Cookies! They are not just something we eat. This site uses cookies so we can provide you the best user experience and deliver advertising and offers that are relevant to you. To read more about our cookie policy, including how to change your cookie settings, please read our Privacy and Cookie Policy. By continuing to use the site you are agreeing to our cookie policy.
VIEW PHOTOS
VIEW PHOTOS

Host: Sinead and Cindy

Galway, Ireland

USD
$64-$68 per person

Coastal foraging walk, Abalone farm tour and tasting in Rossaveal, Galway

Host offerings
  • Rural farmhouse
  • Professional cook
  • Pets
  • Vegetarian
  • Alcohol
  • Transportation
  • Cooking class
  • Market visit
  • Food tour

Meet Sinead and Cindy

Cindy has over 20 years of experience working in aquaculture, beginning with a B.Sc. in Marine Biology from California, then having worked for 6 years at the University of Miami’s experimental fish hatchery, where she raised different species of fish larvae i.e. yellow tail snapper, red snapper, rockhinds, redhinds etc. She then arrived in Ireland in 1996 and has been using all her past knowledge to build up the farm, which is a boutique producer of premium abalone, using only the best technology and procedures.

Sinead completed a law degree at University College Dublin and a masters degree in law at the University of Amsterdam (both of which she found to be very illuminating and enjoyable) but soon caught the entrepreneurial bug and realized her true passion lay in seaweed and abalone aquaculture. Having grown up working on her Mother's abalone aquaculture farm, she founded the seaweed company straight out of University. She now delights in the fact that she can wear wellies to work and finds great enjoyment in experimenting with various algae specimens to her heart’s content! She has even done a two month Professional Certificate in Cookery at Cooks Academy, Dublin.

“I love to serve seaweed dishes and abalone dishes using fresh abalone pulled from the tank and fresh seasonal seaweeds. My favourite dish is a seaweed salad made with channel wrack, a seaweed that farmers in the West of Ireland used to feed their sheep, but is extremely delicious and has a really nice texture.” - Sinead

What to expect

Please note menu might vary. If there are particular dishes you are interested in trying, please include your request in the booking form.

Food tour: (2-8 guests) Meet your host Sinead and Cindy at their boutique abalone farm on the edge of Galway Bay, tucked away in a rugged, coastal landscape beside the old pier and coastguard building in Rossaveal. Head out with Sinead to the shores of Galway Bay to start your seaweed foraging tour. You will walk for about 5-10 minutes to the shore to learn more about edible sea plants and the local history and culture. The types of seaweed that you might see depend on the season. Your foraging tour will last about 45 minutes before you return to the farm to enjoy a tour of this modern aquaculture farm. You will be shown around the land based aquaculture farm to see how the abalone, sea cucumbers and sea urchins are grown. By the end of the tour all your questions - what is an abalone, how is it farmed and why?, will surely be answered! After the tour sit down with Sinead and Cindy to enjoy the wild Atlantic sea air and taste some fresh seafood dishes that are made using seafood grown on the farm and the sea plants foraged along the shore. A few dishes that you might try while enjoying the beautiful view are, seaweed and carrot salad with asian inspired dressing, seaweed, beetroot and courgette salad with honey-mustard dressing, seaweed tapenade and sea grass toast, pan seared abalone and sautéed samphire and sea urchin (when in season). You will end your tasting with some sea spaghetti cookies, served with tea or coffee.

Please note this is an adventurous experience and we recommend that you wear water-proof and slip-proof footwear (for example, gum boots or old sneakers) and dress for the weather of the day. Bear in mind that it will be cooler on the shore than on land.

Notes: Sinead and Cindy do not serve alcohol, however you're free to bring your own. They can also serve vegetarian and pescatarian meals on request.

Languages spoken: English

Sample menu

This is just a sample menu to give you an idea of the types of dishes the host cooks. Your menu will vary according to seasonal availability.
  • Seaweed and carrot salad with Asian inspired dressing
  • Seaweed, beetroot and courgette salad with honey-mustard dressing
  • Seaweed tapenade, Sea Grass toast
  • Pan seared Abalone and sautéed samphire, Sea urchin (when in season)
  • Sea Spaghetti cookies served with tea or coffee
PERSONALLY VETTED REVIEW
A Traveling Spoon ambassador visited this host. Here is their personal review.

Connemara is a fabulous place and when the sun shines and you are eating delicious seaweed cookies in the evening sun … heaven. Sinead and Cindy made me feel very welcome and were so enthusiastic about seaweed benefits. I also learnt about and tasted Abalone. Great experience!

