Hi,

I have spoken to Klaus of Transition Town Kinsale. He has a mailing list of a few hundred people in the local area. He will send out an email to them publicising the market. I have drafted a possible message. If you are happy with it I will get it circulated.

He also suggested that you may wish to put up a poster at the College to inform the students and that you may have contacts at the secondary school to encourage lunchtime trips to the market.

Letter to TTK list re market reverting to Short Quay

Dear Claus,

I would be grateful if you could bring your TTK members up to date with the progress of Kinsale Farmers Market.

This market provides a valuable service to the Kinsale community by offering it additional choice of food not offered by existing local retailers. It generates badly needed extra business for the town, acts as an easy and effective way for people, many of them local, to start and run a business and it provides an attraction and valuable service to visiting tourists as well as being a regular meeting place for all strata of the local community.

After starting in 1995 it soon became one of the leading Farmers Markets in Cork county with up to 35 stalls and a lively atmosphere.

After two years Council officials decided that it should not continue in Short Quay and it moved to various less suitable venues around the town all the time shedding customers and stallholders. Happily a new set of Council officials are taking a more positive view and are planning to re-pave Short Quay to improve the area for many activities including the Market.

The Farmers Market has moved back to the Short Quay on Wednesdays (not Tuesdays as previously) and every week brings more stalls and customers attending it.

The purpose of this letter is to ask your readers to spread the word that the Market is back in business in Short Quay each Wednesday from 10.am to about 2.0pm. and to come and enjoy it.

Thanks.

Cameron Ryle

With regard to the Council Officials would it not be an idea to invite the new Manager and Engineer to meet the Stall holders to discuss future trading?

All the best,

Cameron Ryle

From: Sean McLoughlin [mailto:Sean.McLoughlin@CorkCoCo.ie]
Sent: 12 August 2011 10:43
To: Cameron Ryle
Subject: RE: Kinsale Farmers Market

Dear Mr Ryle,

Denis Deasy has taken a period of leave prior to his retirement and will therefore no longer be the Manager of Kinsale. Apparently that job will go to Patricia Power who is at present a director of service here in County Hall. Prior to Denis’ departure he requested that I draw up a proposal for the paving of the short quay with a view to apply for funding from bord Failte.

Patricia Power and I walked the short Quay earlier this week to familiarize ourselves with a potential project. I have subsequently handed the sketch drawing on to the Town Engineer and to our Corporate Affairs Dept to see if they can source funding.

I am sure that Patricia Power will endeavor to regularize the operations of the market Issues in Kinsale as it is important part of the town’s makeup.

Kind regards,

Sean McLoughlin

Senior Architect

Cork County Council

From: Denis Deasy [mailto:Denis.Deasy@CorkCoCo.ie]
Sent: 22 July 2011 13:17
To: Cameron Ryle
Subject: RE: Kinsale Farmers Market

Dear Mr. Ryle,

I wish to acknowledge receipt of your emails. I note your comments and can assure you that we have been actively involved in trying to resolve the Market issues in Kinsale. I would hope to have considerable progress made in the near future and be in a position to announce plans which will regularize the operation of the Market to the satisfaction of all concerned.

I thank you for your interest and look forward to your continued patronage of the traders in Kinsale.

Denis Deasy

COUNTY ARCHITECT

Cork County Council

County Hall

Cork

Tel: (021) 4285429

Fax: (021) 4346362

email: denis.deasy@corkcoco.ie

Dear Mr Deasy,

I am surprised and disappointed that I have not had the courtesy of a reply to my email to you reproduced below.

However I am hopeful that you are nevertheless treating the matter with urgency and that you do not wish to preside over the closure of the Market by inaction..

I was told by the stallholders last Wednesday that their weekly losses are such that they are not likely to be able keep going for more than a few weeks without the clear prospect of an early move back to the Short Quay. I trust that you will be in touch with them before next Wednesday’s market to resolve any issues that you may have and give a firm early date for the move back.

