And at last it is here! The Grand Opening!

We have so much to tell you about our Grand Opening this weekend, May 30th, and we hope you will spread the word to anyone who might be in the neighbourhood! Events that day include an outdoor barbeque, cookery demonstration, face painting, and other family events! We will also unveil our new art gallery, the Lightening Strike Gallery, featuring the work of a local artist each week.

Some of the foods available this year include delicious loaves of fresh bread, fresh croissants and other specialty breads, cookies and cakes, homemade chocolate truffles, fresh cooked waffles, chocolate-dipped strawberries, salads and vegetarian food, locally made Burren ice cream, cheeses from Clare and beyond, hot ethnic foods, local hen and duck eggs, herbs, and a good selection vegetables and fruit. Plants for your home and garden will also be available.

Other home-made and hand-made items include ceramics, jewellery, crocheted and knitted items including baby clothing, colourful felted wool items, home-spun and died yarn, handbags, ethnic clothing and accessories, locally crafted willow baskets, photographs, cards, prints, and natural cosmetics.

This season we are delighted to see the return of Mairead Sharry, from Inisheer. Mairead was an inspiration to all of us last summer as she demonstrated how she spins wool on her wheel and displayed beautiful items she made from wool she carded, spun, and dyed herself. Mairead promises some special items she made just for us, including her new line of items in Clare colours! Learn more about Mairead on her blog, From Sheep to Shawl, at http://maireadsharry.blogspot.com. Mairead will join us for the Grand Opening and from time to time over the summer.

We also welcome back Mary Sheehan, who has spent a productive winter promoting enjoyment of cooking and eating with natural and local ingredients through her involvement with Slow Food Clare, conducting cookery demonstrations around the country, and promoting her book “Coming Home to Cook”. Mary is profiled in the June edition of Food and Wine magazine, Ireland’s food and drink bible, and her activities at the Doolin Market were featured as well! Mary will provide a range of salads and vegetarian food at the Market, as well as her critically acclaimed cookbook. She will also conduct a cookery demonstration at 3 p.m. at the Market. The demonstration is free, but early sign-up is recommended! You can learn more about Mary’s book and recipes on her website at www.marysheehan.com.

The Doolin Saturday Market and Craft Fair takes place on Saturdays, through August at the Russell Brothers Community Centre, Doolin. This year the market will again combine the produce and foods of a traditional Farmers’ Market with the hand-made goods of a Craft Fair. This market uniquely appeals to both local consumers, who benefit from having fresh, locally produced foods on their doorstep on a weekly basis, and the visitor, who is looking for unique and authentic handcrafted items to take home from their visit to North Clare. It also provides a pleasant daytime activity where both locals and visitors can spend some time browsing, having a cup of tea or coffee, and enjoying some homemade cookies or muffins.

Don’t forget to tell your friends and family! We hope to see you soon!

Lightening Strikes 14 Times!!! (every Saturday till September!)

The Doolin Saturday Market and Craft Fair proudly announces the opening of the Lightening Strike Gallery. This unique art gallery presents the work of a different local artist on the Saturday of each week on the stage of the Russell Brothers Community Centre. The gallery hours will coincide with the Doolin Saturday Market and Craft Fair, giving local residents and visitors an opportunity to view the work of local artists while visiting the Market.

The gallery has been developed to showcase the talents of artists from Clare and nearby areas. Paintings, drawings, photography, and mixed media work will be featured over the course of the summer. Some of the artists who will be featured include Kathy Sambrook, Vickie Lennie, Karl Hughes, and many more. Original art and prints will be available for sale. Admission is free.

The first exhibition will take place at the Grand Opening of the Doolin Saturday Market and Craft Fair on Saturday, May 30th, from 10 a.m. through 4 p.m., and will feature the art of Corinna Schroeder-von Frihling. Hamburg-born Corinna studied ceramics, art and education in Kiel, Germany. After her marriage, she set up a private art school and gallery. She organised, together with her husband, numerous international exhibitions in public places and her own gallery. Since 1972 Corinna has shown her work in Germany, France, Belgium, Norway, Ireland and Canada, winning several awards in Germany. Her work is published in several books and exhibition catalogues. Corinna was a member of ‘Doolin Artists’ from 2000-2005.
Her work, based on reality, often goes a more surrealistic way. Her main techniques are etching and pastel.

For more information, or if you are an artist who wishes to be considered for an exhibition, contact Toby at doolinmarket@gmail.com.