Naas should be entered in Foodie Destinations 2019

Naas should be entered in Foodie Destinations 2019 — an initiative run by the Restaurants Association of Ireland which celebrates Ireland’s food offerings and encourages local food tourism initiatives across the country.

The closing date for entering is July 11 and the competition was launched in Kilkenny, winners of the event in 2018.

Sorcha O’Neill, a former Naas councillor associated with a voluntary group (NaasLift) which has launched a campaign to improve the streetscape of the town, believes that the town should enter.

She said: “I entered Naas into this competition a few years ago and we have more on offer since then. We received some good feedback on the previous entries to build on. With Naas winning the Purple Flag status I think this would certainly bolster the application. There are not many towns that can boast the diversity of food offerings and experiences here as we have Japanese, worldwide tapas, Italian, Chinese, French, Indian and lots of local homemade and traditional menus throughout the town as well as the farmers market and wild food trails.”

She said winning the competition would put Naas on the map and help drive more tourism into the town.

The competition encourages communities across the country to work with local businesses, Chambers of Commerce and other local groups to submit their applications and promote their area to both local people and visitors.

Winning plans

The winner will be a destination that actively promotes itself through joint promotional activities such as food festivals, gourmet trails or farmers’ markets as well as great dining experiences as well as having a local producer/supplier network.

Plans for future growth and investment into the food and hospitality industry locally will also be taken into consideration.