Randox Potato Festival will celebrate the Mighty Spud at the Giant’s Causeway
Randox Potato Festival will celebrate the Mighty Spud at the Giant’s Causeway
Randox Potato Festival will celebrate the Mighty Spud at the Giant’s Causeway
Northern Ireland’s favourite potato-themed festival is back, bigger and better than ever, on Saturday 5th October 2019, boosted once more by the continued partnership with headline sponsor Randox.
Set against the backdrop of the world-famous Giant’s Causeway, the Randox Northern Ireland Potato Festival is a heady mix of family fun, a celebration of world-renowned potato breeder John Clarke, and a chance to sample the delights of the agri-food industry which thrives in the Causeway Coast & Glens.
Now in its sixth year, the line-up for the free event, which runs from 10am – 5pm in the grounds of the Causeway Hotel, boasts a packed programme of activities and attractions for all ages, including the Naturally North Coast and Glens Artisan Market and Food NI Cookery Theatre.
Wendy Gallagher, Causeway Coast Foodie Tours and Festival Committee Secretary, said;
“We’re delighted to welcome back the ever-popular Food NI Cookery Theatre to the Randox Northern Ireland Potato Festival, which will feature a selection of talented homegrown chefs including Trudy Brolly of Ocho Tapas Restaurant in Portrush, and Niall McGinn of Dundarave Estate in Bushmills.
“The Potato Festival will also play host to the Naturally North Coast and Glens Artisan Market, with a popular collection of award-winning local artisan food, drink, and hand-made arts and crafts.
“And for potato enthusiasts there will be a series of specialist talks on a range of topics including ‘How to breed your own potatoes’ and an exhibition of all John Clarke’s varieties.”
Joining the Randox Northern Ireland Potato Festival is a live radio show from Q Radio, which is adding its Broadcast Bus to the eclectic mix of activities on offer, including bouncy castles, a children’s animal farm, The Mighty Spud, and Cutting Edge Helicopters, who will be back in the air again offering spectacular helicopter sightseeing flights (fee applies).*
On the eve of Festival Day a ticketed ‘Super Spud Tour’ to celebrate the area’s unique potato breeding and growing heritage will be held along the beautiful Causeway Coastal Route, and will include a potato producer tour, themed lunch and an opportunity to enjoy a delicious cocktail featuring Ireland’s first potato-distilled vodka.
And headline sponsor Randox will be inviting visitors to the event to step onboard its Mobile Health Clinic, a bespoke Mercedes Benz vehicle which has taken the company’s revolutionary ‘health MOTs’ on the road.
Randox Founder and Managing Director, Dr. Peter FitzGerald, said;
“The sponsorship of the Randox Northern Ireland Potato Festival means a great deal to Randox and we are delighted to be able to bring our Mobile Health Clinic to an event which is so well-known in the area, attracts an impressive number of visitors, from both near and far, and has such a dedicated and enthusiastic committee.
“Just like the festival committee, we at Randox are dedicated to supporting local quality produce, evidenced in our production of meats, jams, chutneys and apple juice straight from Dundarave Estate in Bushmills and CherryValley Estate in Antrim.
“The food and hospitality industry in Northern Ireland is among the best in the world and we are pleased to help showcase award-winning local producers on a national platform. The local community has played a significant role in the successes of Randox over the past number of years and we believe it is important to give the same support and encouragement back wherever we can.”
The Randox Northern Ireland Potato Festival will take place in the front car park of the Causeway Hotel at the Giant’s Causeway, but in the event of inclement weather, will proceed at an alternative location in the hotel grounds.
Festival Committee Chairman Michael McKillop, Glens of Antrim Potatoes Ltd, said;
“This year the committee has worked tirelessly to bring a bigger and better potato festival to the North Antrim coast on the site of the Giant’s Causeway. We have more fun-filled events planned with loads of arts and crafts on site and fantastic local chefs doing cookery demos. Along with a free open day to the Causeway Centre, it will be a great family day out.”
As well as Randox as the main sponsor, the festival has benefited from financial help from The National Trust, Glens of Antrim Potatoes, NI Regional Food Programme (DAERA), Jamison Potatoes, McCurdy Potatoes, Wilsons Country, Manor Fresh, Active Packaging, First Trust Bank and Food NI.
