6th-9th October 2011

Yes – it’s Taste of Monaghan time again! And this year’s Taste of Monaghan Festival promises to be bigger and better than ever.

Ever popular chef, Neven Maguire, of the much sought after McNean House Restaurant and of international acclaim, will launch the event with a great night’s entertainment and cookery demonstrations in the Four Seasons Hotel at 8pm on Thursday 6th October.

On Friday 7th October in the Westenra Hotel, you can enjoy another night of culinary entertainment with Ireland’s youngest celebrity chef, Donal Skehan of RTE Kitchen Hero fame.  Donal will focus on cooking on a budget and will show us how to use those inevitable leftovers to create delicious and nutritious meals.

An important feature of both these events will be the beautiful and intimate “Food Village” where local producers – big and small – will be on hand to let you experience their delicious fare.

If you like a glass of wine you will be fascinated by Jean Smullen’s Wine Appreciation and Tasting event, which takes place in the Festival Marquee, Church Square, on Saturday 8th October.  An expert in her field, Jean is the new wine presenter on RTE-s 4 Live.  She is also the wine writer for Retail News and Prudence magazines.

And for the whiskey lovers among you, Michael Morris from Cooley Distillery will conduct a tutored tasting of a range of award winning whiskey brands in the Festival Marquee at 3 pm on Sunday 9th October.  Here you will get a chance to sample the delights of some of Cooley’s multiple gold medal winning portfolio including the very finest in aged Blends, Malts and Single Grains.  Sounds like an event not to be missed!

Monaghan Farmers’ Market will be on hand to offer their well established – and many new - delights in Church Square over the Festival week end while right next door, also on Church Square, the Taste of Monaghan Festival Marquee will host exhibits and samples by over 30 of our finest local food and drinks producers.

Tickets to the Neven Maguire Launch and to the Donal Skehan event are available at Mallon’s Food Hall, The Westenra Hotel and The Four Seasons Hotel.  Admission is €20.00 and €10.00 respectively.

You should note that holders of tickets to the Neven Maguire event can avail of complementary admission to Donal’s event.  Ticket holders are also entitled to free admission to the Food Village on both occasions.

You may recall that last year’s Neven event was a total sell out, so early booking is recommended to ensure your place on both nights.

These are just some of the great events which will be part of Taste of Monaghan 2011.  We will keep you informed on the exciting programme.  In the meantime, for further information on Taste of Monaghan 2011, please visit www.tasteofmonaghan.com