Birdhill Coffee Festival The Old Barracks, Birdhill, Co Tipperary; June 26th-28th; Tickets from €25; theoldbarracks.ieIf you know your flat whites from your filters, then check out this weekend, bringing together coffee lovers for tastings, demos, workshops, and a deep dive into all things speciality coffee and community.Flavours of Fingal County ShowNewbridge House, Donabate, Co Dublin; July 4th-5th; Free entry, parking starts at €30; flavoursoffingal.ie There’s plenty to discover on the grounds of Newbridge House. Visit the food tent to meet local producers, explore the Farmers’ Field with its pigs, sheep, alpacas and farm machinery, and enjoy live cooking demos from the Fingal Food Circle. You’ll also find food trucks, music, sports, games and a traditional crafts area.Kilmore Quay Seafood Festival Kilmore Quay, Co Wexford; July 9th-12th; Free and ticketed events; stellamariscentre.com/seafood-festivalNow in its 41st year, this festival celebrates all things seafood as Kilmore Quay comes alive with events, dining and plenty of coastal charm. Expect chowder, oysters, local fish and lots more, along with cooking demos, music, dancing and family fun.Féile an Phráta Baile na nGallDingle, Co Kerry; July 12th; Free; facebook.com/FeileanPhrata/ This annual beachside battle of the spuds, better known as “An Spud-Off Mór”, invites Kerry farmers and growers to compete with their potatoes to be crowned the best. Judges taste the potatoes blind, cheered on by an enthusiastic crowd.HagstravaganzaBallymote, Co Sligo; August 8th; Tickets from €40; thewhitehag.com/hagstravaganza Hagstravaganza It’s the 12th year for Hagstravaganza, Ireland’s biggest international beer festival. The White Hag Brewery is transformed into a festival hub, with more than 60 beers on tap, from hop-forward IPAs, lager and bold stouts to sour beers. There’ll be plenty of food and music too.Cork on a Fork Fest Various locations, Cork city; August 12th-16th; Free and ticketed events; corkonaforkfest.ie This citywide festival celebrates the best of Cork’s food-and-drink culture, from spiced beef and seafood to artisan cheese and drisheen. With more than 100 events, it features unique dining pop-ups, cooking demos, talks, tastings, workshops and family-friendly food fun.The Big GrillHerbert Park, Dublin 4; August 13th-16th; Tickets from €30; biggrillfestival.com Big Grill Festival Over four fire-filled days, Irish and international chefs, restaurants, and barbecue pros come together for a feast of a festival where everything is cooked over live fire. Expect incredible food, plenty to learn, great drinks and the legendary chilli-eating competition you definitely don’t want to miss.Taste of Kildare Naas Racecourse, Co Kildare; August 15th-16th; Tickets from €15, kids go free; tasteofkildare.ie This locally focused food festival gathers Kildare chefs, cooks, restaurants and food-and-drink producers for a fun weekend of restaurant pop-ups, a big producer showcase, cooking demos and family entertainment.The Ballybunion Bean FestivalThe Barna Way, Ballybunion, Co Kerry; August 22nd; Tickets from €30; brilliantballybunion.comHosted by Brilliant Ballybunion (a creative climate action project) and artist Lisa Fingleton, and set on a beautiful farm, this festival celebrates the humble bean, growing, feeding, science and soil through conversations, music, creativity and food. Yeast Meets West Craft Beer FestivalDr Kathleen Lynn Lane, Ballina, Co Mayo; August 22nd; Free; facebook.com/YeastmeetsWestBrewfest/Now in its 10th year, the festival celebrates the best of the west’s brewing scene. Dr Kathleen Lynn Lane fills with beer taps for one day only, turning into a buzzing festival hub of local brewers, food stalls and live music.Armagh Food and Cider FestivalVarious locations across Co Armagh; September 3rd-6th. Free and ticketed events; visitarmagh.com/foodandcider Armagh Food and Cider Festival The Orchard County hosts a fun weekend of food and drink, from pop-up dining experiences and farm-to-fork