The River to Lough Festival is a new and innovative one-day festival that will take place at the Toome Eel Fishery on Saturday 27th September 2014 from 12 noon to 6pm.
The festival is the ideal opportunity to learn more about the world renowned Lough Neagh Eel and gain an insight into the eel fishing industry. Meet the fishermen, hear about the epic migration of silver eels and even see some eels up close on the guided tours of the factory. A great afternoon day out for all the family with celebrity chef Paula McIntyre leading the cooking demonstrations. Local restaurants have also been invited to showcase recipes and food and crafts stalls will display produce from across Northern Ireland.
The festival will celebrate over 8,000 years of fishing on the River Bann and Lough Neagh. It will highlight the rich cultural heritage associated with this very ancient fishing tradition as well as the mythic transatlantic journey of the eel. It will also celebrate the uniqueness of other wild food that comes from the River Bann & Lough Neagh, and will encourage local, national and international visitors to appreciate the culinary uniqueness of the Lough Neagh Eel as well as other local artisan produce.
The festival is being organised by The Lough Neagh Fisherman’s Co-operative and will take place in at the Co Operative premises in Toome. Pat Close Chairman and CEO of The Lough Neagh Fisherman’s Co-operative says “The aim of the event is to raise awareness of the Lough Neagh Eel, together with its recently designated Protected Geographic Indicator (PGI) status. It also wishes to highlight the work of the Lough Neagh Fishermen’s Co-operative Society and the work of the fishermen on the Lough.”
For more information you can find festival updates on Facebook by searching for the River to Lough Festival or contact the Toome Eel Fishery by phone on 02879650618 or email info@loughneagheels.com.