'Wonderful first year' for popular Ballina business

In the heart of Ballina, just steps from the bustle of the town centre, sits Baker51, the bright, stylish café opened by the family behind the renowned O’Hara’s of Foxford, which has now completed its first year in business—twelve months marked by early mornings, sourdough batches, hand-finished pastries, takeaway coffees at the hatch, and a loyal and growing local following.

The O’Hara name has been synonymous with bread in Mayo since 1951. What began as a humble family bakery in Foxford has grown into one of the region’s most recognised producers. Despite expansion, exports, and contracts with major retailers, the ethos remains unchanged. “Every bake is prepared using time-honoured techniques,” the family says, “passed down through the generations.” It’s a philosophy that underpins Baker51.

The café’s name itself is a nod to that heritage—1951, the year the bakery was founded by the great-grandfather of today’s younger O’Hara generation. “Lovingly baked from our family bakery to your family’s table,” the O’Hara motto declares, and Baker51 embodies that promise in every plate and pastry.

When manager Susan Walsh, a Ballina native, arrives each morning, the bakery in Foxford has already been busy for hours.

“I’m the manager of the café,” Susan explains, “and that involves getting up very early in the morning to get all the fresh bakes into the café and setting up for the day.” 

From 8.00am, customers arrive at the takeaway hatch; at 9.00am, the sit-in service begins. 

“So we have a lot of prep work to get done first thing.” 

Though the breads and pastries are baked in Foxford, the finishing touches—especially anything involving fresh cream—happen on site. 

“Any of the pastries that have cream fillings we do on site here,” Susan says. “We have our own baker here that comes in in the morning… she is here at 7.00am to get everything ready.” 

It’s a finely tuned system, one that blends large-scale production with hands-on, small-batch craftsmanship. The result: food that feels artisan because it is. Food that feels homemade because it is.

And with 22 staff working between full- and part-time roles in the café—supported by over 200 employees back in Foxford—it is very much a community effort.

Baker51 is a café with choices for everyone. The shelves and counters display an array of baked goods: sourdough loaves, pastries, traybakes, seasonal treats, local-ingredient lunches, and a famously rich selection of breakfast options. The sourdough range, which first appeared in shops under the Baker51 label, remains central to the menu and identity.

“Whether you’re here for specialty coffee, something sweet, or a proper lunch,” the team likes to say, “everything’s made fresh.” 

One of the stars of the pastry counter is the cruffin—a croissant shaped like a muffin, with flavours and fillings that change monthly. 

“They are very popular,” says Nia O’Hara, The pastries arrive fresh each morning and are then decorated on site by Krystyna, whose work Nia praises warmly.

Beyond pastries, there’s substance. “We do breakfasts,” Nia explains, “A full Irish, brunch stacks and lots of other options. Lunch features sourdough toasties, pizzas, salads and hot dishes paired with coffees or pastries for those who want a complete meal.” 

The kitchen team, Fergus McDermott Quinn, Keith Garry, and Kevin Gallagher, are working on exciting new menus that will be launched in January. They are dedicated to preparing and presenting excellent dishes made with fresh and local ingredients for our Baker 51 customers to enjoy.

Baker51’s takeaway hatch is one of the café’s distinctive features. It blends convenience with artisanal quality, offering the full menu for people on the go.

“The hatch is great,” Nia says. “People come up and get coffee, pastries or their takeaway lunch from the hatch. They can also preorder and collect from there.” 

The hatch has proved very successful and locals have embraced it, especially workers looking for fast but high-quality food.

Nia, granddaughter of the late Pat and Philomena O’Hara is part of the family’s fourth generation, she speaks proudly—but modestly—about the lineage she comes from. She explains how her Great Grandparents founded the Bakery in 1951, her Grandparents moved it to the Ballina road where their children, Sharon, Shelly and Michael, together with Cyril and Julie now run the business. 

“Today myself, my brothers and my cousins are part of the 4th generation to be involved.” Baker51 itself emerged from conversations in 2022. “We kind of started coming up with it then,” she says. 

The name Baker51 had first been attached to their sourdough range, sold from a food truck at fairs and shows. “We were selling the sourdoughs and tray bakes initially,” she recalls. From there, the decision to open a permanent café felt like a natural evolution.

Nia and her cousin Ellie were part of the original team that opened the café last December. “A busy time of year to open,” Nia admits, “but it was great. It’s gone very well so far.” 

Despite its deep roots in Foxford and Ballina, the O’Hara name travels far. “Some of our bread goes to America. You can get it in New York. My grandad Moyles lives in New York and he can just walk down the street from his house and get an O’Hara soda bread.” Even with that reach, the focus remains strongly local—emphasising quality ingredients, careful techniques, and community connection.

As Baker51 approaches its first birthday, Susan reflects on what it means to reach this milestone. “It’s been a wonderful first year” she says. Susan hopes for continued growth“onwards and upwards”—with plans for new products, more breads, and a refreshed menu in the new year.

Nia shares the enthusiasm. She says the family would “love” to expand, opening more locations someday. “It would be great,” she says. “Nice to expand the brand a bit more.” What makes Baker51 special is not just the food, though the quality is undeniable. It’s the combination of heritage and innovation, of family tradition and youthful ideas. It’s the hard work of bakers arriving in the dark early hours, of decorators placing the final swirl of cream on a cruffin, of baristas at the hatch greeting morning customers by name.

It is, fundamentally, a place where craft matters. As Susan puts it simply: “The future is bright.” And for Ballina—and for all who savour the breads and cakes born from nearly three-quarters of a century of O’Hara expertise—that brightness tastes a lot like warm sourdough, fresh cream, flaky pastry, and a hot coffee from the hatch on a Mayo morning.