Some 280,000 of Bantry Bay's finest mussels will be devoured in the west Cork town this weekend and they will be fresh and free.
The organisers of the Murphy's International Mussel Fair have some four tonnes of the popular mollusc on order to feed the hungry hordes expected for the three-day festival.
It is the 10th anniversary of the festival, which was started in an effort to promote the growing mussel industry in the bay and the tourism industry in the area. Over 3,000 tonnes of mussels are taken from Bantry Bay each year. The industry employs 120 people full-time and some 250 part-timers during harvesting.
It is in stark contrast to the situation in the early 1980s when the mussel rafts began appearing. The economy of the town was in a depressed state following the Betelgeuse oil tanker explosion at the Whiddy oil terminal in 1979 which killed 51 people.
It was in an effort to bring jobs to the locality that a small group of locals again looked to the potential of the bay. "The mussel fair grew out of the industry really," explained Mr Finian O'Sullivan, of the organising committee. "Now both the industry and the festival are booming."
Ironically, the Whiddy terminal was officially reopened earlier last month at a cost of £18 million.
If the weather holds, the festival organisers are expecting up to 20,000 people. The committee is unsure just how much money it brings into the town but there are some good indicators.
"There is one cash machine in the town and last year it was emptied five times, with around £250,000 being withdrawn. If the weather is good, we think it could be the biggest year yet. This is now one of the top festivals in the country and the only one celebrating the mussel," said Mr O'Sullivan.
Free mussels will be served in pubs, restaurants and on the street over the weekend. However, food is not the only consideration - there is a full programme of events, with a number of free, open-air concerts arranged.
On Friday night, Picture House will play a gig in Wolfe Tone Square. On Saturday evening, Latin Express, a colourful show of Latin music and dance, will perform and that night The Committed, featuring stars from the film of almost the same name, will play.
Traditional band Dervish takes to the stage on Sunday evening; tribute band Abbaesque at 8 p.m.; and then The Hothouse Flowers. Other attractions over the weekend include a mussel cooking competition, trout angling and a puppet show.
For further information contact the Mussel Fair website at: http://homepage.tinet.ie/ musselfair.