As our search for the best 99 in Ireland hots up, two shops in the seaside town of Howth, Co Dublin, are sharing the high places on the leaderboard of Showoff’s 99 Finder app.
At one end of the town, on the east pier, is Ann’s, which sells 99s from a little hatch in the side of the premises, and is a popular stop after a stroll around the cliff path.
At the other end, directly opposite Howth Dart Station, is The Gem newsagents, which has been there in one form or another since the end of the second World War. Visitors to Howth have little choice but to surrender to the superior 99s on offer, says manager Sandra Kavanagh.
“It’s the experience we bring to it – we know what we’re doing,” says Kavanagh, who has been working there for the past 18 years. “You’ve got to get the ingredients and the mix just right, and of course use only Cadbury Flakes.”
Although their distinctive tunes have been the subject of controversy lately let’s not ignore the ice-cream van drivers who travel for miles to bring the 99 joy.
You might spot a Smith’s Ice Cream van parked at a festival, fete or vintage car show over the coming months. They even do weddings, with growing numbers of brides and grooms saying “I do” when it comes to 99s. The company, based in Co Louth, has a fleet of vans selling the stuff, and you can hire them for any event.
Their website lists "stuff you didn't know about ice cream". According to this, the Americans are the world's biggest ice-cream eaters, followed by the Aussies and Scandinavian countries Norway, Sweden and Denmark. It takes an average of 50 licks to polish off a single scoop of ice cream, and the most popular flavours are vanilla, chocolate, rocky road and butter pecan.
Tweets and sweet teeth
Back to the hunt for the ultimate 99. All around the country, intrepid ice-cream lovers are boldly going forth in search of the one 99 to lick ’em all. We’ve been following the action on Twitter, as people tweet #best99 and share their experiences. Karen Kenny had her No 1 99 in McGreevy’s shop in Westport, Co Mayo. Rachel Lydon from Limerick also rated McGreevy’s the best in the west.
Hugo Beresford has alerted us to Brennan’s in Loughlinisland, Co Down. “A simply sublime 99,” he tweeted. This family ice-cream business has been going since the 1930s, and is a popular spot for locals to pull in for a cone. The business was bought over by the McKibbin family in the 1990s, and expanded into a Spar and petrol forecourt, but the ice-cream keeps to its traditional style: plain vanilla with a variety of toppings.
To get involved email best99@irishtimes.com, tweet or Instagram your images using #best99 and download Showoff's free 99 Finder app on iTunes or Play Store
