Meet the team
Martin O'Donnell
Executive Head Chef
Martin is a Galway native having trained and worked in many of Galway's and Ireland's top restaurants. The charismatic Galway man qualified from G.M.I.T’s culinary school before cutting his teeth in some of the country’s most prestigious destination restaurants.
In his most recent role as Executive Head Chef of The Twelve Hotel in Barna, Martin led the culinary team for the past 15 years and was instrumental in its many successes. The hotel was a finalist in the 'Best Hotel Restaurant in Ireland', has been awarded two culinary rosettes for creative excellence and was heavily tipped at Michelin star level.
Martin is also a regular guest on Virgin Media’s Ireland AM Breakfast Show. Here you can see him in action preparing some of the finest dishes from Blackrock Cottage. Proud of his roots and with a style of cooking that focuses on local and seasonal produce, Martin describes his style as “traditional dishes with a contemporary twist”.
MATHIEU TEULIER
General Manager
Mathieu Teulier is from Angers in the Loire Valley in France. He studied culinary and Sommelier for five Years before moving to Ireland once he graduated in 2004.
His first position was in the highly acclaimed Ashford Castle, which is one of the finest hotel properties in the country.
After this he returned to France for a further two years working in the Chateau le Prieure in Saumur as Head Sommelier. He returned to Ireland once again working in the highly acclaimed Twelve Hotel in Barna as Head Waiter and quickly rose to the position of Food and Beverage operations Manager. “My Passion is food and wine and could talk about it all day if we had the time”.
Gerard O'Donoghue
Operations Manager
Gerrard O'Donoghue is a Galway native. Stemming from a line of butchers his interest has always been in quality produce. He is a recent business graduate from NUIG with an academic background in strength and conditioning and sports nutrition. This ignited his goal to pursue a career where he could combine both passions and Alainn was born.
Alainn, a quick fast casual health food start-up was established in 2019 and has quickly become a well renowned establishment operating on the grounds of Blackrock Cottage overlooking the diving tower in Salthill.
With the cottage restoration and extension complete, the Alainn experience will now move to a more permanent location in partnership with Blackrock Cottage restaurant. This exciting collaboration will see the hugely popular Alainn bowls available to purchase alongside coffee and gourmet treats at the Cottage takeaway hatch. The Alainn bowls will also be available on the restaurant menu as a delicious and healthy snack or dessert option.
Gerrard will now combine his role at Alainn with that of operations manager at Blackrock Cottage.
Seafood
Fresh Seafood
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Oyster Bar
New Dishes
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Poke & Sashimi
Sushi Time
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Retail Market
Online Shop
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