Fans of Galway’s iconic market at St Nicholas’ Cathedral will be delighted to hear that the market re-opens in full this coming weekend with a wide array of crafts and food-stuffs on sale.
This Saturday will see the full return of all 70 licenced traders this Saturday, while on Sunday, 48 licenced traders will have stalls there.
The return of the market is a symbol of the eventual return to normality for locals and visitors alike and stallholders have gone to great lengths to make sure that the shopping experience is a safe one.
A spokesman for Galway City Council said that the traders have adapted very well and have been very supportive of the Local Authority’s efforts to keep the market open in line with government guidelines.
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“The traders are selling locally produced goods that are either grown or made locally and we are working to highlight the market as a great way to shop local,” he said.
“The market consists of fresh food and veg sellers, hot food sellers and crafts makers that have been drawing people to Galway for hundreds of years. It has always drawn people into the city and plays a really important part of increasing footfall in the city centre.
“2020 &2021 were very challenging with social distancing and the restrictions preventing the sale of non-essential items at times. A joint effort was made to find additional space last year to allow all the traders to operate,” he said.
Meanwhile other city businesses have spoken of their joy in re-opening.
Carol Dixon and Anna Hosty, co-owners of Yourells said they were delighted to meet customers again.
“After over five months out of the salon we are so delighted to finally get back to work. It has really brought home to all of us our passion for hairdressing and the need for a creative outlet.We never thought we would see the doors to our business closed for so long for any reason let alone for a world pandemic.It will be a very busy couple of months for us now, a feast or a famine, but we’re just happy to be getting stuck in again.
They spent all last week ringing clients to book in their appointments.
“It was such a pleasure. Everybody was so nice and delighted to get the call. Our clients have been so supportive all the way through the last year and very understanding that we are doing our best. “We have had cards and gifts coming into all three salons from kind clients. I think women particularly missed getting their hair done. It’s more than just a haircut, it’s the social aspect of it and our hair reflects how we feel about ourselves. If your hair isn’t right you’re not. We’ll really enjoy getting women back to themselves,” they said.
