MBTA 2025: The final four shortlist for the Best Tourism Experience or Event

SPONSORED BY BOYNE VALLEY TOURISM

A vision to foster a vibrant, inter-connected food culture locally, regionally and nationally

Samhain Festival of Food & Culture

Tell us about your business and team

Samhain Festival of Food & Culture, managed by The Centre of Food Culture Ireland is a social enterprise with a mission to create a national centre for food and drink culture. This idea originated in the Boyne Valley to facilitate education, discussion, enterprise and advocacy by connecting people to their food, soil and sea.

The Samhain Festival in Kells acts as its annual flagship festival, since management transferred across from food network; Boyne Valley Flavours.

The small team at The Centre of Food Culture is made up of full-time and part-time staff, guided by founding board members who give their time voluntarily towards the organisation.

Describe the best thing about your service

We are working towards a vision to foster a vibrant, creative, sustainable, regenerative and interconnected food culture locally, regionally and nationally and we do this through immersive and experiential events such as Samhain Festival of Food & Culture.

What's the best business advice you've ever been given?

Stay true to your values - ours are education, regeneration, collaboration, accessibility and provenance, and they guide everything that we do.

What does the future hold for your business?

A growing Samhain Festival of Food and Culture with expanded reach and impact, supporting our vision of fostering a vibrant, creative, sustainable, regenerative and interconnected food culture in Ireland.

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Dedicated team delivering exceptional visitor experiences across golf, events, and hospitality

Killeen Castle & Golf Resort

Tell us about your business and team

Killeen Castle Golf Resort is home to one of Ireland’s premier parkland golf courses, a destination that blends world-class golf with authentic Irish hospitality. At Killeen a dedicated team of over 75 professionals deliver exceptional visitor experiences across golf, events, and hospitality, all set within the historic Killeen Castle Estate. From hosting international tournaments like the Irish Challenge to welcoming daily guests from around the world, its culture is rooted in pride, teamwork, and continuous improvement.

Every success we achieve — including being named Parkland Course of the Year 2025 — reflects the shared commitment and passion of our entire team, according to Director of Golf and Hospitality Operations, Cormac Ryan.

Describe the best thing about your service

The best thing about our service is the sense of welcome and connection guests feel from the moment they arrive. Whether it’s an international visitor playing our championship course or a local family enjoying a weekend coffee overlooking the castle, every interaction is delivered with genuine warmth and professionalism.

Our team takes pride in anticipating guests’ needs and creating moments that feel personal and memorable.

This spirit of hospitality, combined with world-class facilities and a stunning historic setting, ensures every visitor leaves Killeen Castle feeling part of something special — an experience that lingers long after they’ve gone.

What’s the best business advice you’ve ever been given?

Success in hospitality isn’t built on grand gestures but on consistency and authenticity  — doing the small things exceptionally well, every day. Treat every guest as if they’re the only one, empower your team to take ownership, and the results — reputation, loyalty, and lasting success — will naturally follow.

What does the future hold for your business?

Killeen Castle’s future is defined by continued growth and excellence. With two Challenge Tour events secured and major investment in facilities and visitor experience underway, we’re proud to showcase Meath on the global golf stage — driving tourism, creating local employment, and positioning Killeen Castle among Ireland’s premier golf destinations.

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Preserving and showcasing the rural way of life for over 80 years

Royal Meath Show

Tell us about your business and team

The Royal Meath Show took place in Porchfields Trim on the 7th of September 2025 in what was its 83rd show in Trim. The Royal Meath Show is an Agricultural Show with exhibits in cattle, sheep, goats, horse, poultry, home industries and dogs.

There are also other facets of the show with entertainment such as singer Declan Neary, Who do you think you are, Royal Meath Beekeepers Association, Trim Climate Action Group, Trim Autism Friendly Town and vintage and farm machinery.

The agricultural show attracts a big crowd of visitors to Trim each year from all round the country

Describe the best thing about your service

The first Royal Meath Show was held in 1929. In present day, the disconnection between rural and urban ways is getting wider each year and the Royal Meath Show is allowing visitors to see the ways of rural life, and how it is changing environmentally and with modernisation but it also looks at how things were done in the past

The show is a platform for local businesses, Artisan Producers and farmers to display and sell their goods. It is a place for friends, neighbours and strangers to meet and spend time with their families.

What’s the best business advice you’ve ever been given?

Don’t take your eye off the projects that are doing well to spend too much time on projects that will never work out.

What does the future hold for your business?

For the Royal Meath Show to continue into the future it will need to diversify to keep up with the times. It is hoped to increase the environmental and sustainability section.

This would include getting more local groups involved in our show.

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Three days of top class action and fun at one of Ireland’s premier horse racing venues

Fairyhouse Easter Festival

The 2026 Fairyhouse Easter Festival starts on Saturday 4th April 2026 and concludes on Monday 6th April at Fairyhouse Racecourse close to the town of Ratoath in County Meath. This is always a fabulous three days of jump racing where seasoned campaigners compete shoulder to shoulder with rookies and new names. Feature Races are the Gold Cup on the Sunday and the Boyle Sports Irish Grand National - Ireland’s most valuable jump race - on Bank Holiday Easter Monday.

The 2026 Easter Festival promises an electric atmosphere with something for everyone - Style Saturday featuring the Most Stylish Person competition and Golden Sunday with free entertainment for kids.

The Fairyhouse Easter Festival also offers a packed lineup of live entertainment, including live music in the festival marquee after the races, family-friendly activities, and a variety of hospitality options to suit all tastes and budgets.

Fairyhouse Racecourse stands proudly as one of Ireland’s premier horse racing venues. Racing first took place here in 1848, and in 1870 the inaugural Irish Grand National steeplechase was run — a tradition that continues to this day. Over the years, legends such as Arkle, Desert Orchid, Brown Lad, and Flying Bolt have graced the track, joined more recently by modern greats like Hurricane Fly, Don Cossack, and Annie Power.

The racecourse features a right-handed circuit measuring one mile and six furlongs, with a two-and-a-half-furlong straight and a gentle uphill finish.

It provides a fitting stage for the prestigious Irish Grand National and remains a beloved part of Irish sporting culture and history.

Since opening its gates in 1848, Fairyhouse has welcomed generations of racegoers. A day at Fairyhouse offers something for everyone — from family outings and birthday celebrations to company events, client entertainment, or simply catching up with old friends and making new ones.