The Saturday Market in Douglas, Cork
Some of the best things happen in the worst places.
Some of the best things happen in the worst places. Just look at the Saturday market in Douglas, a nifty semi-suburb of Cork city. The Market is lodged at a busy road intersection, and it happens when that intersection is just about at its busiest, when Saturday shopping and football practice drivers clog the place. You cross the road at your peril. Dire.
The market is squeezed onto the footpath, across from a service station, in front of the entrance to the non-descript shopping centre. It’s cheek-by-jowl for the traders, whose pop-ups cordon off the space. You couldn’t swing a cat. And there is nowhere to park your car.
And it’s just the most amazing market. It’s got all you want as well as having all you need. You can get lion’s mane mushrooms from Emerald Mushrooms – they taste like chicken, seriously – and superlatively fresh fish, straight from the ZT Fish stall’s own boat: the fillets of haddock we bought were beyond good.
For a shopper, Douglas is a dream. You can get all the good farm-reared chicken from Ballycotton Freerange from Tom, and fresh unhomogenised milk from Gloun Cross, from out in West Cork. If you fancy the incredible delicacies created by Rabih at Bia Beirut, then you will have to join the queue, because there is always a queue for Rabih’s za’atar sourdough, and his magnificent baby aubergines stuffed with walnuts, and the pitch-perfect hummus.
There is local honey, and local spuds coated in fresh soil, and apples from Mealagulla Orchard and all the good-for-your-gut delights from My Goodness.
But, let’s say you have a mind to eat, rather than shop. Okay, start with a cup of Badger & Dodo coffee to get the day underway as you sit in a comfy chair and plan your strategy. What about a few oysters from Rossmore? Rupert will prise open the little beauties and that sublime saline hit is yours for only €2 a pop.
Appetite primed, it’s time to get onto the heavy hitters so make you way to Meb’s Veg food truck for some Big Veg Energy: maybe a Summer Roll with gingery sunflower dip? The legendary tofu banh mi? The legendary cauliflower pickles? And, of course, a glass of Glittering Cherry Soda. Big energy!
But here’s the dilemma bit: you also want a slice or two of Volcano Pizza. And you so want that colourful mezze plate from My Goodness. But then, the tuna ceviche from La Latina, and their fresh empanadas, and their amazing chicken croquettas, and the Peruvian pork sandwich!
Dilemma, after dilemma, after dilemma.
All of the best things, in just about the worst possible space. Amazing what talent can achieve. See you at the intersection, Saturday morning. Just be careful crossing that road!
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