Letter to Editor: Reclaiming Athy’s Market
A shot of Emily Square during the recent community photoshoot at Emily Square taken by Anthony Hubbock
MARKETS are part of the DNA of Irish towns. Athy’s Market, with rights stretching back over 500 years, is one of the oldest. It is not just a place where goods are exchanged, but part of our shared story: a symbol of Athy as a meeting place, a trading town, and a community built on openness and exchange.
That is why the current debate on the Draft Casual Trading Bye-Laws 2025 is so important. These rules will shape not only how the market operates, but whether it thrives or stagnates. And if we are honest, Athy’s market has been allowed to stagnate before.
The truth is that the market has been neglected for decades. It has struggled to keep pace with modern expectations, slipping too often into a humdrum offering of banality and poor fare. Without vision and oversight, that neglect will continue, no matter what the bye-laws say.
We must be clear: protecting Athy’s historic rights to a market is not enough. Rights without proper administration, investment, and imagination will only lead us back to the tired version of the market we have already seen.
In past coverage, the Tuesday Market has been described as being in its ‘former glory’. For many of us, that image brings a reminder of how much potential remains untapped. The challenge now is not to look back wistfully, but to reimagine the market as something vibrant, diverse, and central to the life of Athy once again.
So what should that future look like? I believe there are three key steps.
The Square is Athy’s heart and should remain central to the experience of the market. But instead of being filled with stalls, it should be designed as a place where people gather after visiting the market: to sit, eat, and connect. Permanent covered seating and a visually clean layout would make it an inviting public space all week long, not just on Tuesdays or weekends.
Emily Square could also become a stage for activity, from music and street performers to small shows and community events that will create an atmosphere of vibrancy and celebration. By keeping it open, welcoming, and alive with cultural energy, the Square can be both a focal point for the market and a space the town enjoys every day.
The Square alone cannot carry the weight of a modern market. That is why the council should invest in Abbeylands, extending the market district from the back square around the historic Courthouse and into new public space. The Athy Food Hub, now coming online, is the perfect partner in this vision.
By connecting the market to local food producers, we could showcase Athy as a hub of innovation and home-grown quality. That is how markets elsewhere in Kildare and across Ireland have revived themselves: by linking heritage to modern enterprise.
Markets thrive on variety. Right now Athy risks being too narrow and uninspiring. By structuring weekends into themed markets — craft and makers on Saturdays, food and producers on Sundays — Athy could attract wider audiences and create a fresh rhythm of activity in the town centre. St Albans in London does this successfully, with one day focused on food and another on craft. We can adapt the model to suit Athy.
Alongside these steps, we should also think about Athy’s evening economy. Other counties have piloted ‘Café Late’ schemes and small grants for night-time events, encouraging cafés and food businesses to stay open later with cultural programming. With Emily Square and Abbeylands lit and serviced for evening use, Athy could host monthly night markets, music, and food events. This would extend footfall beyond the working day, support local businesses, and make Athy a destination again.
Critics of the bye-laws, like former councillor Thomas Redmond, have rightly highlighted issues such as vague criteria, restrictive hours, and excessive insurance demands that could deter small traders.
These concerns must be addressed, and it is up to the council — with the support of its councillors — to make the effort to put workable solutions in place. Traders should, of course, bear the weight of their own costs and responsibilities, but the framework must be fair, transparent, and proportionate.
Clear trading hours need to be outlined so that the market can operate with certainty and consistency. It is also important to recognise that the submission being made by the council is not about removing Athy’s market, but about regulating it in order to make it manageable and sustainable into the future.
If implemented well, the rewards will be clear and measurable: increased footfall in the town centre, a wider mix of traders and stalls, stronger links between local producers and customers, and new jobs created in Athy. These are the outcomes we should be aiming for.
Farmers’ markets across Ireland show what is possible. When properly managed, they have brought towns back to life, given small businesses a platform, and created jobs. Athy deserves the same.
Let us have our market. Let us keep our heritage. But let us not settle for a market that limps along, barely alive.
With proper oversight, investment, and imagination, Athy’s market can once again be the vibrant centre of community life. Without it, we risk losing not just a market, but a piece of who we are.
