Efforts to restore Woodquay weekly market

A renewed effort is to be made next month to establish a regular ‘country market’ in Woodquay following the success of the event at last Easter’s Galway Food Festival.

The Food Festival, that brought crowds of over 70,000 people to the city last April, featured a hugely successful outdoor market right in the heart of Woodquay.

At the time, then Mayor, Cllr. Padraig Conneely, pledged his full support for the setting up of a similar market on a regular basis.

The move – requiring a public consultation process and the issuing of a licence by the City Council – is now set to be explored further at a meeting next month involving local residences and businesses.

This week, Cllr. Padráig Conneely told the Galway City Tribune that the outdoor market proposal for the Woodquay area was still very much a ‘runner’.

“Everyone agreed that the country market was a great success during the Food Festival and there is tremendous goodwill locally from residents and local businesses,” said Cllr. Conneely.

He said that the venture needed to be carefully planned and thought out with stallholders needing to know that the market would continue on a regular basis.

“I think that everyone agrees that the Woodquay location is ideal for such a market. Last Easter, with proper traffic management, there were no hold-ups – I think it will be a great asset to the area.

“We have to decide whether it should be on a monthly, fortnightly or weekly basis but there’s definitely a future for this proposal,” said Cllr. Conneely.