Iconic Moore Street markets to be revitalised in coming months

The revitalisation was launched with a photo call and musical performances yesterday.

Dublin’s historic Moore Street markets will undergo revitalisation in the coming months, as Dublin City Council have awarded a public tender for the project to The Temple Bar Company.

CEO of the company Martin Harte hopes to encourage people of all trades to apply for a space at the new market, where the company will take care of marquee setup free of charge.

Mr Harte told the Irish Times:  “If people haven’t the capital to set up a stall, they don’t need it… all they need is an idea”, adding “I suppose marketplaces have fallen out of favour over the last number of years in Dublin”.

The number of traders on Moore Street has declined over the years, from over 80 stalls at its peak to just 17 today.

Inspired by European market spaces such as the Albert Cuyp market in Amsterdam, he said that he hopes to “put the market scene back into Dublin, and back into the northside, where I believe it belongs”.

Musician Phelim Drew performed at the launch of the revitalisation plan, recalling his visits to the iconic markets with his dad, Ronnie Drew of The Dubliners.

He told the Irish Times, “myself and my dad used to come here every Christmas… He knew everybody and everybody knew him”.

The €500m plan to redevelop Moore Street, which would see historic buildings demolished to make room for a new public plaza and six-storey building has been met with mixed reviews – The Moore Street Preservation Trust challenged DCC for granting permission for the redevelopment of the street before conservation reports could be completed.

At the launch yesterday, DCC’s city recovery manager Frank Lambe stressed that the revitalisation plans are focused solely on the markets and unrelated to the ongoing redevelopment plans.

“It’s about improving the attractiveness of Moore Street, to get people coming back and to build the market back to where it was. The city’s a wonderful place; come in and enjoy it – that’s our message,” he said.

Header image via Shutterstock 

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