A late-season festival organised by the diverse small villages of Waterford estuary on September 19th is as much a celebration of their thriving co-operative shellfish enterprises as an attempt to extend the tourism season. The Waterford Estuary Mussel Festival, now in its fourth year, is the brainchild of the Discover East Waterford Co-Op, which represents tourism, business and community interests within the ancient barony of Gaultier. This embraces the picturesque villages of Cheekpoint, Faithlegg, Passage East, Woodstown, Dunmore East, Ballymacaw and Cloughernagh.
A range of music, food, craft and sports events will be on offer in these centres over the weekend of September 19th-21st, with special inclusive accommodation packages on offer.
Behind the festival lies a story of hard work by small fishing communities to develop, manage and market the shellfish industry.
Up to 70 fishermen, most of them members of the South-East Shellfish Co-Op, now harvest mussels in the estuary on a commercial and sustainable basis.
The co-op manager, Ms Mary Ferns, says that the aim is to attain an output of some 2,000 tonnes per year regularly - a yield which would be worth about £750,000 and would generate other spin-off employment in reseeding, harvesting, marketing and transporting.
The mussels are a natural resource which was exploited haphazardly in the past but is now being developed on a planned commercial basis.
The fishery operates on the bottom culture system, as distinct from the raft and rope suspension method familiar on the south-west and west coasts. The mussels are dredged by small boats operating from the villages and the great bulk of the catch is marketed by the local shellfish co-op in France and Spain.
Meanwhile the Discover East Waterford Co-Op is promoting tourism and enterprise to encourage economic growth and job creation within the region. Based in Passage East, it runs a tourism information office there and is examining the feasibility of providing a craft centre. It also runs a local employment service.
Launching the festival programme the Mayor of Waterford, Mr Tom Cunningham, said it was particularly pleasing to see small diverse communities working together for their joint development and benefit.
The festival, not surprisingly, strongly features the sampling of local mussels and the product of its sponsor, Guinness. It will also have band performances, Irish dancing and song contests, cookery competitions, an art exhibition, craft fair and various sports events.
For festival information, telephone 051-382677.