I'm proud to be part of the story at Cork's English Market

THE English Market is more than just a building or a place of commerce. There are layers to it, from its storied 235-year history to the building itself, traders and customers. It’s the people’s market, an integral and important part of the city’s identity.

But of course, the market doesn’t operate by magic. While the traders rightly take centre stage, a team works behind the scenes supporting traders, maintaining the building, and promoting what’s good, new and special about this historic market.

In October, 2022, commercial property agents, Lisney, were appointed by Cork City Council as managing agents for the English Market, appointing born and bred Corkonian, Brendan Walsh, as property manager.

I caught up with Brendan to ask him about his role, how the market strives to stay relevant, tackling the challenge of sustainability, and balancing the market’s role as a tourism destination.

The role of property manager is a point of connection between all the market stakeholders, explains Brendan.

We manage the operations of the market in partnership with Cork City Council to ensure we meet the daily operations and promotional needs of the market.

“We are the link between traders and the council,” adds Brendan. “We have regular meetings with the traders’ committee so there’s an open line of communication between all parties.”

They cover everything from the fabric of the building to the operational structure.

“On the promotional side, we work with Fuzion Communications who look after PR to promote our traders, what new products they have, how they make and grow what they have.”

Brendan has been in property and facilities management for more than 20 years, including running his own business.

“I have a lot of experience – and love – for buildings,” he says. “What better place to be and to have on my portfolio than The English Market! Everything is progression – you go from one opportunity to the next, and now I can add to the management of this beautiful space.

“When the opportunity arose to include the management of the market on our portfolio, I jumped at the chance to be part of it. 

In my eyes, the market is not just a property, but a space and an integral part of Cork. 

"The space is brought to life by traders and customers; they are the heartbeat of the market. Traders get their produce from the best, ensure they sell the best, and always maintain their standards.”

The Council may own the market, but together with the tradersm Brendan and his team at Lisney work together to create a future vision for The English Market.

When the market was built 235 years ago, it was a response to the myriad smaller markets dotted around the city. Historic records kept by the old Cork Corporation (a precursor to today’s Cork City Council), often sited issues with organisation, hygiene, and the cost of constant maintenance and remedial works on the old markets as a losing battle and something of a money pit.

When the new English Market opened in 1788, those issues were resolved. But the market is no longer a spring chicken and, as with all old buildings, there is a constant need to repair, replace and maintain.

Lisney receive a service budget to deal with operational issues, but Cork City Council are responsible for financing the upkeep of the market’s structure – no easy task with such an old building. Of pressing concern is the roof.

“The roof and the façade on Grand Parade need substantial improvement while trying to maintain an operating market,” says Brendan. 

“That’s very important because if the continuity is broken then it’s broken for everything. That’s the reason why [these works] must be taken very seriously and is where the council come in and are putting a plan together to design and cost the project.”

There is also a need to look ahead, and sustainability is firmly on the agenda with plans to make the market the ‘green heart of the city’.

“Cork City Council continually strive to make the English Market the green heart of the city,” explains Brendan. 

The long-term objective is to install solar panels, create a rainwater harvesting system, and implement bio-harvesting of all food waste from the market, and returning the soil [created by breaking down food waste] back to producers who supply food to the market. But our main issue is space.

Both solar capture and rainwater harvesting are dependent on the completion of repairs to the roof – the current structure can’t support either of these installations.

“You have to do one thing to do the other things, but it’s all in the grand plan. Some of the changes can only be made when the structural upgrades have been completed, which are in the pipeline.”

Meanwhile, the market makes inroads where it can, mainly by recycling all waste and packaging, and fitting out the market with energy efficient lighting.

“We’ve looked into getting a biodigester [at the market], but space is our issue, so we are looking to an external biodigester. I’m of the view that the day has to come where you can’t just be dumping anything. You have to reuse it, whether its packaging or food, so we need to lead where we can. Everything must be looked at; everything is on the table.”

How to operate more sustainably is a modern challenge for an old space. But if the history of the English Market has shown us anything, it’s that it can adapt to changing times and remain relevant.

In 2023, a new campaign called Start Your Story was launched to find new traders to take up residence and add to the vibrancy of the market.

Last year, the market experienced a lot of change in a short time, with some very long-standing stalls closing. While change can be unsettling, it does present a rare opportunity for new traders to establish and add to the story of the market.

“Cork City Council strive to create the best mix of products and stallholders within the market to satisfy customer needs and ensure the market continues to serve the city.

“Some long-standing traders closed their doors, so there was a need to welcome new traders to the market. We launched the Start Your Story campaign to allow budding food entrepreneurs, established food businesses, and artisan enthusiasts the opportunity to join the historic community of traders.

“When selecting new traders, a selection criteria ranked the suitability of potential new stall-holders. We looked at the innovative aspect of their product and how they fitted with the core market ethos. We’ve since welcomed two new traders, Cork Rooftop Farm and Pie Guys (who featured in earlier parts of this series).

We’d like to see new traders in the market enhancing the experience for customers, strengthen the markets offering and Cork’s position as the food capital of Ireland.

The Pie Guys join a small number of traders serving ready-to-go food - a departure from the traditional make up of the market as a raw food market.

“People are changing; they are busy and want food on the go, so we have to offer that element – if we don’t, we’ll get left behind. There’s an awful lot of evaluation and thought into the decision made about who trades in the market, because everything is taken with a long-term view. We take huge care in getting the right fit for the market.”

With bigger stalls, the market is interested in embracing any opportunity for people to sit and linger longer and soak up the atmosphere.

“Sometimes, you’re losing what the market has to offer when just going through and out the door. If you can sit down, as people do at Coffee Central, and enjoy the atmosphere, the hustle and bustle, the noise, the smells, the people-watching, that is an opportunity we won’t pass up on,” explains Brendan.

Combining the authenticity of a working market with the leisurely pursuits of eating, drinking coffee and people-watching strikes a familiar tone. World famous markets in European cities, such as La Boqueria in Barcelona, aspire to be a world-class tourist-friendly gastronomic and cultural destination. Is this part of the future vision for the market, and if so, can a good balance be maintained?

The main challenge is maintaining the market’s unique identity that the people of Cork know and love.

“As the world modernises, the food offerings modernise with it, and we need to ensure there is a balance between the traditional and modern because both make the market what it is,” says Brendan.

“We work with traders and the Council to implement any changes, ensuring it serves its main purpose as a working market. We’ll be looking to build events in conjunction with the council around Culture Night and St Patrick’s Day, attracting local culture and tourism from all over the world.

“Twinning with other European markets will allow us to exchange ideas on the way markets are run to create a better experience for customers, traders, for tourism and business development of the market. It’s an opportunity to be explored further this year.

“Visitors to Cork love coming to the English Market. Tour operators are required to gain permission to bring groups of visitors to allow the market to manage numbers, but it all adds to the market’s atmosphere and vibrancy and visitors are always very welcome.

“We need to always make sure the English Market is top of the pyramid, that we have the best traders supplying the best quality product at the best price for what they sell. 

That’s why the traders here have gone on for generations - if you don’t, people find out quickly enough!

Brendan is relishing the opportunity to add another chapter in the market’s story, and there is genuine respect for those that work hard to make the experience unique in Ireland.

“How they do it, I don’t know, but I tip my hat to them. They’re here in the cold, they love talking to people, they love their product, and they just deliver. They‘re brilliant!”