I THINK IT'S TIME for an Irish network of local food markets. Local authorities should band together to bring this kind of network to fruition. It would enhance the attractiveness of local towns and villages because people like traveling to see local colour. They come to see markets, then oftentimes spend more money in local shops. What better way to encourage this kind of community spirit than by encouraging local traders to offer vegetables and baked goods for sale in the open. The local market industry is a cottage industry. In Ireland, the closest it comes to a formal body is the Artisan Food Producers' Alliance. It gets no subsidies. All it wants is the urban councils and chambers of commerce to facilitate and support local markets by measures more substantial than regulating casual traders.
Marigolds spotted near a group of local traders in Clonmel, County Tipperary.