Cliff and Thomas, Traveling Spoon Ambassador

Traveler reviews

5.0 (1)
We gained so much knowledge regarding the different seaweeds and abolone. Enjoyed a delicious lunch too. Would love to see the green algae tempura available to consumers!
- Vacation66470200061 June 01, 2023
F8bfd539 38b8 45f3 91f5 97e46befaf30

Sinead and Cindy

$64-$68 USD

per person
100% VETTED
Learn more
  • 100% satisfaction guarantee or your money back
  • Credit card is not charged until the host confirms your booking
  • Private experience
Pricing (per person)*
1 person 2-4 ppl 5+ ppl
Food Tour
Not offered $68 $64
*Does not include 3% payment processing fee applied at checkout.
1 person 2-4 people 5+ people
Food Tour
Not offered $68 $64
*Does not include 3% payment processing fee applied at checkout.
Experience Timings
Lunch Dinner
Food Tour
12:00pm-2:00pm 4:00pm-6:00pm

Meet Sinead and Cindy

Cindy has over 20 years of experience working in aquaculture, beginning with a B.Sc. in Marine Biology from California, then having worked for 6 years at the University of Miami’s experimental fish hatchery, where she raised different species of fish larvae i.e. yellow tail snapper, red snapper, rockhinds, redhinds etc. She then arrived in Ireland in 1996 and has been using all her past knowledge to build up the farm, which is a boutique producer of premium abalone, using only the best technology and procedures.

Sinead completed a law degree at University College Dublin and a masters degree in law at the University of Amsterdam (both of which she found to be very illuminating and enjoyable) but soon caught the entrepreneurial bug and realized her true passion lay in seaweed and abalone aquaculture. Having grown up working on her Mother's abalone aquaculture farm, she founded the seaweed company straight out of University. She now delights in the fact that she can wear wellies to work and finds great enjoyment in experimenting with various algae specimens to her heart’s content! She has even done a two month Professional Certificate in Cookery at Cooks Academy, Dublin.

“I love to serve seaweed dishes and abalone dishes using fresh abalone pulled from the tank and fresh seasonal seaweeds. My favourite dish is a seaweed salad made with channel wrack, a seaweed that farmers in the West of Ireland used to feed their sheep, but is extremely delicious and has a really nice texture.” - Sinead

What to expect

Please note menu might vary. If there are particular dishes you are interested in trying, please include your request in the booking form.

Food tour: (2-8 guests) Meet your host Sinead and Cindy at their boutique abalone farm on the edge of Galway Bay, tucked away in a rugged, coastal landscape beside the old pier and coastguard building in Rossaveal. Head out with Sinead to the shores of Galway Bay to start your seaweed foraging tour. You will walk for about 5-10 minutes to the shore to learn more about edible sea plants and the local history and culture. The types of seaweed that you might see depend on the season. Your foraging tour will last about 45 minutes before you return to the farm to enjoy a tour of this modern aquaculture farm. You will be shown around the land based aquaculture farm to see how the abalone, sea cucumbers and sea urchins are grown. By the end of the tour all your questions - what is an abalone, how is it farmed and why?, will surely be answered! After the tour sit down with Sinead and Cindy to enjoy the wild Atlantic sea air and taste some fresh seafood dishes that are made using seafood grown on the farm and the sea plants foraged along the shore. A few dishes that you might try while enjoying the beautiful view are, seaweed and carrot salad with asian inspired dressing, seaweed, beetroot and courgette salad with honey-mustard dressing, seaweed tapenade and sea grass toast, pan seared abalone and sautéed samphire and sea urchin (when in season). You will end your tasting with some sea spaghetti cookies, served with tea or coffee.

Please note this is an adventurous experience and we recommend that you wear water-proof and slip-proof footwear (for example, gum boots or old sneakers) and dress for the weather of the day. Bear in mind that it will be cooler on the shore than on land.

Notes: Sinead and Cindy do not serve alcohol, however you're free to bring your own. They can also serve vegetarian and pescatarian meals on request.

Languages spoken: English

Sample menu

This is just a sample menu to give you an idea of the types of dishes the host cooks. Your menu will vary according to seasonal availability.
  • Seaweed and carrot salad with Asian inspired dressing
  • Seaweed, beetroot and courgette salad with honey-mustard dressing
  • Seaweed tapenade, Sea Grass toast
  • Pan seared Abalone and sautéed samphire, Sea urchin (when in season)
  • Sea Spaghetti cookies served with tea or coffee
PERSONALLY VETTED REVIEW
A Traveling Spoon ambassador visited this host. Here is their personal review.