feasts to culinary trails and orchard tours, and there’ll be plenty of family-friendly events.Gut Fest by Fairmental Bolands Mills, Barrow Street, Dublin 4; September 5th; Tickets from €75; fairmental.ie The team that runs Fairmental cafe in Grand Canal will host their second festival focused on celebrating the connections between gut health, mental wellbeing, food, science and community. You’ll find approachable expert advice and plenty of tasty food.Feast Cork Midleton and surrounding areas, Co Cork; September 6th; Free and ticketed events; feastcork.ie Aoibhínn Mulvey (three) at Feast Cork in Midleton. Photograph: Joleen Cronin It’s harvest time, and Midleton marks the occasion with a food-focused festival that brings together the very best of the area. Expect conversations, dinners, markets, foraging, mixology and local produce and producers, as well as celebrations of landscape, heritage and storytelling.Dublin Beer FestivalRDS, Dublin 4; September 11th-12th; Tickets from €15; dublinbeerfest.ieA hop-fuelled weekend celebrating Ireland’s brewing heritage, with Irish and visiting craft brewers sharing their stories, pouring their best beers, alongside food, live music and good craic. Cromane Seafest Cromane, Co Kerry; September 18th-20th; Free and ticketed events; cromaneseafest.com Cromane Seafest A weekend of maritime fun celebrating Cromane’s land and sea heritage, showcasing fishing traditions, local seafood and sustainable practices through food, fun and community events.Clonmel Applefest Clonmel, Co Tipperary; September 24th-27th September; Free and ticketed events; clonmelapplefest.ie Clonmel Applefest This festival celebrates the food, heritage and natural environment of Clonmel and its surroundings. Featuring arts events, cooking demonstrations, crafts, markets, performances and music, all coming together to honour the area’s rich history and culture.Galway International Oyster and Seafood Festival Nimmo’s Pier, Galway city; September 25th-27th; Free and ticketed events; galwayoysterfestival.com Galway International Oyster and Seafood Festival A fixture on the festival calendar for more than 70 years, this event sees Galway come alive to mark the start of the Irish native oyster season. There’ll be parades, parties, dinners, demonstrations, talks, tastings and the world-famous oyster shucking championship.Dingle Food Festival Dingle, Co Kerry; October 2nd-4th; Free and ticketed events; dinglefood.com A highlight on many food lovers’ calendars. Follow the Taste Trail through Dingle’s colourful streets, sampling dishes and drinks from local restaurants and producers. Book ahead for fringe events and take time to explore the town’s famous pubs.HomegrownVirginia Park Lodge, Virginia, Co Cavan; October 16th-19th; From €1,150 virginiaparklodge.com/homegrown-26 Homegrown at Virginia Park Lodge. Photograph: Molly Culme-Seymour Chef Richard Corrigan hosts this annual weekend retreat on his 18th-century hunting estate, welcoming a line-up of friends from the food world, including Prue Leith, Angela Hartnett, Henry Harris and Robin Gill. Limited to 80 guests.Savour KilkennyThe Parade, Kilkenny city; October 22nd-26th; Free and ticketed events; savourkilkenny.com Savour Kilkenny Celebrating two delicious decades this year, Savour brings together more than 100 artisan food and drink stalls in the buzzing Savour Village, while the demo tents always attract great food names. Don’t miss sampling some of the region’s finest drinks from the marquee of craft brewers and distillers.Samhain Festival of Food & Culture and Sheridans Irish Food FairKells, Co Meath; November 5th-8th; Free and ticketed events; foodcultureireland.ie/samhain Samhain Festival This Meath celebration is quickly earning a place among Ireland’s must-visit food events. Look forward to literary pub crawls, long-table dinners and a weekend steeped in Irish culture, overflowing with great food-and-drink experiences. Pack your shopping bags for the unbeatable Sheridans food market.