Call for food market to be established in this Kildare town

Funding was recently secured from the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine for the establishment of a food market in Kildare

By Ciarán Mather Published 15th Jun 2026, 15:30 BST Call for food market to be established in this Kildare town | FILE PHOTOGRAPH / PIXABAY Funding was recently secured from the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine for the establishment of a food market in Kildare Sign up to our Kildare Live newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know you can manage your profile, and explore all of the available newsletters from Kildare Live within your account.

A councillor, in addition to a number of Kildare residents, has expressed interest in the establishment of a food market in one County Kildare town.

Labour Party Cllr Aoife Breslin supported the idea of a potential food market in Emily Square, Athy at the latest Athy Municipal District meeting, which took place on Monday, June 15.

READ NEXT: €6m residential development given go-ahead for this Kildare town

Specifically, she asked Kildare County Council (KCC) to provide an update in relation to the establishment of a food market in the Emily Square region of Athy.

In response to her question, KCC said that funding was recently secured from the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine for the establishment of a food market in Athy.

Labour Party Cllr Aoife Breslin | PHOTO CREDIT: KILDARECOCO.IE KCC elaborated: “This funding is specifically allocated for the purchase of 12 pop-up gazebos and associated branding to support the market’s development.

“Procurement for the market infrastructure is currently underway.

“However, the detailed operational arrangements for the Athy Market have not yet been finalised and remain subject to further cross-departmental consultation to agree key operational elements, the staffing and resourcing arrangements for the market.”

KCC also noted that this funding is time bound, all expenditure must be completed, and a full report must be submitted to the Department by mid-September.

“This places a clear requirement on KCC to progress both procurement and implementation within this timeframe,” KCC added.

Speaking further on the matter, Cllr Breslin told KCC: “A number of people have expressed interest in taking part in the market; who can they contact?”

A representative for KCC who was also present at the meeting replied that they can contact Ruaidhrí McLoughlin, who is an adminstrative officer for KCC’s Corporate Services section.

READ NEXT: Kildare listed as most challenging county for family-friendly living

Related topics: Kildare County Council Cllr Aoife Breslin Department of Agriculture Kildare Kildare Politics Sign up to our Kildare Live newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know you can manage your profile, and explore all of the available newsletters from Kildare Live within your account.