We are proud to announce a series of upcoming specialist food events.  This year, Irish Farmers Markets will host markets at community and charity events across Ireland, as well as adding to the regular weekend gatherings.

• Sunday 13 th May – Harold’s Cross Community Festival
• Friday 18 th May – Farmer’s Market at Bank of Ireland, College Green, Dublin. 20 craft and food stalls needed.
• Friday 25 th May - Farmer’s Market at Bank of Ireland, College Green, Dublin. 10 craft and food stalls needed.
• Sunday 27 th May – Good Council GAA Drimnagh Community Festival. 10 food stalls needed.
• Sunday 27 th May - Headfort School, Kells, Co. Meath. Open Day and Festival. 20 craft and food stalls needed.
• Monday 4 th June - Bank Holiday Market at Howth. All stalls welcome.
• Saturday 9th June – The very first Blackrock Farmers Market starts on Main St., Blackrock Village. A fish stall, home baking and crafts are still required.
• Friday 22nd June – Guinness Charity Run, Naas Rd.
• Saturday 23 rd June - Guinness Charity Run, Naas Rd. 10 food stalls needed.
• Saturday 30th June – Open day and Festival at Festina Lente Gardens, Old Conna, Bray, Co. Wicklow. 20 craft and food stalls needed.

For more information on visiting or exhibiting at these events and current weekly markets, contact Sean on 0876115016.

You can also view details of all upcoming events on our new Markets Calendar >>

A busy – but delicious – summer lies ahead!

Seán McArdle and the Irish Farmers Markets team have extensive experience in hosting special one-off markets. In 2009, for example, Bank of Ireland invited Sean to create a ‘pop-up’ market in central Dublin.

Seán McArdle and Buns.ie at the Bank of Ireland, 13th May 2009

This is how The Irish Times reported on the special day:

“Underneath the awnings of the former House of Lords, the first Irish strawberries of the season, picked the previous night in Co Meath, competed with Cretan olives, French crepes and Aran Islands fudge for shoppers’ attention. An estimated €40,000 was spent over the course of the day. Irish Farmers Markets was given the green light to organise the once-off event, featuring 20 stalls selling food and jewellery, as part of Bank of Ireland’s National Enterprise Week and co-ordinator Seán McArdle expressed the hope the market would become a permanent fixture in the city.

“It is one of the best locations in Ireland for a market like this and it is certainly the most beautiful. It’s like a market in an Italian piazza,” he told The Irish Times . “The stallholders had a fabulous day – it was so busy at times that you could hardly walk through the throng.”

If you would like to hear more about how Seán and Irish Farmers Markets could make your event extra special, email events@irishfarmersmarkets.ie

Using only the finest locally-sourced beef, lamb, and venison, the Chieftain’s Cut celebrates wild and free Irish meat.

Dorcas Barry visited Leopardstown Farmers Market in November. The Irish food guru was full of praise for the breadth of produce on offer:

“Apart from all the wonderful fresh produce and organic meat and fish on offer, there is also an incredible choice of baked goods at this market.”

She particularly enjoyed the goods available at McNally’s Family Farm stall:

“The most amazing array of organic greens I’ve seen in a long time with some really unusual varieties.  My basket included wild sorrel (to cook with the beautiful Clare Island Organic Salmon I bought from Out Of The Blue), organic oregano, and a big favourite of mine for soup, cavolo nera which is an Italian black cabbage.”

Dorcas went on to discuss the wider benefits of Farmers Markets:

“The long term value to all of us is enormous.  Our support can help to increase employment at a local level, allows producers and growers to expand and create/supply new products, reduces food miles, and of course we end up with a lovely basket of healthy, seasonal and fresh local food.

… The money we spend at farmer’s markets goes straight back into our local food and farming industry and not to line the pockets of multi-national supermarket chains, really big plus.  And we get to have a direct link with where our food comes from, with advice and a chat thrown in which makes the whole experience even more pleasurable!

… The more of us who join the market buzz and spend some money (however small) at our local farmer’s market, the quicker that market will grow and attract more stallholders and artisan producers, providing us with more choice and a bigger range of high quality and seasonal local foods.”

Read the full article on Dorcas’ website here. Photo credits from the same site.

“I have to say it is one of the best markets in Dublin, there are about 20 stalls, 90% of them are local producers from the Dublin area and the standard of the produce was fantastic, I was in my element!”

The Cabbage Patch stall offers a huge range of both fruit and vegetables, sourced from Ireland and further afield, and all sold with a smile.

David & wife Sabrina started Gran Clarkes Bakery in November 2004. They make all products by hand, using the recipes of David’s grandmother hence the business’ name.

Tasty treats include Chocolate Brownies, Rice Crispie & Mars Bar Squares, Caramel Shortcake, Chocolate Biscuit Cake, Coffee Cake, Carrot Cake, Muffins, Millefeuille, Apple Slice, and Tea Bracks.

Gran Clarkes also use some modern recipes, as David boasts over 14 years’ experience as a pastry chef & head chef in France, Jersey, Australia, and Dublin.

A popular and authentic Malaysian food stall. Delicious dishes include barbecued prawns, satay peanut chicken, spicy rice, and dumplings.