Search Results for 'Tim Lally'

Markets and fairs were where town met country years ago, when rural people from the hinterland came into town with their produce and sold it on the streets to the townspeople who needed it. So the city hosted cattle fairs, sheep fairs, horse fairs, hiring fairs, vegetable markets, hay markets, fish markets, sock markets, fowl markets, egg and butter markets. When the country people sold their produce, they would often spend money on necessities they could not produce at home such as flour, tea or sugar. If they did not sell, they had to return home, usually by shank’s mare, with whatever they had to sell, whatever the weather.

There were a number of aspects to the market in Woodquay in the 19th and early 20th centuries – there was a crane for weighing potatoes at the end of the park (near the toll booth) and it was there many of the farmers who carried their wares downriver used to gather to sell. Other groups would congregate here to sell scollops for thatching houses, ‘flexible sticks’ cut from hazel trees. These were very much in demand in the city area as so many houses were thatched in those days including in Woodquay. Also in that area you would find basket makers who would weave creels, ciseáins, skibs and baskets of many shapes and sizes for sale to the public.

This photograph was taken about the year 1900 and shows part of the market at the corner of Woodquay and Eyre Street. The derelict gable we see in the background was later developed as Creaven’s boot shop. It was subsequently occupied by O’Connor TV, then became a florists run by Brian O’Malley, and today is Richard Hughes’ opticians.