A little bit about Gill, the founder and creator of 56 Central - her happy place!!!

In 1996 a young 16 year old girl took her first job working in a cafe in city centre of Galway. Of course she had spelling mistakes in her hand written CV , but she got the job!

Little did she know then, while humming along in the wash up to ‘Killing me softly’ by the Fugees that one day she would return to carry on the tradition of serving the good people of Galway and beyond - Dreams do come true…..

Gill, a Galway girl, got her training under way in GMIT, getting a Degree in Business and Hotel Management. While finishing her Degree she also completed a Certification in Human Resources Management - knowing at some stage it would be beneficial because business is all about PEOPLE

She later moved to Edinburgh and made her first stab at owning a business setting up the Orchard Bar with her business partner Paddy - many a ‘lessons’ were learnt here!

Gill returned to Ireland and, after some time planning and searching, she set up the famous 37 West in Newcastle. 37 West was launched in 2013 and became famous for 2 things - the words ‘healthy is the New Sexy’ and the I famous Chicken Melt. In 2019 after a lot of thought she decided to sell her business, letting go to open up for new ways to serve. 

With people spilling out the doors of 37 West and requests everyday for a city centre location, Gill decided it was time to move into the city. When the deal arose for a take over at Lynch’s she jumped at it. May 2015 saw the day 56 Central was born in the heart of Galway on Shop Street.

In March 2023 Gill was crowned ‘ Restaurant Manager of the year in Galway’ at the Restaurant Awards Ireland

Gill is a qualified Business Coach and Mastermind Facilitator and runs a successful coaching and mastermind company called ‘Strive For It’ https://striveforit.ie/.

Gill is a 200 hour trained Yoga Teacher. She teaches Yin Yoga and Somatic Yoga at 56 Central. She also hosts Women Circle and Cacao Ceremonies at 56 Central. She works with local businesses to bring wellness to the work place. Check out her social page for timetable

Gills cores values which run throughout her life and business are - Connection, Contribution, Leadership Playfulness and Freedom

If you’re looking for her …….. you will hear her laugh before you see her!