Cong has been named among the top 10 finalists in the national Foodie Destinations competition 2016.
The picturesque south Mayo village, famous as the home of Ashford Castle and Hollywood film The Quiet Man, has been cooking up a storm in recent years.
Previously known as Foodie Towns, the Foodie Destinations competition was formed as part of the Irish Restaurant Awards 2014 and proved to be so popular it became its own entity in 2015. The competition is organised by the Restaurants Association of Ireland.
Cong joins Boyne Valley, Derry, Dublin Coastal Village (Howth, Malahide, and Skerries ), Kilkenny, Leitrim, Monaghan, Sligo, The Burren (last year's winner ), and the Loop Head Peninsula on the top 10 list. One of these will be named as Foodie Destination of Ireland 2016 and all 10 will receive pre-arranged visits from a pair of independent assessors in the coming weeks.
The upcoming assessment will be combined with a national public voting campaign where the public can choose their winning foodie destination out of the 10 finalists on www.foodiedestinations.ie Voting will end at 12 noon on Friday September 9, and the winning town/destination will be crowned Foodie Destination of Ireland 2016 in September.
Cong is a new entry on the list. Its local food initiatives are spearheaded by Cong Food Village, a group of 14 local hotels, restaurants, cafes, and producers.
