Clonmel Applefest brings local beef, barley, apples and forests to a four-day programme

# What the festival is doing Clonmel Applefest (Sept 24–27) aims to put local food, producers and the land that supports them at the centre of its weekend programme. Events include tastings, film screenings, conversations with farmers and food producers, and a free family-focused river field day that will press apples gathered by volunteers.

# Food and drink with local provenance

On the evening before, Jennifer Nickerson of Tipperary Boutique Distillery will host a whiskey tasting at the Donoughmore Club. She will explain the distillery's field-to-bottle story, describing how barley grown on her family farm in Grange outside Clonmel is used through distillation and maturation.

# Films and conversations that connect land and livelihoods Friday's programme includes a screening of Catherine Cleary's The Forest Midwife, a film about reforesting a large stretch of land in County Roscommon. The screening will be followed by a conversation with Roz Purcell, who grew up on a family farm in Killurney, manages her own woodland area and has spoken publicly about recent fires on Slievenaman.

Sunday turns to the future of farming with a screening of Haven Worley's Irish Farmers: A Love Story. A panel discussion chaired by Dr. Alan Moore of Hedgerows Ireland will follow. Panel participants include Ailbhe Gerrard of Brookfield Farm, Rathkeevan farmer Daniel Long, Jennifer Nickerson and South Tipperary organic farmer and chef Alice Devine. The session will bring farmers and food producers together to discuss farming's challenges and prospects.

# Free river field day and apple pressing Sunday's free river field day on the River Suir focuses on food and land in a family-friendly setting. Volunteer apple tree care sessions have already gathered more than 120 kg of apples to be pressed on the day. Families can bring their own apples and clean bottles to have fresh juice pressed to take home.

Activities planned for the Greenane blueway below the Convent Bridge include arts and crafts, a children's pop-up café, a treasure hunt and an afternoon of outdoor activities suitable for families.

# How the weekend ties together Across four days the festival mixes sensory experiences (tasting and pressing), storytelling (film screenings and interviews) and practical conversation (the farming panel). The combination is designed to connect festival-goers with the producers and landscapes behind the food they eat.

# Practical details The full programme and tickets are available on the Clonmel Applefest website. The river field day on Sunday is free. If you plan to have juice pressed to take away, bring clean bottles along with any apples you want pressed.

If you want to attend specific tastings, screenings or panel sessions, check the festival website for ticket availability and times.