Catch of the day for Dunnes as English Market fishmonger opens new stall

Known to many as the face of Cork City’s historic English Market, fishmonger Pat O’Connell says changing retail and shopping trends, not the afternoon car ban on St Patrick’s St, influenced his decision to open a stall in a suburban shopping centre.

“Lots of people will jump up and say it’s because of the car ban but the truth is we’ve been talking to Dunnes about this for the last 18-months to two years. Anyone who tries to link the two doesn’t know me at all,” Mr O’Connell said as he opened his second K O’Connell Fishmongers stall yesterday at the Dunnes Stores Bishopstown Court outlet in the western suburbs — a move that will create 10 jobs.

I am passionate about the English Market. I was ‘reared’ in the market, I’ve spent my life in the market. It has an incredible experiential offering, one you can’t match anywhere in Ireland. It has a history, a tradition, a great product and a remarkable skillset built up over two centuries.

“But retail is changing. That’s the bottom line. People are just not going to town as much as they were. That’s nothing to do with town — it’s just because people are living busy lifestyles and they are shopping at different times. I have a new generation coming up [in the business], and you can leave passion rule everything else, but when it comes down to the nuts and bolts, retail is changing, people are doing their shopping more in the suburbs, and you need to be part of that. This makes complete business sense.”

Joe Duke, the manager of Bishopstown Court, said they are thrilled to land one of Cork’s iconic food retailers in their new food hall alongside James Whelan Butchers, Nourish, Alternative Bread Company, Sheridans Cheeses, and Baxter and Green.

“Pat is an exceptional fishmonger, with an international reputation for doing the simple things well which is very important to us,” he said. “He also shares the same ethos and passion for great food.”

Mr O’Connell’s mother, Kathleen, opened her stall in the English Market in 1962. Mr O’Connell and his brother Paul, and their children, Eoin, Sean, and Emma, are now involved in the business.

Despite the closure some years ago of a stall they opened in another suburban shopping centre, Mr O’Connell said that the time and circumstances are right to open this one.

“The tricky bit was trying to transfer what we do in the market to a supermarket,” he said.

“That’s not easy, because we want to fillet fish in front of people, we want to talk to them about how to cook it. But in fairness to Dunnes, they’ve done everything they possibly can to accommodate us. It will be the same offering, pricing, the same conversation and slagging. It will be like a little slice of the English Market in the suburbs.”

Asked if stressed-out Young Offenders mum, Mairead, who normally works the market stall, will move to the Bishopstown branch, Pat joked: “She’ll have to posh up the auld accent.”