Mayo companies to feature at Bord Bia Bloom festival

TWO Mayo food companies based in Achill and Ballina will feature at this year’s Bord Bia Bloom festival which takes place in Dublin.

Achill Island Sea Salt and Wildwood Balsamics from Ballina will feature in Ireland’s favourite festival of flowers, food and fun, which returns to the Phoenix Park, Dublin. The festival takes place over the June Bank Holiday Weekend, May 30 to June 3 and promises attendees a great day out with its colourful collection of show gardens, tantalising displays of Irish food and drink, inspiring talks and demos, and live interactive entertainment for visitors of all ages.

Achill Island Sea Salt is a family run award winning business founded by Marjorie and Kieran O'Malley in their home in Keel on Achill Island in 2013. Last November Achill Island Sea Salt joined other esteemed ranks of food and drink products by being designated EU protected status.

Wildwood Balsamics was founded in the spring of 2012 in Lacken in north Mayo with the first harvest of elderflowers from local hedgerows. Over the last decade, Wildwood Balsamic vinegars and dressings have won five Gold, seven Silver and four Bronze medals with Blas na hÉireann.

Now in its 18^th year, the Bloom festival expects to welcome more than 100,000 visitors over five action-packed days for another experience that is rooted in sustainable living.

Speaking at the launch of this year’s event, Jim O’Toole, CEO, Bord Bia said: “We are immensely proud of how Bord Bia Bloom has developed as a unique festival experience. Bloom was originally founded to provide a premier platform for showcasing Irish horticulture, food, and drink and we have succeeded in delivering on this vision.”

He continued, “As we look forward to the eighteenth year, the festival is more relevant than ever. Bloom offers visitors the opportunity to sample quality products and innovations, while also providing an interactive, national platform to address important societal issues and hear stories from communities around Ireland.”

RTÉ Radio 1’s Roadcaster will be onsite over the weekend with a mix of live broadcasts from RTÉ 1’s Countrywide, and Lyric FM’s Niall Carroll, Lorcan Murray and Evelyn Grant. The Main Stage will host Lyric FM’s Marty in the Morning and Simon Delaney, along with special guests and performances from musicians.

Bord Bia Bloom takes place Thursday, May 30 to Monday, June 3 at the Phoenix Park, Dublin, with the show open from 9am to 6pm daily.