When you grow up in the seafood business, there are a few perks. Not that Ciara O’Halloran always appreciated them as a child.
“Anytime there was visitors coming to the house, we’d be given a feed of lobster and clams and oysters; to the extent where we’d be like, ‘Can we not just have pizza and chips, like every other kid?’” she laughs.
These days, however, the managing director of Flaggy Shore Oysters is dedicated to promoting premium shellfish, whether she’s shipping them to China or Dubai, supplying Ireland’s top restaurants or welcoming foodies to their “Shuck Off!” taste experiences at their family business, perched on the pier at New Quay, Co Clare, between Kinvara and Ballyvaughan.
Ciara O'Halloran at work at Flaggy Shore Oysters in New Quay. \ David Ruffles
Along with her brother Lorcán, Ciara is the second generation to run the business, having learned the ropes from her father Gerry.
Though Irish Country Living discovers it could have been a very different story had Gerry – who grew up on a farm in Ruan – not switched from ag science to marine biology in second year in college. For the most academic of reasons.
“Do you want to know the truth?” he asks, as he pops in to prepare for a tour arriving that afternoon. “The people who were doing science and biology were better craic than the people who were doing agricultural science, so I changed... and in the ag science, they were nearly all fellas; and there were girls in the other side.”
Ciara O'Halloran packs oysters with her father Gerry. \ David Ruffles
After graduating, Gerry worked in the hatcheries in Carna, Co Galway, which coincided with the introduction of the first brood stock of Pacific-farmed oysters into Irish waters. Spells followed in both Carlingford and Clarinbridge before he and three of his former college mates came together to take over what was a former holding facility for seafood in New Quay, working with local farmers and fishermen to source and export oysters, lobster and crab.
“He would have been the first one out of all of Europe or western Europe to be exporting live lobster and crab to China in the mid-90s,” says Ciara, who explains that Gerry continued to run the business after the other partners went in different directions until the mid-2000s, when he decided to take a break and closed the doors.
At that point, Ciara was following her own path, studying outdoor education at college and spending 10 years in youth and community work with Foróige, followed by a 14-month stint in Zambia with the Alan Kerins Projects.
But saltwater was obviously in her veins, because in 2013, she decided to return home to re-launch the business with the help of Lorcán; and of course Gerry, who was there to teach her the trade from scratch essentially.
Ciara O'Halloran, MD of Flaggy Shore Oysters. \ David Ruffles
“I wouldn’t have known any of the biological cycle and the farming aspect of it,” explains Ciara; though perhaps the biggest challenge was learning how to run a business.
“I spent all my career working in not-for-profit, so by my nature, I’d probably give away something if they enjoyed it as easily as trying to switch your mindset to say, ‘No, it’s got to come down to bottom line, you’ve got to be able to make a profit out of it’, and it was all new for me.”
Building a brand
But despite the steep learning curve, one thing she was sure of from the start was the need to develop their own brand – Flaggy Shore Oysters.
“I wanted people to know that if they ate [our oysters] in Dubai, where they were coming from; and that they were ours,” says Ciara, who explains that up to that point, stock would have been shipped to wholesalers without any branding, even though full traceability was in place.
Ciara O'Halloran recommends a squeeze on lemon on a fresh oyster. \ David Ruffles
“So the idea of creating the brand was for the consumer to know they were getting oysters from the west coast of Ireland, from the Burren area, from Clare; and it was creating that story, I guess.”
Ciara explains that the oysters grown locally have a saltier taste and a smoother shell than other varieties as there is no big estuary nearby, but that they still benefit from the nutrients that flow into the bay from the Burren.
While the O’Hallorans do not produce their own oysters, they work closely with two local farmers to source their stock, keeping them in their holding tanks – into which they pump EU Grade A water from Aughinish Bay – until they are ready for market.
They buy in from 18 months onwards, with grades ranging from their “Flaggy Shore dainties”, which weigh 45g-65g, to their “Godzilla” oysters, that grow to 300g plus.
“A knife and fork job!” laughs Ciara.
