Christmas market closes before Chirstmas :confused:

begsbyOnaTrain

Hello. So this will be the first time I've been home for Christmas in many a year and I'm bringing my foreigner wife with me. Naturally I've been looking up some things to see and do, I remember the Christmas market in 2012 was decent but now I see that it closes up shop on the 22nd. The day we arrive. What is this madness? I'm guessing it won't be cleared away, so Eyre Square will just be locked up? Is there any local alternatives? Anything "Christmasy" going on that I could show her? Many thanks.

I’ve been saying it for years, it’s idiotic that the market doesn’t run up to New Years. It would be very popular in the time between Christmas and New Years when everyone is off.

Mrs OBumble

It closes then because the traders want to go home. It will be cleared away, starting that very night, Eyre Square is likely to be fully accessible again by early enough on the 24th.

St Nicholas market will likely be open on the 24th.

Scating rink is open till 5 January.

Racing in Limerick on St Stephens Day.

begsbyOnaTrain

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

It closes then because the traders want to go home.

Seems odds compared to what my experience has been in the UK.

Thanks for the rest of the info.

Mrs OBumble

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

It closes then because the traders want to go home. It will be cleared away, starting that very night, Eyre Square is likely to be fully accessible again by early enough on the 24th.
.

Traders work in retail, service industry etc they should expect to work over the Christmas period and I’d be surprised if they wouldn’t. I would imagine it’s a decision by the organises not the traders.

The beer tent would be do a big trade between Christmas and New Years too.

Plumbthedepths

The Christmas market in Galway is crap, compared to what's on offer on the continent. Beer tent badly needed very few pubs in Galway ...... sarcasm.

ben.schlomo

Hallie Mysterious Shark wrote: »

Traders work in retail, service industry etc they should expect to work over the Christmas period and I’d be surprised if they wouldn’t. I would imagine it’s a decision by the organises not the traders.

The beer tent would be do a big trade between Christmas and New Years too.

Yes I mean why wouldnt someone not from Galway like to stay away from family at Xmas. If people can't buy the tat that's on sale there elsewhere then pity about them.

GalwayGrrrrrl

If my memory serves me correctly, when the idea of a Christmas market was first proposed the st Nicolas traders were not happy as they felt it threatened their business at a key time of year. So an agreement was reached that Christmas market would close “early” to give a few days of unchallenged business to St Nicholas market traders. Not sure how or why I know this as I’m only a lay person who reads the local papers!

inisboffin

I do prefer St Nic's market for most stuff, and many traders will be there until Christmas Eve.

Whereisgalway

At least they’ve stopped destroying the grass

cena

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

It closes then because the traders want to go home. It will be cleared away, starting that very night, Eyre Square is likely to be fully accessible again by early enough on the 24th.

St Nicholas market will likely be open on the 24th.

Scating rink is open till 5 January.

Racing in Limerick on St Stephens Day.

No word on the rink reopening again. Nothing on there facebook page since last January

Mrs OBumble

cena wrote: »

No word on the rink reopening again. Nothing on there facebook page since last January

Ahh. I googled them on the phone earlier and saw this: https://www.galwaytourism.ie/event/galway-skates/

But looking at it on the desktop, see it says TBC by the dates.

So ... maybe or maybe not skating (spelt rite!)

begsbyOnaTrain

Whereisgalway wrote: »

At least they’ve stopped destroying the grass

Huh? So they're not located on the green part of Eyre Square then? Guess that means it's moved up the ways around the taxi rank?

Webbs

begsbyOnaTrain wrote: »

Seems odds compared to what my experience has been in the UK.

Thanks for the rest of the info.

I know the Edinburgh Christmas Market after Christmas only opens on boxing day and then maybe new years eve and thats it. In a city like that the majority of stalls would be localish traders unlike Galway.

begsbyOnaTrain

Webbs wrote: »

I know the Edinburgh Christmas Market after Christmas only opens on boxing day and then maybe new years eve and thats it. In a city like that the majority of stalls would be localish traders unlike Galway.

That's a negatory. I lived in Edinburgh a couple of years ago. The market goes right up to early Jan. As it's doing again this year - http://www.edinburghschristmas.com/whats-on/christmas-market-east-princes-street-garden

Huge amounts of foreign stalls there too. I highly doubt from my own experience that even half were local.

But then again that's a massive market and is possibly getting a bit too big for its boots...

Mrs OBumble

begsbyOnaTrain wrote: »

Huh? So they're not located on the green part of Eyre Square then? Guess that means it's moved up the ways around the taxi rank?

Ya, pretty much. GAS 1, craic nil.

gordongekko

Whereisgalway wrote: »

At least they’ve stopped destroying the grass

It's not like the original purpose of the square was to hold a market or anything. We should get a preservation order to protect the special grass

gordongekko

gordongekko wrote: »

It's not like the original purpose of the square was to hold a market or anything. We should get a preservation order to protect the special grass

It wasn't - it was a green outside the walls to provide a clear shot at attackers.
The 1650s map of Galway shows it as fenced off for jousting. It was railed and gated until the 1960s.

The cattle market was at the top of the square - the bit that is paved and used as a taxi rank and bus stops.

Ancestors of mine used to live along there and had to put up barrier boards to keep the slurry out on market days.