Major 'Taste' award for popular County Roscommon restaurant

Celebrating Ireland’s gold standard champions of the food and hospitality industries, the winners of the Georgina Campbell Food & Hospitality Awards 2024 were announced last week and a special ‘Taste of the Waterways’ Award was won by popular County Roscommon restaurant and bar, the Purple Onion in Tarmonbarry.

The awards were presented by leading food and hospitality writer Georgina Campbell and chef Richard Corrigan at a gala event in Dublin.

Georgina Campbell said of the Purple Onion: “Ireland’s inland waterways are nothing short of a national treasure yet, despite the very welcome recent opening of Greenways and Blueways around the country, for most people, they’re very much an adventure waiting to happen. For many years we’ve championed the waterways as an amenity for all to enjoy and by highlighting excellence in areas that may deserve to be visited more, often in the midlands, the Taste of the Waterways Award is especially dear to our hearts. And one of those special places is to be found right in the middle of Ireland, tucked in near the bridge across the River Shannon at Tarmonbarry, where Paul Dempsey and Pauline Roe not only run their busy pub, the Purple Onion but it also doubles as an art gallery, with original paintings by some of Ireland’s most talented artists adding further interest to the charming old-world feeling. The best of seasonal local and Irish ingredients feature on the constantly changing menu, keeping things fresh, and the choice offered is impressive for a small restaurant. An interesting find and something different from other places in the area, you will be glad you found it."

This year, Georgina particularly acknowledged the achievements of those who have been striving for high standards over many years and continue to do so in the face of all kinds of challenges.