Connemara is a fabulous place and when the sun shines and you are eating delicious seaweed cookies in the evening sun … heaven. Sinead and Cindy made me feel very welcome and were so enthusiastic about seaweed benefits. I also learnt about and tasted Abalone. Great experience!

Cliff and Thomas, Traveling Spoon Ambassador

Traveler reviews

5.0 (1)
We gained so much knowledge regarding the different seaweeds and abolone. Enjoyed a delicious lunch too. Would love to see the green algae tempura available to consumers!
- Vacation66470200061 June 01, 2023
Pricing (per person)*
1 person 2-4 ppl 5+ ppl
Food Tour
Not offered $68 $64
*Does not include 3% payment processing fee applied at checkout.
1 person 2-4 people 5+ people
Food Tour
Not offered $68 $64
*Does not include 3% payment processing fee applied at checkout.
Experience Timings
Lunch Dinner
Food Tour
12:00pm-2:00pm 4:00pm-6:00pm
ABOUT TRAVELING SPOON

Traveling Spoon connects you with meaningful culinary experiences, from private cooking lessons to homecooked meals in people's homes. Enjoy an immersive cultural experience that gives you a glimpse into the local way of life.

FAQ

    You can cancel your reservation up until 48 hours before your experience for a full refund minus a 3% processing fee. Experiences within 48 hours are not refundable.

    If you have a question for your host, you can include a note in the field "Write a note to your host" during the booking process. Once your booking is confirmed, you will be emailed your host's direct contact information and you will also be able to message the host through your profile. You can always cancel your booking and receive a full refund 48 hours or more before your experience. If you have other questions you can also email us at reservations@travelingspoon.com.

    Most of our hosts are able to accommodate dietary restrictions and allergies, including vegetarian and gluten free options. For vegetarian travelers, we have an icon on each host profile to indicate whether that host can also offer a fully vegetarian menu. There is a section in the booking form to note any allergies or dietary restrictions which will be sent directly to your host.

    Some hosts offer alcohol as an optional add-on for travelers who are of legal drinking age. Pricing for alcohol is visible on the host profile page and includes one to two glasses of wine, beer or local alcohol.

    Have a flight or other tour planned and can’t make the timing provided? If the timing listed on the host’s profile doesn’t work for you, our hosts can often accommodate timing changes. Because all of our experiences are private our hosts are happy to tailor experiences to meet your travel needs. Simply note your request in the booking process.

    Your card will not be charged until your host accepts your booking. Typically hosts respond to bookings within 72 hours. In the event your host is unavailable on your selected date and your host rejects your booking your credit card will not be charged.

    Your host's detailed contact information, including their phone number, address, and direction notes, will all be provided immediately upon successful confirmation of your experience (after your hosts accepts your booking and your credit card is successfully processed). This information will be emailed to you to the email address you used to sign up, and will also be visible on your Traveling Spoon profile.

    All prices are noted per person prices unless otherwise specified. Transportation is typically charged on a per car basis. Children aged 5-11 are 50% off, and infants aged 0-4 are free. Hosts set their own prices and Traveling Spoon marks up the experiences; on average hosts receive over 70% of the price paid by the traveler.

    100% of Traveling Spoon experiences are private! Just you and your host and host’s family.

    Hosts typically respond to booking inquiries within 72 hours. If for some reason you have not heard from your host or if you have any questions you can always contact us at reservations@travelingspoon.com.

    Your safety and security are our top priority. To ensure this, Traveling Spoon personally vets 100% of all hosts, including an in-person host visit, to ensure each host and experience meets our strict quality requirements.

    Some hosts offer transportation as an optional add-on for travelers. Typically this is round trip transportation with pick up and drop off at your hotel. Pricing is quoted per car. Specific instructions for transportation will be provided in your confirmation details when your booking is confirmed.

    Many of our hosts accommodate solo travelers. You can see if a host accepts solo travelers by looking at the traveler range found next to the experience descriptions on the host profile (indicated by the numbers in parentheses next to "In-home meal", "Cooking experience" and "Market visit").

    Most of our Traveling Spoon experiences are incredibly family friendly and can accommodate infants and children. If a host is unable to accommodate children that will be noted in the “Notes” section of their profile. Our child pricing policy is children aged 5-11 are 50% off, and infants aged 0-4 are free.