Preserve the Taste of Summer - Fermentation Workshop, Inishturk

What to Expect

Bia Cultures brings a hands-on fermentation workshop to Inishturk Island on Sunday 23 August 2026, running from midday to 3pm. Participants learn traditional fermentation techniques and make their own ferments to take home, using seasonal local vegetables sourced from the island, alongside a lunch built around the same produce. Bia Cultures, an Irish fermentation company focused on raw, unpasteurised fermented foods, runs the session as a practical skills class rather than a lecture, giving islanders and visitors alike a genuinely hands-on afternoon of learning. The workshop is supported by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and forms part of a small but growing programme of adult-learning and community events being run on Inishturk to draw visitors to the island outside the usual summer beach season.

Inishturk is one of Mayo’s smallest inhabited offshore islands, reached only by ferry from the mainland, and events like this fermentation workshop are part of a wider push by the island community to build a calendar of activities that give visitors a reason to make the crossing beyond the height of summer. Framing the class around fermentation ties it directly to food traditionally preserved through the winter months on small islands with limited access to the mainland, giving the practical skills taught a specific local relevance rather than being a generic cookery class transplanted onto the island.

Good to Know

• Date and time: Sunday 23 August 2026, 12:00pm to 3:00pm
• Venue: Inishturk Island, Co. Mayo
• Price: EUR 55 per person, including lunch and take-home ferments
• Booking: via www.inishturkisland.com/book-now - places are limited, early booking recommended
• Supported by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
• Suitable for adults and older teenagers interested in food skills and self-sufficiency

Getting There

Inishturk is reached by ferry from Roonagh Pier, near Louisburgh, roughly 45 minutes’ drive from Westport. Ferry crossings take about 30-40 minutes; sailing times should be checked in advance and booked to align with the workshop’s start and finish times, as services are limited outside the peak summer months.