Fish/Farmers Market coming to Balbriggan!

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.

dubmick

there was a tv crew there today. Your man who did the carbon monoxide ad was there, can't think of his name

LeoB

dubmick wrote: »

there was a tv crew there today. Your man who did the carbon monoxide ad was there, can't think of his name

Duncan Stweart?

Qprmeath

Farmers Markets are fine but with no regulation on what is sold there is no gurantees of quality or origin. I know of one such entrepreneur who sells Lidl eggs at a farmers market. Other countries have tight controls on what can be xold but in Ireland no laws exist If you want excellent locally grown potatoes come out to Gormanston. Locally grown, excellent quality and cheaper than the supermarkets. The flouriest British Queens in Ireland. A woman drove down from Monkstown the other day specialy for our spuds.

Bluetonic

LeoB wrote: »

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.

Why come out with a comment like "this is scandalous. How stupid can you get" initially without establishing what vegetables are imported and why?

minikin

no regulation on what is sold there is no gurantees of quality or origin

qprmeath, this is untrue, all stallholders at this market must abide by numerous regulations regarding the source etc of their produce in order to get a stall...

some of the veg for sale at the market is imported

the point of the market is to provide an outlet for fresh irish produce when it is in season, the stallholders are not allowed to sell an imported product if the irish one is still in season. Some of the stallholders display a calendar showing exactly what is in season each month.

It's amazing how people can nit pick at something that has been a genuine success for all involved... producers, customers and the council, particularly at a time when Irish producers are struggling to survive. (contracts being awarded outside of the state etc). Reeks of begrudgery - about time we started supporting each other rather than putting ourselves down.

Helmet

I know this has been broached before but are there any plans to change the time/day of the market.
I would definitely be at it doing the weeks shopping every week if only it was at a more convenient time. I can't believe I'm in a minority here either.

I hope that you're right in saying that it has been a success, I genuinely wish it the best, but would it not be more successful if it was on at the weekend?

LeoB

Bluetonic wrote: »

Why come out with a comment like "this is scandalous. How stupid can you get" initially without establishing what vegetables are imported and why?

I would have thought a fish/farmers market in a local square was for local farmers and fishermen to sell their produce.

It is downright scandelous that we would sell imported produce ahead of locally grown produce. It reminds me of Dell training Polish people in Limerick and then moving the plant to Poland. Soon despite the good land and the vast sea we will be so heavily relying on imported produce and paying top money for it.

Our produce is is top class its just such a pity we are not a bit more patriotic when it come to buying food.

I better stop before I am banned;)

LeoB

minikin wrote: »

qprmeath, this is untrue, all stallholders at this market must abide by numerous regulations regarding the source etc of their produce in order to get a stall...



the point of the market is to provide an outlet for fresh irish produce when it is in season, the stallholders are not allowed to sell an imported product if the irish one is still in season. Some of the stallholders display a calendar showing exactly what is in season each month.

It's amazing how people can nit pick at something that has been a genuine success for all involved... producers, customers and the council, particularly at a time when Irish producers are struggling to survive. (contracts being awarded outside of the state etc). Reeks of begrudgery - about time we started supporting each other rather than putting ourselves down.

Good post. Think I was saying something similar. The market is a great idea and hopefully it will re-introduce more people to the quality that is on their doorstep. I am not nit-picking just everyday I look around me in North Dublin and see small growers barely surviving and yet we have these supermarkets importing produce and refusing to pay fair prices to growers.

B.T.W I am not involved in this industry.

Bluetonic

LeoB wrote: »

I would have thought a fish/farmers market in a local square was for local farmers and fishermen to sell their produce.

It is downright scandalous that we would sell imported produce ahead of locally grown produce.

What exactly is being imported and being sold ahead of local produce?

Surely it being an open market where different sellers can sell the same category of produce no one is being prevented from selling?

Are sellers being prevented selling local produce?

meditraitor

I might have next friday off (woooot) and since I'm still only 10 minutes away I think I will pop down to sample the produce. :pac:

Local or foreign (I absolutely love olives)