THE Dingle Food and Wine Festival has triumphed again in terms of attendance, quality, variety and organisation.

It's easy to write such an opening sentence but where's the proof of the claim?

The answer is simple - the proof is in the public response to the overall event and that response has been overwhelming.

The festival kicked off with the Blas na hÉireann awards in Benners Hotel on Friday evening where earlier in the day a group of invited judges gave their assessment of a bewildering range of food and drink products in almost 30 categories.

Gold, silver and bronze prizes were handed out to almost 80 products selected from hundreds of entries from all over Ireland.

The Blas na hÉireann Supreme Champion award winner was the Fermoy-based Silver Pail Supreme Truffle Fudge Ice Cream.

Kerry fared well in the prizes with local producer Tairgi Feirme An Daingean taking the Gaeltacht Prize and bronze award in the Newcomers category for their cheeses.

Saturday began misty and overcast and threatened to dampen the vast array of attractions around the town but gave way to very pleasant conditions in the afternoon.

The streets were thronged with visitors and locals who followed the mouth watering Taste-Trail and sampled every possible combination of fish, meat, dairy, confectionary and drink products at 50 locations around the town.

Queues formed at many of these venues as word went around about the particular taste experience on offer and it was somewhat surprising to see a queue forming at a location on Green Street where the attraction was a kangaroo barbeque.

The festival office sold 1,100 books of 10 tickets on Saturday which far exceeded the organisers' expectations.

The Holy Ground area became a street market for the weekend and sales of produce were brisk.

A shark hung from a rope in front of the old ice plant where a group of 'celebrity chefs' were meeting the steady demand for tuna, mussels, shark and prawns.

All monies collected were going towards the Kerry Branch of the Build 4 Life Cystic Fibrosis campaign.

Planning has been sought to provide an isolation unit at Cork University Hospital and Build 4 Life has raised €1.6 million towards this project over the past three years.

The local Camphill Community also benefitted from the festival with their own particular food-related competition.

They set up shop outside St James' Church on Main Street and invited the public to guess the weight of a giant pumpkin grown by Eleanor and Eric Prestage of Ventry.

This exercise raised over €1,000 and many a macho punter exercised their muscles as they weighed the mighty pumpkin in their arms.

Sorry fellas, but the winner was TV scriptwriter Niamh Ní Bhaoill from Ballyferriter.

There were more food and drink stands in the grounds of the church while inside a succession of cookery demonstrations guananteed captive audiences over the weekend.

Festival chairman Martin Bealin was delighted with the festival's success.

"It's been brilliant. Way ahead of last year as regards the crowds and the involvement of local bars, restaurants, hotels and shops. We've been lucky with the weather and overall it's been amazing," he told The Kerryman.

- TED CREEDON