There is a new and much anticipated weekly Outdoor Market opening in Carrigaline GAA Club on Friday the 30th July (10 am to 2 pm). From the outset there has been very high demand from numerous local businesses and beyond for a position in the market.
The stalls, already signed up, vary in range from hot food to confectionery, from fruit and veg to craft, from coffee to cheese with many more besides, so something to cater for everyone’s taste.
The idea for the market came about from discussions between the club’s Development Team and Mr Paul McCarthy of Full O’ Beans Coffee. Paul who has been a regular feature serving coffee and many other treats in the community park in Carrigaline for well over 12 months has recently opened for business in the GAA grounds. Full O’ Beans has been a very welcome addition to the club.
The GAA club, in conjunction with the Camogie and Ladies Football clubs, recently launched a very ambitious 10 Year Development Plan with hopes of spending over €2 million on a phased basis on expanding and improving the facilities to cater for the ever-increasing numbers of boys and girls playing Gaelic games. Between the 3 clubs there are currently in excess of 1,200 playing members, up from 850 only 5 years ago. At this point in time the number of girls playing is matching the boys which is fantastic to see.
There are 3 full adult teams playing hurling and football with 2 adult teams in the Ladies Football and one in the Camogie Club. Underage teams across all codes cater for players from the age of 5 to 18. So, it is easy to see why new and improved facilities are needed.
The Club has always been well supported by the wider Carrigaline Community with everything from local businesses sponsoring pitch signs to lotto sales and of course the Club’s main sponsors for many years now Barry Collins SuperValu. The Annual Golf Classic is another regular source of income and thankfully this is back in the Calendar again this year for Friday the 30th July – so this day is going to be a busy one for all involved in the club.
The development plan though has forced the club to look for alternative funding sources and received a great boost shortly after launching when Astra Construction came on board with a very significant financial contribution.
The Outdoor Market is seen as being a new and very positive source of ongoing income for the club into the future. This is a win-win for everyone – with the community of Carrigaline and beyond benefitting from a market on their doorstep and the success of the market will enable the club to push on with the long list of projects that have been earmarked.
Already signed up for the Market are the following, with the organisers working on adding more before the 30th:
Kraftaroma Gill's Cakes Carrigaline Nutrition club Burritos and Blues Cork Sultan Delights Papa Samouni Woodfire Pizza Bad Boy Bbq Little Chick Pea Co Carrigaline Farmhouse Cheese Full O'Beans Coffee Co Popsicle.ie Hobanstreats Cottage Garden Kinsale Twomeys Farm GG's Icecream European Sweetness Kashmir crafts Basicaleaf Full O'Candy Co