Donegal Soda Bread Success, Ireland, 1995

A Donegal family bakery succeeds in appealing to the palettes of some of the wealthiest shoppers in London.

Gallagher’s Bakery in Ardara, County Donegal, which started out as a small family run business by Frank Gallagher in 1968, is one of the north west’s success stories. Now operating from a 23,000 square foot state of the art bakery, its bakers work around the clock making over one hundred and fifty different types of breads, cakes and confectionary.

Gallagher’s award winning white soda bread is just one of the many products sold in shops all through the north west, down the west coast and in Dublin. The home market is very important to them, says Declan Gallagher, but they are keeping their eyes on the horizon also,

I would like to see it nationwide...employing 30-40 people here.

Gallaghers have also gained a foothold in the British market. Following an intensive research and selection process they currently supply a range of soda breads and cakes to that most exclusive of department stores Harrod’s of Knightsbridge, something which managing director Frank Gallagher is very happy about,

There’s a lot of people in Ireland that’d like to be there too...gives me a lot of satisfaction.

The Donegal soda bread is so popular with shoppers that they can not wait to get their hands on it, says Cork native Sandra Livingstone who works in Harrod’s Bakery Department. The fact that it is yeast free means that it is also suitable for people who are on restricted diets.

There’s an awful lot more people nowadays buying it.

There are also plans to sell the soda bread in the French market.

At the official opening of their new premises, Minister for State Donal Carey TD (Teachta Dála), praised the company for all their hard work to date,

They have achieved great things with an indigenous industry.

The advances at Gallaghers certainly auger well for Ardara at least. Continued success, according to the company, should lead to up to forty new jobs here in the coming years.

This episode of ‘Nationwide’ was broadcast on 6 July 1995. The reporter is Eileen Magnier.