With top restaurants, renowned cooking schools, great produce and vibrant delis Ireland is one of Europe's top gourmet destinations. So why not go on a voyage of discovery to really tickle the tastebuds? Explore Ireland's rich, bounteous larder and discover a raft of excellent fresh produce, glisteningly fresh seafood, and some of the best fine dining in Europe.

Unfamiliar with Irish fare, I figured I'd be eating every version of corned beef and cabbage under the sun. I was dead wrong. Ireland is undergoing a culinary renaissance as chefs transform traditional Irish dishes into lighter entrees, capitalizing on the freshest of local ingredients, particularly seafood. At the Mustard Seed Echo Lodge, my herbed salmon was broiled to perfection. The food critic next to me sampled a bite pronouncing, Now that's good!

In addition to feasting, visitors can acquire new cooking skills under the tutelage of culinary geniuses in magnificent settings such as Dunbrody Country House Hotel, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in Shanagorry and the Belle Isle School of Cookery on the shores of Belle Isle in the Fermanagh Lakeland region.

Vacationing means indulging and the best way to treat yourself is at one of Ireland's unique spas. The new Delphi Mountain Resort & Spa in Leenane excels in spa services such as algae wraps and Japanese silk protein facials. And at SAMAS at the Park Hotel Kenmare, staffers have flown to the Himalayan foothills to research Indian treatments. The result is the Warming Envelopment experience using mineral-rich clay direct from the Himalayas.

While spa-ing is great for relaxation, shopping in Ireland is an ideal way to get recharged. In addition to hunting for Aran wool sweaters and Waterford crystal, consider pottery, Celtic music and marble-hewn jewelry. On your itinerary, include the Connemara Marble Factory, the Waterford Crystal Factory and Blarney Woollen Mills.

Burn even more pocketbook calories at a festival. Leave it to the partying Irish to host a Matchmaking Festival that lasts not one weekend, but all of September. And thousands turn out for three major oyster festivals. Of note is the Annual International Oyster Festival in Galway where folks from around the globe compete in a rousing oyster eating contest. The standing record is 233 oysters in 3 minutes.