A Victorian market in Dublin is set to reopen and rejuvenate the area after five years thanks to the recent renovation plans which have been announced by Dublin City Council.
The news that a famous Victorian inner city landmark in Dublin is due to be redeveloped has been widely well-received by the public. In their statement, Dublin City Council has confirmed that the cost will be upwards of €25 million.
It has been five years since the Victorian market closed. After many calls for a new permanent market space to be established, the fruit, vegetable, and flower market in the location of Dublin 7’s Mary’s Lane is set to finally open again.
The fruit, vegetable, and flower market – a historic marketspace
The fruit, vegetable, and flower market, which was once also known as the Dublin Corporation Wholesale Markets, operated for over a century – from 1892 to 2019, to be exact.
Thankfully, the Victorian market is set to reopen as the last remaining wholesale traders vacated to allow for a “major redevelopment project”, which is believed would take approximately two years to complete.
As first reported by the Irish Times newspaper, the new market is set to officially reopen in approximately two years’ time “following an extensive refurbishment and fit-out programme”.
Dublin City Council – hopes to have the project completed by 2026
In a statement, Dublin City Council chief executive Richard Shakespeare said, “We are about to go out to tender for construction in the next three to four weeks, and in a similar time frame, we will be looking for an operator.
“We reckon it will open in autumn 2026”.
The new market will play host to a wide variety of food producers with what Mr Shakespeare described as having a “quintessentially Dublin” focus.
Mr Shakespeare also explained that the market’s offerings would reflect the diverse businesses and restaurants a modern Ireland has to offer.
Plans for the future – expansion and growth
Mr Shakespear acknowledged that the redevelopment of the market has been a “painfully slow” process, adding, “I’ll take some of the blame for that”. However, he now expects the project to progress at a rapid pace.
Besides market stalls, Dublin City Council also plans for the market to have restaurants to ensure that the area remains active all day and into the evening after the market closes.
“We want it to be a space that operates [from] ten in the morning to ten at night,” Mr Shakespeare said.
