Fish/Farmers Market coming to Balbriggan!

minikin

Every Friday 10am-3pm from the 26th June... at the square for the first few months. Fresh local produce at last!

suzieb

I love the fact that this promotes local jobs and local produce but I'd sooner see some of the(huge amount) of empty shop space being put to good use, than a weekly market which will only appeal to small amount of people due to the times that it is open.

the-lad

Is this in the town or Castlemills square?

minikin

Sorry I should have said George's Square (across from AIB)

NorthDub

it is a good idea alright but wont suit a lot of people due to the times, if it was a saturday might be better idea

brian ireland

suzieb wrote: »

I love the fact that this promotes local jobs and local produce but I'd sooner see some of the(huge amount) of empty shop space being put to good use, than a weekly market which will only appeal to small amount of people due to the times that it is open.

Well rent one and put it to good use.

suzieb

Well for one I wouldnt be in a position to do so.

If there was some kind of iniative for local residents to avail of rent at low prices I am sure you wouldnt see so many empty shops,if I had the money I would have a good few ideas of things I think would do well in the area and also put money back into Balbriggan.

As anyone that lives in Balbriggan knows the area was very poorly planned and there is way too much empty space around the town.
I can't see a once weekly Market on a Friday that ends at 3, doing all that good for the local community.

So dont be such a smart ar*e Brian Ireland,I have an opinion and your sarcasm is not appreciated.

brian ireland

suzieb wrote: »

Well for one I wouldnt be in a position to do so.

If there was some kind of iniative for local residents to avail of rent at low prices I am sure you wouldnt see so many empty shops,if I had the money I would have a good few ideas of things I think would do well in the area and also put money back into Balbriggan.

As anyone that lives in Balbriggan knows the area was very poorly planned and there is way too much empty space around the town.
I can't see a once weekly Market on a Friday that ends at 3, doing all that good for the local community.

So dont be such a smart ar*e Brian Ireland,I have an opinion and your sarcasm is not appreciated.

Wasn't trying to be a smart ass.

Just puzzles me how someone can find fault in positive post about a fish market.
If you had said something like "that sounds good hope it does well and extends its hours or even days". That would be positive. But you knockedit from the start.

Its not me Its you!!!

And if i offend you I am sorry, its not what i am here for.

Nodster

Their was Sean who use to sell the freshest market veg going around Balbriggan with his trailer every saturday morning up to a few years ago. The weeks finest freshest locally produced veg in Fingal - excellent value too.

suzieb

brian ireland wrote: »

Wasn't trying to be a smart ass.

Just puzzles me how someone can find fault in positive post about a fish market.
If you had said something like "that sounds good hope it does well and extends its hours or even days". That would be positive. But you knockedit from the start.

Its not me Its you!!!

And if i offend you I am sorry, its not what i am here for.

I dont find fault with it,as I said in my first post i think its good for local producers,I have the local fishermen knock on my door once a week trying to sell Prawns and I think its awful for them to have to do that,so I'm glad they will be supported.

Its that every time I walk through the town I see so many empty places or places closing down and I think this space could be put to good use.

Anyway,another upside is maybe all the obese kids who eat deli burger,borzas,apache,dominos and that will start eating healthier!

BroomBurner

Why is this open on a friday 10am til 3pm? What about people that work? Surely a Saturday would lead to more money generated?

Or even extend the opening hours.

Bigjez

10 till 3 on a feckin friday. No chance of making that. Different time please

Dubrub

Why Oh why have the picked 10am to 3pm on Friday,,,
I'm all in favour of the Market and I would love to support it but as a commuter town the time is just ridiculous

minikin

It's a producers market supplying fresh food... believe it or not there are actually people who will welcome it - retired people, people who aren't working, people who are looking after their kids and believe it or not... there ARE people who work in the town who can drop up at lunch time. Not everyone in Balbriggan is caught up in the commuter rat race. It's a market, not a convenience store.

Dubrub

So why didn't they have it on a Saturday when retired, unemployed AND people who work in the city would be able to avail of it.

I think it's a great idea but why the hell would they have it on a friday afternoon when MOST people are away working in the city!!

suzieb

Have to say minikin I totally disagree with you there.

The influx of residents who have moved to Balbriggan over the last 5-10 years are indeed a part of the "rat race" unfortunately.

These are exactly the type of people who I think would be interested in such a market along with retired people and local workers.

Farmers markets can be also very expensive for produce, if the ones in Temple Bar,St annes park and howth are anything to go by so I don't think too many people on the dole will be availing of them when theres places like Lidl in town where you can purchase very cheap veg etc.

Looking forward to checking it out on Friday as I am on half day(bloody recession...) and hope its a lot better than the one in Swords and people support it.

NorthDub

suzieb wrote: »

Have to say minikin I totally disagree with you there.

The influx of residents who have moved to Balbriggan over the last 5-10 years are indeed a part of the "rat race" unfortunately.

These are exactly the type of people who I think would be interested in such a market along with retired people and local workers.

