Galway market traders nestle into new home while long-awaited pathway works commence
A glittering thread in the fabric of Galway’s winter season, the city’s market traders who set up every Saturday beside St Nicholas’ Collegiate Church will soon relocate to the car park of St Patrick’s Primary School to allow for pathway works to begin.
Galway Market Traders have secured the car park to accommodate the 26 stallholders while the walkway on Churchyard Street undergoes a much-needed upgrade, the market traders’ team told the Irish Independent in a statement.
At an October City Council meeting, concern was raised by Councillor Eddie Hoare that traders might be forced to pack up their stands for the winter if a temporary site could not be secured. He noted that an alternative location at the Spanish Arch would pose weather challenges and create an unsuitable space for shoppers.
A response from St Patrick’s Primary School had not yet been received at the time of the meeting.
Galway County Councillor Peter Feeney, a Fine Gael colleague of Cllr Hoare, also expressed interest in ensuring the traders are supported during the reconstruction period.
“The idea of that you'll spend every Saturday down at the Spanish arch with the icing winds coming in across the Bay and expect people to turn up to buy their bagels or their bananas, was never going to happen.” Cllr Feeney told the Irish Independent.
He noted that while a timeline for the works is in place, excavation in such a historically significant area could bring unexpected interruptions.
“It's right in the centre of the city. If you dig for any depth, you never know what you're going to find,” he added hoping that the transition to and from the adjacent site is seamless for everyone involved.
The first phase of the works, requested by the traders themselves, according to Senior Engineer Fiona Lillis Holland, is expected to be completed before November 28. Phase two will then begin in January or February 2026, with completion hoped for before St Patrick’s Day. Seven weekends of disruption are anticipated.
Cllr Hoare said that the “working conditions haven’t been good in years” for traders and that the restoration efforts will aim to respect the historic character of the area rather than replace it, keeping “the footprint within the market.”
“Markets are very precious; we must be careful that we don't lose them. We've lost them in a lot of smaller towns,” Cllr Feeney added, “They are a hardy breed, those market traders, and we need to do everything we can to help them and to make it easy for them and make it easy for their customers.”