You’ll find DK Connemara Oysters in a remote, pristine bay on the Wild Atlantic Way. Here we farm and produce the finest oysters in the west of Ireland. Welcome to Ballinakill Bay, where the clear, clean waters and our expert team combine to produce oysters of exceptional quality.
We work with nature, not against it, and here, nature surrounds us, with the mountains of the Connemara National Park sweeping down to the shoreline where we strive every day to make the perfect oyster for you to enjoy.
Every oyster gets its flavour from the bay it grows in and Balllinakill Bay is no different. What gives DK Connemara Oysters their unique taste is their terroir – and that’s more than the bay. We are surrounded by rugged, remote, untouched landscape. The water that pours through it, in rain, rivers and streams, flows into our farm, gathering all the local fauna’s taste and flavours as it flows down to the sea and that is what makes our delicious oysters so unique. It’s not just pure seawater, it’s pure mountains as well!
A tour of DK Connemara Oysters will allow you to experience every part of the farm journey from seed to plate. We run tours every day and if you want a private tour and gourmet dining experience, we will arrange that for you.
Private Farm Tour & Tasting Times: 09:30, 10:30, 12:30, 14:30, 16:00, 17:30 Price: From €240
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Amazing tour, a must do. Very informative with beautiful views. Paul was excellent and answered all our questions with extensive knowledge. David, the owner, joined later and had even more knowledge and stories to add. Even people who don’t enjoy oysters will enjoy this tour.
Claire Slaughter
A Beautiful and Peaceful Stay!
The Oyster Cottage is located in a beautiful and peaceful place! Far from everything and extremely quiet. Only the friendly oyster farm workers come to work in the morning at 8: 00am but it’s not a problem at all. The concierge David is very helpful and available! A wonderful place to relax and unwind!
Laura
Best Oysters… Ever!
Paul gave us an in depth account of growing oysters and the dedication of the lads in managing the beds to produce the wonderful oysters. It was excellent. The best part was the sampling of the fruit of their labour – the best we’ve ever tasted. Highly recommend you include this on your plans in Connemara.
Dermot-Freida
A Really Great Experience Overall
We had a fantastic time at the farm! It was so informative and fun, and our guides David and Tríona were absolutely brilliant. They were very kind and funny, and tasting the fresh oysters was a great experience! Well worth visiting.
Mateus L
Highly Recommend
A great family experience! David who led the tour was engaging and answered all of our questions. You really do learn a lot about every aspect of the oyster lifespan and how they are cultivated. My family loved the tasting aspect, and even though I’m veggie the staff came up with other ways I could participate such as shucking the oysters. Super fun little tour!
Dora
Informative Interesting and Accessible
What a great way to put down a windy wet day! Caitriona (the guide) has an astounding knowledge of all things oyster, from seedling to table and shares it so easily and pleasantly… No question went unanswered and explanations were perfect. It was a great tour and ideal when the weather closed in and hiking was out of the question.
Emer K
Relaxed, Informative and Engaging
Spent very enjoyable morning here with Paul and guys working on farm. Relaxed, informative and engaging all through. Our tasting coincided with morning break – good fun with a genuine crew, although the hard work that is part of oyster farming territory does come through – breaks are well earned here. Keep up good work guys, great tour, great oysters!
Colm O’Callaghan
I have never eaten an oyster in my life
I have never eaten an oyster in my life and I was never interested in oysters at all.
Yet, for some reason, my wife and I decided to visit this farm on our honeymoon out of sheer curiosity. We booked a tour, not knowing what to expect, other than the fact that we might try oysters for the very first time in our lives. Let me tell you, the tour was riveting. Our guide was excellent, he patiently explained everything, starting from the basics and continuing all over to the advanced stuff. I didn’t even realize how much profound knowledge goes into oyster farming.
100 % well worth the experience, highly recommended!
David is an absolute legend.
My wife and I had the most incredible experience with him at the farm. By far the most delicious oysters we have ever had and we learned a wealth of information from him. We were fascinated by the scale of his operation and the innovative techniques he has implemented. I promise you there is no more beautiful scenery you could dream of than having the backdrop of Connemara National Park around you while you eat this wonderfully tasty delicacy.
Sean Mulvey
Excellent tour and tasting; good value.
Triona gave us a very informative tour including a short walk down to bay where all the action takes place (under water). Didn’t matter what we asked . . Triona was able to answer. Then back to the factory for the shucking demonstration and tasting (3 absolutely fresh, large oysters per person) where we were further entertained by the owner David. Well signposted from Letterfrack – easy to find by Google Maps in any case. We strongly recommend.
Pat Macken
Our guide Paul did a fantastic job explaining the oyster farming process
The DK Connemara Oysters that we ate were the best we had ever had in the world ! No need for cocktail sauce, horseradish or champagne vinaigrette … they were fantastic just within their salt brine. Paul also taught all four of us how to shuck the oysters. Fabulous experience and highly recommended !!