Farmers markets can be also very expensive for produce, if the ones in Temple Bar,St annes park and howth are anything to go by so I don't think too many people on the dole will be availing of them when theres places like Lidl in town where you can purchase very cheap veg etc.

Looking forward to checking it out on Friday as I am on half day(bloody recession...) and hope its a lot better than the one in Swords and people support it.

I agree with you, there are lots of us who would be interested in checking it out but due to having to commute to work we will be unable to do so. Yes there are plenty of people who will still be able to avail of the market and great I hope it takes off

Morgans

Have to agree as a commuter. Would love to support something like this but will be very unlikely ever to get the chance to visit it.

If the Balbriggan effort fails, fingers crossed that it takes off, I'm hoping that fingers won't be pointed at those rat-race obsessed commuters who selfishly prefer to get their food in the convenience stores rather than take a day off to support the local providers.

I saw an ad recently for laytown farmer's market that opens on saturdays (maybe every second saturday if I was reading the ad correctly). Has anyone had any experience of that market?

minikin

Farmers markets can be also very expensive for produce, if the ones in Temple Bar,St annes park and howth are anything to go by so I don't think too many people on the dole will be availing of them when theres places like Lidl in town where you can purchase very cheap veg etc.

Not in this case - the organisers are keen to promote fresh local produce at a reasonable price... it's aimed at people who want good fresh food at a good price (it's not going to turn into a bric-a-brac market)

While I understand what is being said about it being at an inconvenient time for people working away from the town.... well you can't please all of the people all of the time and don't forget this is being organised by the producers themselves... maybe they are entitled to a weekend off too?

Just to clarify I am not involved in the market in any way but I will be supporting it (I'm one of the rare breed who are from the town and still work in the town)

Helmet

suzieb wrote: »

Farmers markets can be also very expensive for produce, if the ones in Temple Bar,St annes park and howth are anything to go by so I don't think too many people on the dole will be availing of them when theres places like Lidl in town where you can purchase very cheap veg etc.

The thing about Howth and the majority of markets I've been to in NCD is that they tend to attract the same vendors to all of them and there are consistently a lot of Northern traders at them, all well and good but I'd really like to see this run as a genuinely LOCAL affair. In particular I'm thinking of one loud-mouth Northern lad who appears at Howth roaring and shouting about his fruit and veg (which isn't even organic, it's basically Tesco without the packaging).

I'm one of these blow-ins that people are always giving out about on boards but I would resent the importing of stall-owners into an area with a rich agricultural hinterland.

I'm very excited about the fishmongers side of things, I've been getting my fish from a lad who works out of a container on the harbour but it would be very handy to be able to get supplies from a marketstall.
I agree that the timing is a bit off, I'll be alright to get down for trading hours but I have the lluxury of working in town.

I really hope that this is a success, I think they're just running it on a trial basis for a couple of months to see what the reaction is...............I reckon we should all get behind this and make a go of it!!!

Morgans

minikin wrote: »

While I understand what is being said about it being at an inconvenient time for people working away from the town.... well you can't please all of the people all of the time and don't forget this is being organised by the producers themselves... maybe they are entitled to a weekend off too?

That is understandable but it is hardly rocket science to think that by choosing saturday over friday would, at a guess, double their footfall and give the venture a hugely better chance to succeed - given that most of the people who would be able to attend on Friday would be able to attend on Saturday.

There could be a perfectly reasonable explanation for choosing Friday (traders have other farmers market to support on saturday morning) something better than the retailers would like their weekends off, but on the face of it, it just looks like a silly decision.

minikin

Perhaps the producers already take part in other local markets (like skerries) on a Saturday...?
The organisers seem to be getting good support from the local authorities not to mention the minister for food himself!

Fingleberries

The man himself was down at the Train Station this morning promoting it.

I hope it takes off. I'd love to get some stuff of this, because many of the other ones I have seen have great deals on fresh produce, but I'll rarely be able to get down to it because of the day and times it is open. Pity for me, but good luck to them.

meditraitor

Its a great idea but the having it on a weekday means I wont be able to support it as much as I would like ,

Dubrub

Fingleberries wrote: »

The man himself was down at the Train Station this morning promoting it.

If the idea is to attract
these people, I don't understand why Trevor Sargent was up early this morning,
standing there wasting time, money, and trees, advertising this to the
one group of people that you can be pretty sure get on the train and
leave balbriggan on weekday mornings and wont be home before 3pm on a Friday!!

No Thought!!!

Nelson Muntz

I am going to check it out. No way in hell I will be buying any fish though. Wouldn't eat anything caught off Balbriggan or in the Irish sea.

darraghjm

Dubrub wrote: »

If the idea is to attract
these people, I don't understand why Trevor Sargent was up early this morning,
standing there wasting time, money, and trees, advertising this to the
one group of people that you can be pretty sure get on the train and
leave balbriggan on weekday mornings and wont be home before 3pm on a Friday!!

