WHAT would mornings be like without a good breakfast?
Awful, fear-inducing things that must be endured, rather than enjoyed.
To be cold, dark and hungry? Could you imagine a world?
Thankfully, toast exists. As does the sausage, the bacon rasher, the baked bean, the eggs, the tomato and the unknown entity that is black (and white) pudding.
Then there's porridge, cereal, pancakes ... honestly, where would we be without this bloody marvellous meal?
In Ireland, we make a darn good breakfast, and as such, there's a heck of a lot to choose from out there. But luckily for all of us, The Georgina Campbell Irish Breakfast Awards is a thing, which celebrates the Irish businesses and producers that offer the best breakfasts in the country.
The friendly folk involved have been handing out awards like rashes of bacon during a hangover on a Sunday morning (you feel me?) and have portioned out gongs for a litany of breakfast categories.
The awards are selected by incognito inspectors and honour "the people who strive to make the first meal of the day a particularly special experience for visitors and regulars alike," according to Georgina Campbell herself.
Need any recommendations? Check out the full list fo award-winners below:
Best Irish Breakfast Menu
- Hotel Winner: Limerick Strand Hotel, Limerick
- Highly Commended: The Twelve Hotel, Barna, Co Galway
- Small Stay Winner: Lough Bishop House, Co Westmeath
- Highly Commended: Archways B&B, Rosslare, Co Wexford
Best Irish Breakfast: Five-star Hotel
- Winner: Lough Erne Resort, Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh
- Highly Commended: Trump International Golf Links &Hotel, Doonbeg, Co Clare
- Highly Commended: Powerscourt Hotel Resort & Spa, Enniskerry, Co Wicklow
Best Irish Breakfast: Four-star Hotel
- Winner: Avalon House Hotel, Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny
- Highly Commended: Cliff at Lyons, Celbridge, Co Kildare
- Highly Commended: Vaughan Lodge, Lahinch, Co Clare
Best Irish Breakfast: Three-star Hotel
- Winner: Eccles Hotel, Glengarriff, Co Cork
- Highly Commended: Killeen House Hotel, Killarney, Co Kerry
- Highly Commended: Stauntons on the Green, Co Dublin
Best Irish Breakfast: Country House
- Winner: Huntington Castle & Gardens, Clonegal, Co Carlow
- Highly Commended: Ashley Park House, Nenagh, Co Tipperary
- Highly Commended: Ardtara Country House, Upperlands, Co Derry
Best Irish Breakfast: Guest House
- Winner: The Quay House, Clifden, Co Galway
- Highly Commended: Heatons House, Dingle, Co Kerry
- Highly Commended: Lancaster Lodge, Co Cork
Best Irish Breakfast: B&B
- Winner: Sheedy's Doolin Boutique B&B, Doolin, Co Clare
- Highly Commended: Danny Minnies, Annagry, Co. Donegal
- Highly Commended: The Wilder Townhouse, Co Dublin
Best Irish Breakfast: Visitor Attraction
- Winner: Hillsborough Castle Café, Hillsborough, Co Down
- Highly Commended: The Commons Café at Moli, Co Dublin
- Highly Commended: Good Day Deli, Nano Nagle Place, Co Cork
