Photos: Kieran Harnett
World Record Oyster Shucking holder, Shucker Paddy, will be in Cork for the Oyster and Seafood Festival in September to take part in the All-Ireland Oyster Shucking Competition! It’s just one of many events taking place over the weekend.
The Cork Oyster and Seafood Festival 2018 will take place in The Metropole Hotel from Friday September 21 until Sunday September 23. Events include live music with The Cork City Samba Band and The Loungeman, free cookery demonstrations with Bord Bia and the All Ireland Oyster Shucking Competition, which will also feature The Lazy Chef, Simon Lamont.
Opening night also happens to be Cork Culture night! A Flaming Oyster Stand will be in place selling oysters outside the front door of The Metropole Hotel with Simon Lamont, The Lazy Chef from TV3 and Wrights of London, cooking oysters “as you have never seen before”. This will take place from 6pm to 8pm. The Cork City Samba Band will be playing on MacCurtain Street from 6pm to 7pm, while Vienna Sings, a four-piece opera group, will be playing in the hotel lobby from 7pm to 8pm. Tickets for the opening night are now on sale on Eventbrite for €10, which includes a pint of Murphy’s with two oysters.
On Saturday September 22, the Cork Gourmet Trail will take place from 12 noon. The day will start with a drinks reception at The Metropole Hotel before taking off on a culinary tour of Cork.
Also that evening, The Metropole Hotel will host a very special fundraising Black Tie Gala Dinner in aid of the RNLI in the Ballroom from 7pm. Keeping with the gourmet theme, each course will be prepared by a separate celebrity chef. Music will be provided by the Roaring Forties.
Laura Jackson RNLI and Nathan Burke RNLI having a shucking time in preparation for the Cork Oyster and Seafood Festival.
Aaron Mansworth, Group General Manager for Trigon Hotels said: “We are so excited at the Metropole Hotel to be playing host to the Murphy’s Cork Oyster and Seafood Festival. It promises to be a fantastic weekend for Cork and we cannot wait to welcome people to the hotel.”
Tickets for the festival and the RNLI Ball are currently on sale on Eventbrite at €75 per person for the Gourmet Trail and €65 per person for the Black Tie Gala Dinner. Visit corkoysterfestival.com for more.
About Shucker Paddy
Paddy is living in Toronto and is the present Guinness World Record Oyster Shucking holder with 39 oysters per minute or 1,114 per hour.
Toronto born and bred, the son of two teachers, and antique dealers, Patrick McMurray has always been brought up around food, travel, and a strong work ethic. Patrick got into the restaurant trade at the age of 16, and really hasn’t looked back, despite a degree in Physical and Health Education.
After shucking, and honing his skills for a number of years in Toronto, Patrick won the World Championships of Oyster Opening in Galway in 2002, the only Canadian to win this most illustrious shucking contest, in over 60 years. Patrick also holds three Guinness Book Records for shucking oysters, 39 in one minute, part of Team Canada – 8,840 oysters in one hour, and personally 1,114 oysters in one hour.
In 1997 he invented his own oyster knife, which is now world famous. In 2005 Patrick wrote a book about oysters, considered the Oyster-A shucker’s field guide and an updated version is due to be released later this year.
With his vast knowledge of oysters, shucking ability, and teaching skills, Patrick ins known in the oyster world as an Oyster Sommelier, and lends his expertise to a large seafood wholesaler in Toronto – Seacore.
A post shared by Patrick McMurray (@shuckerpaddy) on
The Metropole Hotel is part of the Trigon Hotel Group, which has 334 guest rooms across three hotels in Cork. The group comprises of the Cork International Hotel, The Metropole Hotel and the Cork Airport Hotel. Some of the other events, which took place at the hotels over the last 12 months include the Cork Craft Show and the Cork Chocolate Festival.
The Metropole Hotel
MacCurtain Street, Cork
themetropolehotel.ie
reservations@themetropolehotel.ie
021 464 3700