When the business was revived initially, 100% of business was export, mainly to the likes of Dubai, China and Malta.
However, with the extra costs and risks associated with selling overseas – plus global competition from major players like France – Ciara has worked hard to diversify their customer base. Flaggy Shore now supplies leading Irish restaurants and hotels including Cliff Townhouse, Klaw and the Marker Hotel in Dublin, Kasbah and Tartare in Galway, and more locally, Gregans Castle and Hotel Doolin in Clare.
“At this stage, it would probably be 40:60 the other way round… so 40% export,” she explains, though admits that “sometimes it’s easier get stuff to China and Dubai than it is around Ireland”.
Shuck off food experience
Last year, however, the O’Hallorans diversified again to start food “experiences” at their base, with most bookings through Airbnb, after a group of visitors passing by asked if there was any tour available.
“Dad would have always got that over the years, ‘Can we come in and have a look?’” explains Ciara.
Ciara O'Halloran shows marine life to a visitor. \ David Ruffles
“We decided to put two tables out there and then all of a sudden in our heads, the venue changed. It was no longer a seafood factory – it was now a place that people could come and sit and learn.”
And of course, eat, with oyster “shucking”, dressing and tasting all part of the experience. However, what Ciara has been most surprised by is how interested groups are in learning about the oyster farming process.
“It’s the day-to-day stuff that happens,” she says, of what is turning out to be their unique selling point.
“Dad would still say he never thought people would want to come in and learn exactly what we do inside the walls.”
And no doubt it’s this experience that has inspired her latest project as a Nuffield scholar, looking at the development of food tourism and how it can be used as an educational tool while generating income in rural areas. Indeed, this is something she is also involved in at a local level through the Burren Eco Network and Burren Food Trail.
And it’s not pizza and chips she’s campaigning for any longer. So, how does she like her Flaggy Shore Oysters?
“Fresh,” she smiles, “little squeeze of lemon; and a drop of tabasco.”
For further information, visit
redbankfoodco.com
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When you grow up in the seafood business, there are a few perks. Not that Ciara O’Halloran always appreciated them as a child.
“Anytime there was visitors coming to the house, we’d be given a feed of lobster and clams and oysters; to the extent where we’d be like, ‘Can we not just have pizza and chips, like every other kid?’” she laughs.
These days, however, the managing director of Flaggy Shore Oysters is dedicated to promoting premium shellfish, whether she’s shipping them to China or Dubai, supplying Ireland’s top restaurants or welcoming foodies to their “Shuck Off!” taste experiences at their family business, perched on the pier at New Quay, Co Clare, between Kinvara and Ballyvaughan.
Ciara O'Halloran at work at Flaggy Shore Oysters in New Quay. \ David Ruffles
Along with her brother Lorcán, Ciara is the second generation to run the business, having learned the ropes from her father Gerry.
Though Irish Country Living discovers it could have been a very different story had Gerry – who grew up on a farm in Ruan – not switched from ag science to marine biology in second year in college. For the most academic of reasons.
“Do you want to know the truth?” he asks, as he pops in to prepare for a tour arriving that afternoon. “The people who were doing science and biology were better craic than the people who were doing agricultural science, so I changed... and in the ag science, they were nearly all fellas; and there were girls in the other side.”
Ciara O'Halloran packs oysters with her father Gerry. \ David Ruffles
After graduating, Gerry worked in the hatcheries in Carna, Co Galway, which coincided with the introduction of the first brood stock of Pacific-farmed oysters into Irish waters. Spells followed in both Carlingford and Clarinbridge before he and three of his former college mates came together to take over what was a former holding facility for seafood in New Quay, working with local farmers and fishermen to source and export oysters, lobster and crab.
“He would have been the first one out of all of Europe or western Europe to be exporting live lobster and crab to China in the mid-90s,” says Ciara, who explains that Gerry continued to run the business after the other partners went in different directions until the mid-2000s, when he decided to take a break and closed the doors.
At that point, Ciara was following her own path, studying outdoor education at college and spending 10 years in youth and community work with Foróige, followed by a 14-month stint in Zambia with the Alan Kerins Projects.
