Hearth and Community

Hearth & Community, Achill Island

March 4th – 6th 2022

Achill Tourism Launches Hearth and Community

A unique exploration of the anthropology of Irish Food

A unique event exploring the anthropology of Irish Food entitled Hearth and Community took place on Achill Island in March 2022. This event explored how the environment dictates food and how this food has been central through the ages in creating community, conceiving traditions and providing a unique identity to the West of Ireland.

One of the highlights of the weekend was a recreation of the prehistoric Fulacht Fiadh. Dating from the Neolithic period, this ancient cooking method was demonstrated using meat from the ancient mhaol cow which dates from the Bronze Age and is mentioned in the famous epic the Mayo Táin.

Publicity video ahead of Hearth & Community 2022 event.

Speaking ahead of the Hearth and Community event, Chris McCarthy, Manager at Achill Tourism said, “We are really excited to be announcing this extremely unique and academically focused event. Food has played such an important role throughout the ages and here in Achill many of those traditions are still being handed down from generation to generation. We want to share this knowledge and dive even deeper into the history of food in the West of Ireland, at the same time supporting our local food producers and businesses. We hope that this event will grow over the years and provide a longer and more sustainable tourism season on Achill.”

The weekend will also include a focus on customs and Seanachais as well as much more. There will also be traditional food demonstrations, seanós evenings and tours of the island taking in significant historical and archaeological sites.

This event will be managed by Achill Tourism and is linked to the culinary department of TU Dublin. It is supported by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Fáilte Ireland, Mayo North East and Home to Mayo.