PUTTING EASKEY ON THE FOOD MAP
EASKEY café Pudding Row – which was recently awarded Café of the Year by McKenna’s Guides – is set to reopen for the spring season this Thursday ( February 18th).
The very popular café was first opened last July by Easkey native Dervla James and her husband Johnny Conlon, after the two ran the Peppercourt Café in Dublin’s Powerscourt Shopping Centre for five years.
Since its opening Pudding Row has become a focal point for the west Sligo village, and has been extremely popular among locals and visitors alike.
“I can’t wait to reopen,” says Dervla James, “We will be open winter hours Thursday to Sunday, and then when things get a bit busier we’ll be back to our summer times of Wednesday to Sunday.”
Dervla, who lived in Dublin before relocating back to the west Sligo village, says the venture came about almost by accident.
“I moved back last July because we wanted a quieter life and we were closer to my parents as well. We never really intended on opening a café but the local community council approached us because they obviously knew we had a café in Dublin and they had a unit available.
“We decided it made sense because the North West didn’t really have any food offerings like this. No one is doing what we are doing.”
Since opening last July, Dervla says she has been overwhelmed by the vibrancy of the west Sligo village.
“Easkey is doing really well - I got a shock when I moved back down. We are an outlet that helps people and tourists stay for longer and in the summer months in particular Easkey is a hive of activity.
“There’s also a huge art community here, although they aren’t loud and proud, and that’s great too.”
As well as offering first- class food and baking, Dervla also offers baking classes which have generated lots of interest over the winter months.
“What we are offering is working I think. We hosted baking classes in the winter which were a huge success. They were small, intimate classes and we are going to build on that by offering children’s classes soon, so parents or grandparents can bake with their kids. Then in September we’ll offer our next round of classes for those who have already been with us.”
Easkey is viewed as a surf haven, and that, along with other factors, is set to benefit Pudding Row again in 2016. “LAST summer for example, there were surfers over from America and Canada – business professionals – and they rented a house for two months and stayed in Easkey. They soaked up energy and gave the place a real lift. “I really think that Easkey and Sligo is so underrated – we’ve got a lot to offer – and I think this year is going to be a great year for Sligo.”