But saltwater was obviously in her veins, because in 2013, she decided to return home to re-launch the business with the help of Lorcán; and of course Gerry, who was there to teach her the trade from scratch essentially.
Ciara O'Halloran, MD of Flaggy Shore Oysters. \ David Ruffles
“I wouldn’t have known any of the biological cycle and the farming aspect of it,” explains Ciara; though perhaps the biggest challenge was learning how to run a business.
“I spent all my career working in not-for-profit, so by my nature, I’d probably give away something if they enjoyed it as easily as trying to switch your mindset to say, ‘No, it’s got to come down to bottom line, you’ve got to be able to make a profit out of it’, and it was all new for me.”
Building a brand
But despite the steep learning curve, one thing she was sure of from the start was the need to develop their own brand – Flaggy Shore Oysters.
“I wanted people to know that if they ate [our oysters] in Dubai, where they were coming from; and that they were ours,” says Ciara, who explains that up to that point, stock would have been shipped to wholesalers without any branding, even though full traceability was in place.
Ciara O'Halloran recommends a squeeze on lemon on a fresh oyster. \ David Ruffles
“So the idea of creating the brand was for the consumer to know they were getting oysters from the west coast of Ireland, from the Burren area, from Clare; and it was creating that story, I guess.”
Ciara explains that the oysters grown locally have a saltier taste and a smoother shell than other varieties as there is no big estuary nearby, but that they still benefit from the nutrients that flow into the bay from the Burren.
While the O’Hallorans do not produce their own oysters, they work closely with two local farmers to source their stock, keeping them in their holding tanks – into which they pump EU Grade A water from Aughinish Bay – until they are ready for market.
They buy in from 18 months onwards, with grades ranging from their “Flaggy Shore dainties”, which weigh 45g-65g, to their “Godzilla” oysters, that grow to 300g plus.
“A knife and fork job!” laughs Ciara.
When the business was revived initially, 100% of business was export, mainly to the likes of Dubai, China and Malta.
However, with the extra costs and risks associated with selling overseas – plus global competition from major players like France – Ciara has worked hard to diversify their customer base. Flaggy Shore now supplies leading Irish restaurants and hotels including Cliff Townhouse, Klaw and the Marker Hotel in Dublin, Kasbah and Tartare in Galway, and more locally, Gregans Castle and Hotel Doolin in Clare.
“At this stage, it would probably be 40:60 the other way round… so 40% export,” she explains, though admits that “sometimes it’s easier get stuff to China and Dubai than it is around Ireland”.
Shuck off food experience
Last year, however, the O’Hallorans diversified again to start food “experiences” at their base, with most bookings through Airbnb, after a group of visitors passing by asked if there was any tour available.
“Dad would have always got that over the years, ‘Can we come in and have a look?’” explains Ciara.
Ciara O'Halloran shows marine life to a visitor. \ David Ruffles
“We decided to put two tables out there and then all of a sudden in our heads, the venue changed. It was no longer a seafood factory – it was now a place that people could come and sit and learn.”
And of course, eat, with oyster “shucking”, dressing and tasting all part of the experience. However, what Ciara has been most surprised by is how interested groups are in learning about the oyster farming process.
“It’s the day-to-day stuff that happens,” she says, of what is turning out to be their unique selling point.
“Dad would still say he never thought people would want to come in and learn exactly what we do inside the walls.”
And no doubt it’s this experience that has inspired her latest project as a Nuffield scholar, looking at the development of food tourism and how it can be used as an educational tool while generating income in rural areas. Indeed, this is something she is also involved in at a local level through the Burren Eco Network and Burren Food Trail.
And it’s not pizza and chips she’s campaigning for any longer. So, how does she like her Flaggy Shore Oysters?
“Fresh,” she smiles, “little squeeze of lemon; and a drop of tabasco.”
For further information, visit
redbankfoodco.com
Read more
I want to be the first Irish woman to sail non-stop around the world solo
Meet the mother-daughter abalone farmers
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