The English Market

Cork's covered market has been trading on this site since 1788, and the building it trades in now is a Victorian one with cast-iron columns, a vaulted roof and a fountain in the middle of the hall. It is a real food market rather than a heritage exercise: butchers, fishmongers, cheesemongers, vegetable stalls and bakers, used by people doing the week's shopping. The Cork specialities are here and largely nowhere else, including tripe and drisheen, spiced beef and buttered eggs, alongside a fish counter that reflects a working port. A gallery above the hall looks down over the stalls. It closes on Sundays and winds down early some evenings, which surprises visitors.

History

There has been a market on the site since 1788, when it opened as a meat shambles, and the name English Market was coined in the 19th century to set it apart from the nearby St. Peter's Market, known as the Irish Market (Wikipedia, English Market).

What to look for

• Tripe and drisheen - the Cork offal tradition, still sold fresh at one counter.
• Spiced beef - salted and spiced brisket, a Cork staple sold all year.
• The fish counters - the catch landed at the south coast ports.
• The gallery - the upper level looking down the length of the hall.

When to go

Monday to Saturday; it is shut on Sundays and bank holidays, and stalls start packing up through the late afternoon. Mid-morning is the best time to see it working and to get a word out of the traders. Lunchtime is the busiest hour by a distance, and Saturday has the fullest range of stalls and the worst crowds.

Before you go

It is a shopping market, so a good deal of what is on sale needs a kitchen you do not have. Prices sit above the supermarket and the traders know they have a tourist audience. Seating upstairs is limited and taken from noon. Photographing stalls is not always welcome while somebody is trying to serve a queue.

Nearby

St Patrick's Street and the Grand Parade run past both entrances.

Key facts