Yours sincerely,

Cameron Ryle

_____________________________________________
From: Cameron Ryle [mailto:candiryle@gmail.com]
Sent: 18 July 2011 12:16
To: 'denis.deasy@corkcoco.ie'
Cc: Kevin Murphy (Kevin Murphy); Alan Coleman (Alan Coleman); Alan Clayton (Alan Clayton)
Subject: Kinsale Farmers Market

Denis Deasy

Kinsale Town Manager

Dear Mr Deasy

I am writing about the future of the Weekly food market in Kinsale known as the Farmers Market.

I am a Development Consultant based near Kinsale for 30 years and involved in helping small and medium sized businesses and in incoming tourism. I have no connection with the market or any of its stall holders other than as a customer.

It was started by Miles Cattell in 2005 and operated from Short Quay every Tuesday except in January. It soon established itself as one of the leading Markets in the county . At its peak there were about 35 stallholders and a waiting list of stallholders in certain categories. It was highlighted in national and international media as an example of a successful market which fitted well with Kinsale’s image as a progressive food orientated tourist destination.

What could possibly go wrong?

In 2008 the organiser was informed by council officials that due to Health and Safety factors the Market could no longer operate in Short Quay.

The Market moved to a site at St Multose car park in spite of misgivings by the stall holders and others as to its suitability. It was no surprise that trade dropped substantially due to its inappropriate location. Eventually it closed and a handful of stall holders moved to a private site adjoining Cronin’s shop and next the Tourist Office as a temporary measure while hoping to move back into the Short Quay. As trade at this site is so poor it is unlikely to survive beyond August.

There seems to be little impetus by the Council to save the market by getting it back to the Short Quay. The Health and Safety issue appears to be a red herring as the council is quite prepared to rightly allow the Kinsale Arts Festival to use the Short Quay for music and dancing.

The advantages to Kinsale of having a successful weekly market are well known and undisputed and a summary of them is in included in the attached appendix.

There is considerable local support for the market at Short Quay as evidenced by the number of emails sent to local councillors when the move was first announced (about 200 emails per councillor) and the petition of several hundred organised by Myles Cattell.

As Kinsale Manager I am sure you would like to see an enterprise of such value to Kinsale get back on track and be associated with success rather than contribute to failure.

Could you give it priority to have what outstanding issues there may be resolved and set an early firm date for the return to the Short Quay.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

CAMERON RYLE

Hi all, we are back and in the right part of town. Kinsale Farmers Market is to start again on Wednesday the 2nd march in and around the Temperance Hall on Short Quay. Please note the Change of Day to Wednesdays , and I hope we will see you all there.

resronse from Minister Gormley's office

Dear Mr Cattell ,

I refer again to your recent emails in connection with the Kinsale Farmers Market.

I made some enquiries on your behalf with the Town Manager Ms. Mary Ryan and she informed me that there are no plans to relocate the farmers market back to Short Quay. According to Ms. Ryan, there are two separate reports which identify Health and Safety concerns with that location. The Town Council have identified an alternative location at Church Square car park which they say is satisfactory for most of the traders. They propose to continue the market at this location.

Please understand that the Minister does not micro-manage the day to day affairs of local authorities and therefore decisions
regarding the location of the farmers market is totally a matter for the Town Council.

Yours sincerely,


Eddie Kiernan
Private Secretary

response to 3rd Audit

18/08/10

Dear Ms Kelleher

I have just received your correspondence via Mr. Daly.

I find it strange that I was not consulted by Mr Stockdale , on any of his concerns, some of which do not exist .

I would like to take this opportunity to address same .

1. It is planned to pave the Sq to the first step, and pedestrianise , and we have worked around all obstacles for 5 years . Was Mr Stockdale made aware that a market had been running there for 5 years without a hitch?

2. The layout of stalls submitted by me , would not impede any fire exits, This was not given to Mr Stockdale.

3. Again the new layout would not impede access to emergency vehicles.

4.There are 5 exits from the site .

5 No diesel generators have ever been used in the market.

6. Gas bottles are used in every market in Ireland , but if required we would disallow the use of same in Kinsale.

I trust you will consider the above , as Kinsale needs a successful Market as much as the Market needs Kinsale .

I have over 500 signature from the towns people to con firm this.

Yours Miles Cattell