Lord Mayor defines tourism as the key to the future

Thursday, August 2, 2018

Tourists should be considered as part of the future of the iconic English Market in Cork, which observed its 230th birthday yesterday.

 
The call came from Lord Mayor Cllr Mick Finn, famous market traders, and market management in the midst of concerns from some stall holders that the oldest working food market of Ireland is in danger of “suffocating” from rising tourist numbers.

 
In recent years, high-profile visits from the British royal family and Apple boss Tim Cook and on the back of its starring role in the hit TV sitcom The Young Offenders, witnesses three coach loads of visitors pass through every day, many just taking photographs.

 
Also, the Irish Examiner understood that a fishmonger and a butcher, who were distracted by incidents of separate flash photography in 2017, required hospital treatment for cuts.
As Mr Finn led celebrations to highlight yesterday’s milestone, he provided a tribute to the generations of traders who have made the market what it is in the current context. He said tourism is very much part of its future.

 
“A good job has been done in recent months and years to try and manage the duality of purpose of the market as a major tourist destination but most importantly, a working market,” he said.

 
“It is a working market and people’s livelihoods depend on it. But if we want to bring tourists here, we have to look after them.

 
“That can be managed. But it needs to be on the agenda all the time.”

 
“People are entitled to their opinion on tourism here but tourism is a part of life in many cities and as well as being an attraction for our customers, the market is equally an attraction for tourists,” he said.

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