When you walk in the doors of Pota Café in the Connemara Gaeltacht there’s a buzz in the air. Pota’s atmosphere is filled with community spirit and the sweet scent of freshly baked bread, while the melody of people conversing in Irish fills the air. It’s this community spirit, as well as their prolific use of local produce and seafood, that led the cafe to win the award for best café in the country from Food & Wine Ireland this year. 

Opened by chef Diarmuid Ó Mathúna in 2021, Pota is a bilingual daytime café and community hub located just over half an hour outside of Galway city on Ireland’s west coast. Irish is the primary language spoken at Pota, so it plays an important role as a cultural and educational resource for the local community. Diarmuid, who trained as a chef at Ballymaloe Cookery School, has a plethora of producers to choose from in Connemara’s burgeoning artisanal scene. From crab that’s fresh off the day boat to greens picked just across the street, it’s a locavore’s dream. 

On this week’s episode, we speak with Diarmuid about the secrets of the Connemara soil, how restaurants can give back to local producers, and the importance of Irish language spaces for building community.

Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com.

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