In an effort to cast off the gloom of this tough winter, Clarinbridge villiage have been busy planning for a new Farmers & Crafts market starting this Sunday March 29, the day summertime begins.
The market opens from 12 noon to 6pm and the venue is the Clarinbridge Garden Centre- located behind the new centra supermarket which you’ll find over the bridge on the right after Paddy Burke’s on your way out of town.
This is a great opportunity for all town folks to immediately leave the city behind and come out to the relaxing surrounds of the Clarin river, have an enjoyable lunch at on of the local eateries- Paddy Burke’s, Poppy Seed, Claire’s Tearoom’s, or Moran’s of the Weir,- and then browse at leisure at the market.
The organising team can report that favourite stalls will be there — buckets of fresh oysters and mussels, clams and winkles from the Co-op group, brown bread and delicious French cheeses and relishes from Helen Goormans; a sampling of French wines to wash these down with; a variety of sauces, flavoured oils, chutney, jams and preserves, marmalades, curds olives and pestos, fresh breads, cakes and cookies from Just Devine Fine Foods, cobblestones Cafe, Poppy Seed Restaurant and the Flanagan girls.
And fresh hot crepes and pancakes will be available on the spot with dressings of your choice. There will be fresh- farmed table vegetables, organic produce, fresh hen and duck eggs, jams and preserves- for you to stock up for the following week.
On the crafts side, there will be an attractive range of handcrafted silver jewellery, charming handcrafted wood gifts, and the delightful Away with the Fairies handcrafted toys. Suzanne Alford will be there with her handcrafted goats milk soaps and creams. Antiques and ceramics, candle-makers and handcrafted gift items in stichwork, felting, fleece, knits and silks are all on the agenda, and for the future the organisers are planning a book collection for the corner for those who would simply enjoy relaxing back to discover a leafy companion of old, or one of the classics.
An important message from the village is that this new market will run every month- on the last sunday of the month. The market wants to establish itself as worth of the trip to Clarinbridge, and will be keenly building the list of top quality food producers, organic products, handcrafted artworks and gift items, plus innovative clothing and fashion creations- and will aim to showcase the work of emerging designers and craftspeople as the market progresses.
It is time to shake of this harsh winter and we can report that spring- yes it is definately in the air. But you will need to come on out to Clarinbridge to truly see and smell it.
