats and a delicious lunch. Guided bog walk by Larry

MONDAY, MAY 13 | LAND!
14th
mary feeding a baby calf with grabia tour
TUESDAY, MAY 14 | LAND!

Dairy farm tour and afternoon tea (lunch) in a 200+ year old farmhouse with their lovely family. Then we’ll suit-up and keep some bees! 🐝

TUESDAY, MAY 14 | LAND!
15th
michil distillery poitin with grabia tour
WEDNESDAY, MAY 15 | SEA!

Whiskey tour, Lunch in galway city, irish music in the evening Connemara

WEDNESDAY, MAY 15 | SEA!
16th
GraBia mussels being cooking outside on the terrace
THURSDAY, MAY 16 | SEA!

Seaweed foraging followed by a fabulous lunch on Ireland’s only fjord, and farewell dinner at Rosleague Manor

THURSDAY, MAY 16 | SEA!
17th
sheep in the road grabia tour
FRIDAY, MAY 17 | SLáN!

We bid one another slán and return you to Galway City

FRIDAY, MAY 17 | SLáN!

Go raibh maith agat!

thank you! in irish

great places to visit and round out either end of your trip! But you will need a car!

gorgeous irish scenery

The Lost Valley

Ireland Farm Stay

Croagh Patrick, Westport, Co. Mayo

Kylemore Abbey (we will drive by it! 🙂

– Doolin & evening cruise to see the Cliffs of Moher

  Inish Oirr (the tiny Aran Island)

Ross Errily Friary (fun fact: a few Geraghty’s are buried there, but really cool visit!

The Burren, truly spectacular

The English Market, Cork. If you love food…

– Dingle Peninsula, best views, but watch those hairpin turns!

– The Guinness Storehouse (Dublin)

– Kilmainham Gaol (Jail) (Dublin)

National Gallery of Ireland, my all-time favorite art museum (Dublin)