Larkins is a taste of the waterways

Larkin's bar & restaurant of Garrykennedy has received another Georgina Campbell award for the quality of its food and hospitality.

The popular family run restaurant was presented with the 'A Taste of the Waterways' accolade when representatives of the very best in Irish hospitality gathered at Bord Bia in Dublin last week for the announcement of the 2016 Georgina Campbell Awards.
'A Taste of the Waterways Award 2016' is held in partnership with Waterways Ireland. Ireland’s inland waterways are nothing short of a national treasure yet, for most people, they’re very much an adventure waiting to happen. The diversity of the experience is extraordinary, and includes the opportunity to take part in many activities, and visit some extraordinary places of historic interest including monastic sites such as the wonderful Clonmacnoise.
Since 1999, Georgina Campbell Guides has produced an independent guide to the best places to eat and drink along Ireland’s waterways. With the support of Waterways Ireland in recent years, it has developed to include accommodation and Things To Do Along The Way, presenting the waterways as an amenity for all to enjoy and not just boating folk.
The 'Taste of the Waterways Award' brings an unusual element to the guide’s selection, highlighting lovely and lesser-known watery parts of Ireland that are a joy to explore – and with plenty of interesting pubs, restaurants and places to stay.
The winner this year, Larkin’s Bar and Restaurant, is charmingly located at one of the Shannon region’s prettiest harbours, Garrykennedy. Owners Maura and Cormac Boyle, who are both from farming backgrounds, understand well the combination of services that visitors want.
The place itself is not as old as it looks, but it has the genuine ambience of a traditional pub and the wholesome food they offer is firmly based in the locality, with the meats that the area is famous for to the fore. Menus always include delicious traditional dishes - beef & Guinness stew, bacon & cabbage, Irish stew - alongside more modern ones, service is exceptionally accommodating and there’s music and Irish dancing to beat the band. All good fun and very well done - their success is well deserved.