Bringing Tipperary fields to the Applefest table

Showcasing local beef, barley, apples, and forests, Clonmel Applefest – which will take place from September 24-27 – is aiming to put farmers, food production and our relationship with the land firmly on the menu.

From beef reared just outside Clonmel to barley grown for Tipperary whiskey, this year’s Clonmel Applefest will celebrate the people and places behind local food.

At the Harvest Hooley on Saturday, September 26 at the Railway Bar, James Whelan Butchers will supply beef from cattle reared at Garrantemple, just outside Clonmel, for the hearty stew served on the night.

The night before, Jennifer Nickerson of Tipperary Boutique Distillery will host a whiskey tasting at the Donoughmore Club.

She will share the distillery’s field-to-bottle story, from barley grown on the family farm in Grange outside Clonmel through to distillation and maturation.

Friday also brings the screening of Catherine Cleary’s The Forest Midwife, which retells her story of reforesting a large stretch of land in Co. Roscommon.

The film will be followed by a conversation with Roz Purcell, who grew up on her family farm in Killurney, has her own area of woodland, and has spoken publicly about the recent fires on Slievena m on .

On Sunday, the festival turns to the future of farming with a screening of Haven Worley’s Irish Farmers: A Love Story , followed by a panel discussion chaired by Dr. Alan Moore of Hedgerows Ireland.

The panel will bring together farmers and food producers, including: Ailbhe Gerrard of Brookfield Farm ; Rathkeevan farmer Daniel Long; Jennifer Nickerson; and South Tipperary organic farmer and chef Alice Devine.

Liam Ahearn and Jennifer Nickerson of Tipperary Boutique Distillery. Source: Patrick Browne

Food and land also will come together at Sunday’s free river field day on the Suir.

More than 120kg of apples have already been gathered during Applefest’s volunteer apple tree care sessions and saved for pressing on the day.

Families can also enjoy arts and crafts, a children’s pop-up café and treasure hunt, alongside a full afternoon of activities at the Greenane blueway below the Convent Bridge.

People can bring their own apples and some clean bottles too, and have some fresh juice pressed into them to take home.

Across the weekend, the events offer a chance to eat, taste, and talk about something deeply rooted in Tipperary: where food comes from, who produces it, and the land that supports it.

The full programme and tickets are available on the Clonmel Applefest website.

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