Limerick’s annual family-friendly Pigtown Festival returns for its sixth year on September 17th, with an entire series of specially curated events and immersive experiences celebrating the county’s food culture running until October 1st.
Inspired by the city’s famous historic bacon industry and the county’s deep-rooted food heritage, the Pigtown Culture & Food Series - developed by Limerick Food Group with the support of Limerick City & County Council - aims to showcase the county's produce.
This year, Pigtown is also one of the festivals that has been selected for the Global Irish Festival Series initiative by Failte Ireland.
Pigtown 2022
Over the course of three weekends, Pigtown 2022 will offer up a series of one-off events and experiences that will offer locals and visitors to the area a deep-dive into Limerick’s diverse food culture.
The festival features Michelin star dining experiences, cookery demos with top chefs in the Milk Market, historical talks and walks around the city, opportunities to ‘Meet The Makers’, and the return of the Pigtown Pig Parade for the first time since 2019.
For the entirety of the festival, Limerick Museum presents ‘Limerick Food Heritage Memorabilia’; a specially curated exhibition at St Mary’s Cathedral featuring historic objects of interest relating to Limerick food culture.
On the opening morning (September 17th) of Pigtown 2022, the upstairs area of the Milk Market will play host to the first in a series of Pigtown Cookery Demos (starting at 10.30am), hosted by 1826 Adare’s head chef & owner, Wade Murphy.
There will also be demos hosted at the same time and location on Saturday September 24th and Saturday October 1st, featuring a host of guest chefs including Alex Timms of No. 1 Pery Square Hotel & Spa, Caterer, George Casey, and more.
All demos are free to attend, although it should be noted that capacity is limited.
The following day (Sunday September 18th at 3pm), local historian, Dr. Paul O’Brien will lead a Pigtown walking tour of the city entitled ‘What’s on the Menu? Limerick Restaurants 1860-1960’ exploring the city’s deep-rooted food heritage.
The meeting point for the tour, which is free to join and will take around 1-2 hours to complete, is outside the main entrance to Brown Thomas on O’Connell Street.
That evening, Adare Manor’s Michelin-starred The Oak Room restaurant will provide the setting for a unique Pigtown dinner experience.
Executive head chef, Mike Tweedie, has designed a special set menu, priced at €140 per person (beverages not included) that will showcase an array of his favourite Limerick-based suppliers and artisan food producers.
Reservations for the Dinner on Sunday 18th September, which starts at 6pm, can be made online at www.adaremanor.com, or by calling the Adare Manor Dining Team on (061) 605 246.
On Tuesday September 20th, Dr Matthew Potter, curator of Limerick Museum, will deliver a guest lunchtime lecture from 1pm to 2pm at St. Mary’s Cathedral entitled ‘Queen Victoria and Limerick Ham’.
Culture Night
Friday September 23rd sees the return of the Culture Night Pigtown Pig Parade (6pm to 7pm).
Gathering on Bedford Row in the city centre, festival goers of all ages are encouraged to join the parade as it winds its way through the streets of Limerick down to the Milk Market.
On arrival there, the Culture Night Pigtown Gathering and Parade Afterparty will take place between 5pm and 8pm.
The event at the Milk Market will include a mobile petting farm, a pig mask-making workshop, hot food vendors, craft stalls, live music, and more.
The Mask Making Workshop will be hosted by Lumen Street Theatre and run from 5.30pm to 7.30pm.
It is free to attend and suitable for children aged 10-13 years, with younger participants will need a parent to assist.
Places at the workshop are limited to a maximum of 12 children and will operate on a first-come-first-served basis.
The Culture Night celebrations on Friday September 23rd will also spread across Limerick to Nicholas Street.
Dan Sykes from The Green Room at Springfield Castle joins fellow chef, Keith Pigott, and the Treaty City Brewery’s founder, Stephen Cunneen, for a Pig’n’Poke event (5pm to 9pm) in association with the brewery to mark Culture Night in the Medieval Quarter on King’s Island.
Dan Sykes’ Beef Flank Tacos and Keith Pigott’s Slow-Cooked Pork Butt in Local Brioche, as well as Hawaiian Poké bowls for vegans, vegetarians or pescatarians, will be on offer alongside Steve’s exclusive brew, the ‘Pigtown Pilsner 2.0’ - a bohemian pilsner brewed in Limerick especially for the occasion.
Admission to the Pig’n’Poke event on Nicholas Street is free.
© 2022 Hospitality Ireland – your source for the latest industry news. Article by Conor Farrelly. Click subscribe to sign up for the Hospitality Ireland print edition.
