Galway-based butcher Finnerty’s has been awarded three gold medals at the Associated Craft Butchers of Ireland (ACBI) national competition held at The Curragh in County Kildare, the only butcher to achieve the hat-trick. The awards recognize the quality of their traditional and specialty sausages.
The team secured a gold medal in the Traditional Sausage category for their classic pork sausage. Further accolades followed with gold medals awarded for their pork and leek, and pork and garlic sausage creations in the Speciality Sausage contest. A pork and black pepper sausage earned a silver medal in the same category, narrowly missing a fourth gold.
Finnerty’s, a family-run business, has been serving County Galway for over six decades. The business was initially established by Roger Finnerty in Oughterard in 1962. His son, Tommy Finnerty, expanded the operation in 1995 by opening a second shop in the Eyre Square Centre in Galway City. Tommy now manages both locations with his wife, Helen, and son, Thomas, who joined the business in 2018, representing the third generation of Finnerty butchers.
The ACBI competition assesses entries by a panel of industry specialists from within the meat trade. According to an ACBI spokesperson, judges “praised the exceptionally high” standard of Finnerty’s entries. The annual awards are presented to producers demonstrating exceptional quality, and craftsmanship.
Finnerty’s supplies award-winning produce using only the freshest ingredients, according to the Irish Butchers’ Guild. The Guild highlights the importance of traditional methods passed down through generations, combined with modern skills and innovation, in guaranteeing high-quality produce. The business operates from two locations: The Square, Oughterard, and Unit 110, Eyre Square Shopping Centre, Galway.
The ACBI also coordinates a National Craft Butchery Apprenticeship program, delivered over 26 months, integrating on-the-job training with experienced craft butchers. The program is coordinated by Mayo Sligo Leitrim Education and Training Board.