WHILE Covid lockdowns and the associated bizarre rules that came into play fade into the distance (€9 minimum spend on a substantial meal, anyone? Come to think of it, that would be a bargain in 2025), some elements stayed on, for the better.
Among them was the advent of pop-up trucks and horseboxes happily feeding the masses, and surely one of the most popular is that in Glengarriff.
The ample yard is a godsend for anyone living or passing through, especially with kids. Not many ‘truck stops’ have a real, flushing toilet so close, nor stunning Blue Pool trails.
The food itself is beautiful and various: one could actually have an international breakfast, lunch and dinner with crepes and coffee, pizza, and burritos.
Sitting outside means that kids can let off steam without bothering other diners and in relative safety, and the communal aspect of the ‘dining room’ means the coeliac, the vegetarian, and the one who thinks they’re both, looking for attention, can all eat together with minimum negotiation.
The space is pretty much self-regulatory; no need for a minimum spend, or a menu, or a policy on splitting bills. You don’t have to buy something to use the bathroom, and the high-chair (or lack thereof) is your own problem and your own solution.
The rain and cold, too, is the diner’s own issue, and judging by the fact that the open-air market has persevered no matter what kind of ‘summer’ West Cork gets, it seems that the lack of a roof bothers very few of these hardy people.
But, alas, this week we learn that the death knell has been sounded, a warning that is not being taken lightly by the traders there.
Not only would the closure of such a community-driven space be a loss to the hungry, it means a potential loss to the traders and producers in the locality, too. It’s an annoyance for any visitors who have come to depend on the ‘restaurant’, promising a car-full of children that they’ll eat soon, once they reach Glengarriff.
Regulation is a great and good thing, but when something works so well, why not find a conducive and productive way to keep the good things going?
The Council gets lambasted quite quickly when things go wrong, even when it’s out of their control.
However, they certainly don’t help themselves sometimes. So much strife and panic can be avoided quite easily by coming out in front of a problem.
Seven days is no time at all – for an independent business with no salary, a day’s trading lost can be a huge loss of income.
One weekend lost, even one Saturday lost, could represent a huge dent in income. In a little less than a month it is the Easter midterm, the first big holiday in relatively mild weather for tourist hotspots like Glengarriff and each and every outlet and retail venture that is hitched to that tourism cart.
The Marina Market in the city faced a similar fate of closure in 2022, but was granted a stay of execution for five years in September 2023 with strict planning guidelines from Cork City Council.
The market’s difficulties lay in the fact that the building itself is close to a chemical factory and they have the added problems of large numbers of people and motor traffic.
A market like the one in Quills carpark doesn’t suffer the same dangers, and while parking might be a little ad-hoc, it’s safe to say that any business will benefit when people can park up and get something casual to eat; they’re more inclined to buy the paper, get an ice cream, purchase a cardigan or a bucket and spade or play the lottery.
This is besides the very real social benefit of having an informal communal space. Loneliness and isolation is, we are told, an epidemic. A space to watch the world go by and eat a sandwich is a lot cheaper than therapy and a hell of a lot more preferable to a pill.
Whatever the reason that this edict has been demanded, surely there is an answer to be found. Let them eat cake, sure, but can we do it outdoors please?
