The Melting Potluck
What do you get when you combine people from all around the world, fresh ingredients, home-made dishes, and music?
One heck of a feast!
The Melting Potluck is back from a summer hiatus for a free potluck dinner at Arus Bothar na Tra on Saturday, November 24 from 6-9pm.
Started last year as a way to bring people together – and welcome refugees and asylum seekers from Direct Provision into the wider Galway community – these potluck dinners have exploded in popularity.
The last event brought in and fed over 50 people with dishes from Zimbabwe, Syria, Morocco, Brazil, Japan, and (of course) Ireland, among many others.
Organizers aim to bring the local community and people with experience of forced migration together to share food, culture, music and stories.
Everyone sits down together to eat and after dinner, there’s music and dancing – a good old fashioned hooley!
There are two Direct Provision centres housing asylum seekers in Galway – the Great Western in Salthill and the Eglinton in the city centre.
People are forced to live in cramped conditions with no privacy, and most lack access to cooking facilities.
Food is poor quality and mealtimes are rigid.
And with a living allowance of €21.60 per week, dining out is never an option.
Living this way takes a massive toll on people’s well-being.
The Melting Potluck provides kitchen space and ingredients for people in Direct Provision to cook their own food and members of the public are invited to bring some food to share.
Good vibes, delicious dishes, and a spirit of cultural exchange lend an atmosphere of adventure and fun to each event.
All are welcome and the event is free to attend – please bring a dish or dessert to share, and BYOB if desired.
Dinners take place at Arus Bothar na Tra, the Salthill/Knocknacarra GAA club on Dr. Mannix Road in Salthill.
The Melting Potluck events are funded in part by donations as well as Galway City Partnership.