Mr McKillop continued;
“I would like to extend my thanks to the National Trust for their continued support. Every year the National Trust is a key partner and sponsor for the Potato Festival, not only opening up the Giant’s Causeway site and providing the perfect location but giving their staff to co-ordinate the activities on the day. They also coincide the festival with their free Community Open Day welcoming everyone to enjoy their Visitor Experience and award-winning guided tours for free, providing a great opportunity to showcase Northern Ireland’s heritage to local and international visitors while celebrating the legacy of John Clarke.”
*£10 raffle tickets to win a helicopter flight for 3 people, worth £270, can be purchased by contacting the Festival Committee, with the raffle being drawn on Festival Day itself.
For more information or to arrange interviews, please contact the Randox PR team by emailing randoxpr@randox.com
To book a place on the ‘Super Spud Tour’ on Friday 4th October, contact causewayfoodie@gmail.com
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Dungloe Family Fun Day returns to Randox Teoranta
Dungloe Fun Day 2019
Following the success of its 2018 début, the Randox Health Grand National Family Fun Day is returning to Dungloe, Donegal for a second year, and will be headlined in 2019 by Irish trad band Clann Mhic Ruairí.
The Laura Aisling Academy, the Scoil Roisin Band, Scoil Athphoirt Singers, and the Dungloe Marching Band will also perform at the event on Saturday 6th April, which will mark Dungloe-based Randox Teoranta’s sponsorship of the world’s greatest race, and celebrate the firm’s success as it takes to the world stage for the Randox Health Grand National.
Dónall Mac Ruairí of Clann Mhic Ruairí, looked ahead to the event and commented;
“Ní thig linn fanacht – we are delighted to be performing at the Randox Health Grand National Family Fun Day, following its incredible success in 2018. The event evokes the true community spirit and family atmosphere that we are so well-known for here in Donegal and we are certain it will be a great day out. Many thanks to Randox Teoranta for hosting – we’re keeping our fingers crossed for another Irish winner! Bigí linn.”
Since opening in Dungloe in 2008, biotechnology company Randox Teoranta has grown rapidly to become a key employer in Donegal in the areas of life sciences, engineering and manufacturing, a growth that its Managing Director Dr FitzGerald sees as having benefited from significant support from the local community;
“Donegal residents, and the wider diaspora alike, have been incredibly supportive of our endeavours to offer world-leading science, engineering, software and manufacturing careers in west Donegal, so that people working in these fields no longer have to move away from home to find work.
“It gives us great pride therefore to be able to open the doors to Randox Teoranta on Saturday 6th April and join together with the local community in celebration of the Randox Health Grand National. We are delighted with how the event transpired last year, and the fact that Tiger Roll, an Irish-trained horse, won the big race, made the first ever Family Fun Day in Dungloe incredibly special.
“We know that this year’s event will again surpass expectations and we look forward to making it even bigger and better than before.”
Taking place between 1pm and 7pm on Randox Health Grand National Day, the event is free for all the family, with kid’s activities including a bouncy castle and a rodeo bull, food, drink, and craft stalls and a large screen for the public to watch the Randox Health Grand National at Aintree in Liverpool.
Guests to the event will be joined by a team from RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta, who will be broadcasting live with their request show, Cas Ceirnín, at 1.20 pm, followed by Spórt an tSathairn from 2 pm, presented by well-known radio personality Seán Bán Breathnach, or SBB, who celebrates 50 years on air this month!
Seán Bán Breathnach, RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta, commented;
“We are delighted to take up the invitation to broadcast Spórt an tSathairn live from the Randox Health Grand National Family Fun Day again this year. It’s such a special day for all horse-racing enthusiasts like myself, and the atmosphere last year was just fantastic, so I’ll be looking forward to this year’s event.”
The Randox Health Grand National Family Fun Day will also host a racing-themed colouring competition, for which school pupils in the area have been asked to submit entries. Winners will be announced on the day.
For more information or to arrange interviews, please contact Randox PR by phoning 028 9442 2413 or emailing randoxpr@randox.com