No Thought!!!

have to say that was my thought this morning, why give out flyers to people who leave the town every morning to go to dublin, its all about knowing your market

minikin

maybe they know people who will be able to get to it?

Sparky84

Whats wrong with anything caught in the Irish Sea ?? Its far better than the farmed muck thats imported from Thailand and places. :P

minikin

i think this is a genuine issue of perception when it comes to fish in balbriggan... if we had a nice clean harbour you'd be more disposed to the idea of eating locally caught fish... it shouldn't be an issue as the fish is perfectly fit for human consumption, we just seem to have turned our noses up at food that's not vacuum packed and chemically preserved... nuts!

meditraitor

I am going to check it out. No way in hell I will be buying any fish though. Wouldn't eat anything caught off Balbriggan or in the Irish sea.

The fish landed in Balbriggan is caught well beyond the rock-a-bill where the sea is not subjected to the human pollution to the same degree as the water closer to shore.
Its perfectly safe and for anyone who has sat in a resturaunt in france,italy or spain and spent a fortune on langustines(prawns as we call them) it should be novel to taste them fresh from the source before the majority is sold to our continental cousins.....

minikin

dropped down by it this morning... the square looks brilliant (very smart gazebos for each producer... great to see a bit of life about the place!)

Just a quick snap as it was winding down... all sold out by 1.30pm!

Helmet

Well, did anyone do any purchasing? What's the standard like?

minikin

got some homemade cake and biscuits... didn't last long in the office!

PirateShampoo

How was the Fish ?

minikin

It was all sold out by the time I got down at lunchtime!
tony healy has a slideshow up on youtube - you can see how popular the fish stall was

brian ireland

minikin wrote: »

It was all sold out by the time I got down at lunchtime!
tony healy has a slideshow up on youtube - you can see how popular the fish stall was

The "Pikeys in Balbriggan 2" video funny on that you tube page.

Sorry but its was funny.

The Hill Billy

brian ireland wrote: »

The "Pikeys in Balbriggan 2" video funny on that you tube page.

Sorry but its was funny.

Stay on-topic. HB

Moonbeam

I did not make it down until 12 and there was very little left.
There was the Sonairte stall,and a vegetable stall and that was about it,I was very disappointed.
I was talking to someone who made it down by 10:30 and she said that there was not much left then either but she did get some lovely flap jacks adn the traders were delighted about the turn out.
Friday afternoon is a silly time for it too but maybe cheaper then Saturday.
I also think if any body would like to discuss Balbriggan and its residents that it warrants another thread,

Jimdagym

Bump!

Anyone venture up on friday? Was it better stocked or anything to report back?

SMK

Has anyone been to the market lately? I have my first Friday off since it opened and was going to venture up to it. Does it open at 9am? Thanks

minikin

yep, nine o'clock throw-in, get there early enough though as some of the stuff goes really quickly.
hope you get a nice day for it, bit of sun makes all the difference!

Absurdum

SMK wrote: »

Has anyone been to the market lately? I have my first Friday off since it opened and was going to venture up to it. Does it open at 9am? Thanks

as Minikin said, get there early! The quality and price of the fruit and veg is far superior to any supermarket muck! Some nice bread and cakes too!

SMK

Absurdum wrote: »

as Minikin said, get there early! The quality and price of the fruit and veg is far superior to any supermarket muck! Some nice bread and cakes too!

It's the veg I will be most interested in (and maybe a little cake!!). What time should I be there by or am I best getting there for 9am? Thanks

Absurdum

SMK wrote: »

It's the veg I will be most interested in (and maybe a little cake!!). What time should I be there by or am I best getting there for 9am? Thanks

anytime before noon should be good

LeoB

Is the market still going?

Great idea. Now we need to take the same attidtud eto the shops and insist on Irish produce especially locally grown and harvested from the land and sea.

Friday was always the traditional fish day when I was growing up. Seamie Richardson used to come to Rush on a Friday and he had his regular clients and people could just leave word with a neighbour and he would leave the the fish on a plate covered with another plate, must be over 20years ago.

Its amazing for an Island nation we import so much Veg and fish and a lot of it is as was stated earlier muck, way inferior to our own IMO.

Most Fingal towns have old market rights/days they just need to be activated.

Absurdum

some of the veg for sale at the market is imported

LeoB

Absurdum wrote: »

some of the veg for sale at the market is imported

This is scandelous. How stupid can you get.

Bluetonic

LeoB wrote: »

This is scandelous. How stupid can you get.

Where do you expect olives to grow in Ireland for example?

SMK

I'm just back from the market! The vegetables looked great and the prices were really good. I will rarely be able to get to the market because of work which is a pity.

LeoB

Bluetonic wrote: »

Where do you expect olives to grow in Ireland for example?

I dont expect them to grow in Ireland.

However Fingal is rich in the finest produce and I was replying to the post "some of the veg sold ther is imported" which I think would be scandelous if it is grown in Fingal.

Hope that clarifies my post for you.