Doolin Saturday Market and Craft Fair

Doolin Saturday Market and Craft Fair
Photo: Mary Sheehan

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Calling All Gardeners!!!

Do you live in North Clare? Do you grow fruit and vegetables in your garden? Do you keep hens or ducks? Do you keep bees?

Are there some weeks when you have more produce than you can cook or eat?!!

If you grow food for the enjoyment of it, or to put the highest quality produce on your table, the Doolin Saturday Market and Craft Fair would like to talk with you! We have vendors who will be happy to sell your surplus for you. This is a classic win-win situation! You get a fair price for your produce and no longer have to think of increasingly desperate ways to use up your spare vegetables! And our customers get a wider variety of fresh, locally grown foods, with great flavour and low food miles!

For more information, contact Toby at doolinmarket@gmail.com

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

It's summer (sort of).....

Here in Doolin, we are not exactly stampeding to the beach so far this summer! It’s been a little bit grey, a little bit drizzly, and really nice weather for dropping by the Doolin Saturday Market and Craft Fair for a look, to see what’s new here, and relax for a while with a cup of tea from Lydia, a homemade croissant or slice of carrot cake, a few chocolate-covered strawberries from Paul “Mr. Bean”Bradley, or a warm bowl of curry from Aloma.

Our craftspeople are a creative bunch, and have been bringing new ideas and different handmade items every week, so call in to see what is new this week! One of the new products comes straight out of the Clare earth! Ceramic artist Siobain O’Brien has been selling delicate and colourful slipware she makes at the Boghill Centre in Kilfenora. She has now expanded her line to include ceramic pieces made of clay that she digs from their own land at the pottery in Kilfenora! That means that Siobain has been involved in every aspect of making the piece, from digging and hand-processing the clay, to forming it, firing it, glazing it, and bringing it to the Market for sale! It’s a fascinating process, and her ceramics are lovely and unique. Stop by her table, she will be happy to tell you how she does it!

We have plans for special events over the coming weeks. We’ll let you know what’s coming up! We appreciate all the emails we’ve gotten with your comments and questions! If you would like more information, or want to get in touch with us, email Toby at doolinmarket@gmail.com.

And don't forget that at 2 p.m. every Saturday we draw the name of the winner of a voucher worth 25 euros to be used for any merchandise at the Market. It costs only 1 euro per chance, and you can sign up for the drawing with Michelle, at the Garden Table at the front of the Market!

Thanks for forwarding our Newsletter to your friends and family! We hope to see you soon!

Welcome to the Doolin Saturday Market and Craft Fair!

23 Jun. 08

Welcome to the first edition of the Doolin Saturday Market and Craft Fair Newsletter!

By now, we hope that you have all heard about the Doolin Saturday Market and Craft Fair, that is held every Saturday from 10 until 4 at the Russell Community Centre in Doolin, County Clare! Our Grand Opening was a great success on June 7th, and you can view photos of the events on the McGann’s website at www.mcgannspubdoolin.com (click on Image Gallery at the top of the page). Thanks to Shay McGowan for taking the photos and putting them online!

So far the Market is going very well, with over 20 stallholders every week providing a combination of locally produced crafts with a variety of fresh foods and plants. All of the goods are of a high quality, and new products are added almost every week. We hope that you and your friends will stop in from time to time to see what’s there, and maybe have a cup of tea and a bite to eat! It has a very pleasant atmosphere, and provides an enjoyable daytime activity very reasonably priced, especially on a dull day, or even on the way to the beach on a fine one! Pick up a loaf of home-made bread, some local cheeses, and some delicious fruit salad to take with you for the day!

From time to time, we plan to let you know about special events we have planned, such as cookery demonstrations, barbeques, and other community events. We do not charge admission to the Market, nor to any of the special events. And we plan to let you know a bit more about some of our interesting stalls!

This week, we would like to tell you about Mairead Sharry, because we think you would really love to meet her! From Inisheer, Mairead is the last spinner and weaver on the Aran Islands. She uses the wool of island sheep to spin, dye, weave, and felt her products in vibrant natural colours and interesting designs, including hats, scarves, jumpers, bags, and criosa (belts). She also sells hand spun and dyed yarn. Mairead brings her spinning wheel to the market, where you can watch her as she demonstrates the art of spinning wool every week.

If you would like more information, or want to get in touch with us, email Toby at doolinmarket@gmail.com.

Hope to see you soon!