Have some festive fun at Ireland’s festive markets
A colourful independent ‘Festive Market’ featuring authentic local hand-made crafts and food at 25 stalls, will run on Emmet Place from 10am to 7pm from Saturday December 19 to Tuesday December 22.
Run by Goldie Fish Events, the colourful market, which is held in a special marquee, will feature everything from hand-made soaps to hand-made pearl jewellery, slate products, skin-care products, wood-carving and food such as confectionery.
Elsewhere in Cork city centre, there’s another market featuring a giant barbecue and a mixture of food and some craft stalls as part of the popular Cork City Council Glow Christmas celebration, a 12-day event which takes place in the Grand Parade and Bishop Lucey Park on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from November 27 to December 20.
The crafts element of Glow features products such as hand-made jewellery and seaweed products.
As part of Glow, families can enjoy a free Christmas wonderland in Bishop Lucey Park, on the Grand with Santa’s Workshop, elves, interactive and live toys, a letterbox to the North Pole, the North Pole express toy train and other activities.
For information on the Festive Market find Goldiefish Events on Facebook.
For more information visit www.GlowCork.ie, Facebook or Twitter @GlowCork
This market traditionally heralds the start of the Christmas season in Cork. Taking place in the City Hall, it runs from November 26-29 and features more than 60 stands offering the best of contemporary crafts and artisan food producers from all over Ireland, at the country’s biggest crafts fair outside Dublin.
The event gives a big economic stimulus to the Munster crafts and design industry – boasting an estimated spend in excess of €150,000 per day, according to festival organiser Patrick O’Sullivan.
Shoppers can browse through everything from crafts and artisan-made goods to designer handcrafted outfits, silk, stained glass and knitwear at their leisure.
This year the event features products with many first-time exhibitors showcasing the best of new crafts and food from around the country as those attending can sample their culinary delights.
Admission is €5 and full details are available fromwww.cityhallcraftsfair.ie.
If you’re looking for the best in cutting-edge Christmas gift ideas search no further than the National Crafts and Design Fair.
Record-breaking crowds of more than 40,000 are expected to generate an estimated €1m per day or more in sales at this year’s biggest-ever five-day National Crafts and Design Fair.
The annual event, which takes place in the RDS, Dublin, from December 2 - 6, will feature over 600 stands this year – up nearly 10% on 2014 – which makes it one of the biggest markets on the Irish calendar.
Everything from fashion to jewellery, ceramics, textiles, woodcraft, photography and art will be up for sale at what is this country’s largest celebration of crafts, while the fair’s spectacular Christmas Food Emporium will feature more than 120 artisan food producers. There’s something to suit every pocket - prices start at just €5 - and there will be 10% off everything at the Fair on opening day, Wednesday, December 2.
Opening times Wed, Thu, Fri 10am-10pm; Sat and Sun 10am-7pm. Tickets adults €10, OAP’s €8, children under 16 free, full details at: www.nationalcraftsfair.ie
Running from November 26 to December 23, this event offers 28 days of exciting and novel festivities and spectacular family days out.
Located in picture-postcard surroundings at the capital’s Custom House Quarter, the event hinges around a dazzling 50-foot Christmas Tree which raises money for charity, the event features a pretty chalet-style Christmas Village offering an array of food, drink and crafts stalls crafts, and a chance to visit Santa.
Christmas Village opening hours: Mon -Wed 11am-8pm; open late Wed- Sat until 9pm; open early Saturday and Sunday at 10am For more visit www.ibelieveinchristmas.ie/
hat is now acknowledged as Ireland’s biggest Christmas Festival is set to host over 30 festive events across Ireland’s oldest city from November 20 to December 23 for the annual Winterval Festival in Waterford.
Boasting everything from a 40-foot giant singing Christmas tree to a vintage fair at the 17th century trading-post urban village of Ballybricken, an elves workshop and a Winter Wonderland, the event also boasts not one, but two special end-of-year markets.
A special festive Winterval market will be held at heart of the city in 60 traditionally decorated log cabins offering of the very best quality and range of goods in food, craft, wooden traditional toys and decorations. The cabins are located at Cathedral Square, Bishop’s Palace, Arundle Square.
However, Christmas shoppers in search of that perfect gift can also browse the colourful Waterford HomeCrafts market at the Garter Lane, Arts Centre on O’Connell Street.
Winterval Log Cabin Market is open from Nov 20-22, 27-29 as well as Dec 4-6, 10-13, 17 – 23. Times: Thursday 11am – 8pm; Friday 10am – 8pm; Saturday 11am – 8pm; Sunday 12 – 8pm. Waterford Home Crafts is open from every-day from November 27 to December 22. Times: Monday to Saturday 10 am to 5.30pm, Sunday 1noon to 5.30 pm At Garter Lane, O’Connell Street. For more details seewww.winterval.ie
A special Christmas Craft and Food festival takes place in the Killarney Outlet Centre on November 29 from 12 to 6pm.
The event will feature some 100 local stall-holders from around Kerry, Cork and Limerick – including Great Irish Bake-off 2014 winner Tracy Coyne - offering everything from handmade candles to knitted goods, hand-made chocolate, paintings, carvings, pottery, mulled wine and of course, the best in home baking such as Christmas cakes and puddings.
The event is part of the Christmas in Killarney Festival, which features everything from Christmas parades to festive fun runs and baking competition and runs from November 19 through to the end of December.
For more, visit www.christmasinkillarney.com
Limerick’s popular weekend Milk Market takes on a festive look from December 4 with the magical appearance of festive produce and gifts - everything from wreaths, holly and poinsettas to knitted snowmen, Christmas decorations, gifts of all kinds and baked products like puddings, gingerbread men and mince pies will be on sale.
From December 17 – 24 the market runs weekdays 10am to 3pm and Saturday 8am to 3pm.
For more details visit www.milkmarketlimerick.ie
Wexford’s Winter Wonderland runs from November 28 to January 10, offering everything from ice-skating to a Winterland parade and story-telling with Santa.
Building on the success of previous years, there’s also the town’s annual Bullring Christmas market, a festive showcase of products from the county’s renowned crafts-trail.
The wonderland is sure to attract crowds into the town over the festive season.
Local artists and crafts-people will showcase their wares in a picturesque ‘crafts village’ of wooden huts in the historic surrounds of the town’s Bullring.
Visit www.visitwexford.ie
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