THE LIMERICK MARKET

'ANYONE ELSE FOR THE ORANGES ?'

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The Market in Limerick city is a hive of activity on Saturday mornings when traders set up their stalls to display their wares for the perusal of the good citizens who flock to this traditional place of commerce. In previous times the stall-holders were mostly farmers selling their home-grown produce but nowadays there is a wide variety of items on display, from car accessories to cheeses...from home made pastry pies to ever so slightly out of date chocolates! Ostensibly the Market is about trade but in fact its all about meeting people and acts as a hub of community right in the heart of the city...and long may it do so.

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The market teems with life
And jangles to the sound of gentle trade,
A bit of haggling is still kosher
For the older ones who dare,
For all the rest this sunny bazaar
Is worth its weight in gold
The market stalls that dot the streets
The trinkets bought and sold.


A melting pot of rich and poor
All colours of the world jostle here
And always there is an old acquaintance
Lost over time who suddenly appears
Or an overheard remark of jovial bargaining
The wit and the humour fly through the air
A phrase that puts a smile on the face
And lightens the heart and eases all care…

Vegetables laid out in naked rows,
Their glistening skins
Spilling the very essence
Into the May warmed air,
Fruits and flowers of exotic hues
Seductively stacked
To lure the jaded eye to stop and stare.

And jams and pies and home baked bread
And the aroma of pastries to wake the dead,
And beads and books and coats and chocs
And tools and mats and well-oiled locks,
From a needle to an anchor can be found
Strewn on a table, spread on the ground,
All human life and all earthly fare
Are yours for the asking
At this City centre Fair!

Gerard O'Shea