Dublin City Council Must Act to Preserve Moore Street Market

4 October 2019

by Cllr Joe Costello

Reports that traders in Moore Street have written to Dublin City Council stating that they are prepared to relinquish their casual trading licenses on the street are deeply disturbing said Joe Costello, Labour Councillor for the North Inner City.

Costello said:

"Moore Street in the heart of Dublin is famous across the world for its street trading.  The end of casual trading on the street would be the death-knell of this 200 year inter-generational market and all the wonderful traditions and history associated with it."

Cllr Costello, a strong ally of the traders in Moore Street for over 40 years  has long decried Dublin City Council’s treatment of the traders and the conditions they were left to work in.

Cllr Costello added:

"Dublin City Council had promised at Traders’ Charter for the casual traders in Moore Street when proposals for the redevelopment of the street were first proposed.  However, this was never delivered and the traders were left to work for years on street with no running water, no electricity and no street lighting.  This recent report, if true, seems to confirm the view that the plan always was to allow the street become run down in order to remove the traders from it.

"Over the years many promises were made to the traders for a new facilities – stalls and canopies, lighting and water and street paving befitting of the oldest market in the Capital City.  Instead, promises of redevelopment came to nought while the area was run down into a totally dilapidated state with declining footfall.

"Moore Street is one of the great old traditions of Dublin. 

"Rather than encouraging the traders to surrender their licenses, Dublin City Council should commit to rejuvenating the market area within a specified time ensuring that this time-honoured Dublin tradition is preserved for future generations of traders and shoppers in the Capital."