Cork’s English Market opens from the Grand Parade and Princes St (with smaller entrances off Oliver Plunkett and Patrick streets) in the city’s beating heart. Dating from 1788, the covered market is one of Europe’s oldest and most beautiful, with ornate vaulted ceilings, columns and a polished marble fountain, where colorful stalls showcase the region's exceptional local produce.
History
Once a stark reminder of Cork’s political and economic divide, the 18th-century market was set up by the Protestant ("English") municipal corporation that controled the city, attracting a wealthy clientele. When the city’s Catholic ("Irish") majority took power after local government was reformed in 1840, they established their own market, St Peter’s (now an events and exhibitions space) nearby on North Main St: it was known as the Irish Market, differentiating it from the English Market.
Today, it’s beloved by locals, and visitors that have included Barack Obama and Queen Elizabeth II, Rick Stein and Gordon Ramsay.
Market Stalls
Scores of independent traders sell everything from meat, poultry and game, fish and seafood, to fruit and vegetables, herbs and spices, oils, condiments, cheeses, breads, pastries, cakes and sweets (plus nonedibles like cookware).
Highlights include Hederman’s sublime smoked salmon; On the Pig’s Back’s patés, terrines, charcuterie and farmhouse cheeses; Toons Bridge Dairy’s handcrafted mozzarella from its West Cork water-buffalo herd; Cork Rooftop Farm’s urban organic produce; the Alternative Bread Company’s handmade sourdoughs and soda bread; and third-generation-run the Roughty Foodie’s local honeys and homemade jams.
