It’s heart breaking for us to announce the closure of our favourite little market on the banks of the Grand Canal (Percy Place) on Fridays.

The reports of rubbish bins over flowing, unsafe use of electrical cables, using toilet facilities of nearby cafes etc. is completely inaccurate and very unfair. Irish Village Markets operated this market to the highest standards, cleaning the site before trading and leaving it in perfect condition after each day’s trading. Our friends in Kanum Thai and Kerala Kitchen opened up their bathroom facilities for us and after 3 year’s trading, we never had so much as a slip at our markets.

The truth, and I feel only fair to put it out there, is that Fresh Ltd, Donnybrook Fair and their cohorts (full list below), could not look out the windows of their overpriced little shops and stand to see so many of Dublin’s workforce supporting local enterprise. For them to refer to the street food market as “fast food” is also a bit of a kick in the teeth. Many of the vendors have studied culinary arts, and we have the bachelor of science certificates from these traders to prove that their food is so far away from takeaway and epitomizes pure quality at very fair prices. I doubt Donnybrook Fair and their ilk could share these bragging rights.

Not withstanding, the powers that be in Dublin City Council decided not to renew the planning permission for Percy Place Lunchtime Market, deciding instead, to take on the views of a handful of local residents who did not want vans parked in their leafy suburbs and the very unfair views of the greedy capitalists’ deli bars, hotels and restaurants who felt it was their right to take all of the lunchtime trade. A sad day indeed for the small man and anther victory for big business.

It will take more than this to knock us down lads. We will continue to trade in Mespil Road, Fitzwilliam Square and many more locations during the summer and will make it our mission to find a suitable location as close as possible to these NIMBY’s. Then, we will let the customers decide who it is they wish to support…..

The objectors to Percy Place Lunchtime Market planning permission

Cormac Manning – Fresh Restaurant (Grand Canal)

David O’Donoghue – Fresh (Grand Canal)

Michael Doyle – Commercial property consultant

Mullany Walsh Maxwells, for Glendalon Ltd – (Beshoffs Fish & Chips Mespil Road)

MacCabe Durney Barnes, for Donnybrook Fair

Michael Quinn, for The Lansdowne Hotel

The Mespil Hotel

Laurence McCabe- CBRE (Commercial Real Estate Agency)

Patricia & Graham Crisp – Ganly Walters Property Services

Salt Cellar – Coffee Shop (Mount Street)

Catherine O Neill – Amelio Group

A E Collins –

Caroline Phelan Restaurant owner Rathfarnham

Donald Pratt – Avoca Restaurant

Gabrielle Kennedy – Orwell Park (5km from Percy Place)

Imelda Byrne – Co Carlow (92 km from Percy Place)