End of an era as Westport Country Market closes after 39 years

Thursdays in Westport won’t be the same after the closure of Westport Country Market.

The decision was made due to a combination of both aging producers and customer base.

Maria Gallagher, chair of the Westport Country Market, explains that “we never recovered back to pre Covid-19 levels and it was a struggle to recruit new members, especially in the food chain.

“It was more than a market, it was a community hub. It will be missed, but without the people to produce on a committed basis, you just can't do it.”

Attracting younger producers has also proved difficult and may be a reflection of the changing socio-economic demands of modern life.

“The writing has been on the wall for a long time”, Helen Shanley tells The Mayo News.

She is the Secretary of the Westport Country Market and had been part of the country market family for over 37 years. She has seen the changing landscape in real time.

“Mortgages are high, rents are high, people have full time jobs. When I was a young mother, I had a part-time job but things have changed. Everybody needs full-time jobs,” she observes.

When the country market started there were no supermarkets but now, “markets all over the country are now failing and supermarkets are now doing what we traditionally always did.”

Using the example of apple tarts, she laughs that “I wouldn’t like to tell you how many we sold, thousands of them,” before remarking that you can now buy them at the garage.

Cultural hub
For many, it was more than a place to buy fresh home baked goods or crafts, it was a real social hub for the town and its people.

Bea Moran’s jam was a favourite for many at the market over many years and the photo of her 90th birthday party in November encapsulates the spirit of the place and shows that, as Maria explains, it was “more than a market.”

Western Care were regular visitors to the coffee shop as were the town's traffic wardens and police.

Fr John Kenny will miss the camaraderie and the “buzz about the place”, as well as the marmalade.

“It's not just a market at all, we were there for people widowed or living alone, and they could sit at a table and chat with anybody. We provided a different kind of service,” Mrs Shanley tells The Mayo News.

“I’m very sad for the people who came in for the company. There were people who lived alone who came in to chat to people for two hours over a pot of tea and chat. That’s very sad. There is nowhere for them to go,” Shanley laments.

Business incubator
It was a launch pad for many food businesses over the years. Two of the big success stories to have started out in the market are Jack & Eddie sausages and the indomitable Redmond ‘Red’ Cabot’s Cabots of Westport.

“Jack and Eddie's sausages started with us, he used to come in to sell his sausage when they started making them first. And we'd all be throwing in our advice, and give them recipes for Toad in the Hole or whatever. They’re very successful now,” Mrs Shanley says with pride.

Similarly, Cabots of Westport’s famous beetroot tapenade and humus were first sold in the Westport Country Market and can now be found on supermarket shelves around the country.

READ MORE: Cabot's Cookery School officially opens in Aughagower

Maria Gallagher wishes to extend thanks “on behalf of all our members we wish to thank Peter Mullen and all the members of St Anne's Boxing Club for their support in letting us have their Premises over the years. Also our thanks to Deirdre Rosenkranz of the Olde Railway Hotel for her support during the Covid era.

“Thanks to all the volunteers who helped keep our Market going for 39 years. Also we remember all those members who have passed on and gave their time generously during their time.”

Photo caption:

From L to R front row: Ann Nolan Bea Moran celebrates her 90th birthday in November, Maria Gallagher, Chairperson 

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme