Food market on way for Athy

The government has allocated funding for a food market in Athy, and Kildare County Council is currently in the process buying 12 pop-up gazebos for Emily Square.

This emerged at the most recent meeting of Athy Municipal District, where cllr Aoife Breslin asked Kildare County Council for an update on the establishment of a food market at Emily Square.

Administrative officer in corporate services Ruaidhri McLoughlin issued the council’s written response, revealing that the local authority has secured funding from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to establish the food market. The money is for 12 pop-up gazebos “and associated branding to support the market’s development”.

The council is in the process of buying the equipment, but the full details of how the market will be run have not been decided yet and still need to be agreed between different departments in the council.

Mr McLoughlin stated that there is a mid-September deadline for the money to be spent and for a final report to be sent back to the Department.

Speaking at the meeting, cllr Breslin said that she has spoken to “a number of people who are very interested” in being involved in the food market. She asked director of services Alan Dunney if there was someone for those individuals to contact, to register their interest in the food market. Mr Dunney suggested Mr McLoughlin, who was not present at the monthly meeting.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme