A weekend trip

The sun was shining in Dublin at that weekend and therefore the trains to Howth, a town at the seaside, were full of local and international tourists. Getting out of the small train station took quite a while, crowds, crowds, crowds.

I wanted to see the fish market which an Ireland travel guide mentioned, in vain, it did not exist anymore. But the associated Howth market still existed, so I went through an entrance which lead to a court yard with a dozen or so stalls. Still, before seeing anything it was inevitable to find a way through the crowds and the smoke of the food carts.

The market offered a good place to eat and people took advantage to enjoy burgers, cup cakes, Lángos, sandwiches, rice noodles, pastry and the like.

Opportunity for small businesses

As a fan of produce markets I was at first sight disappointed of this market place which was so much tourist oriented. But it seemed to be a great option for small food business owners to present their products and make decent sales. The products were definitely of good quality and the choice quite large for these businesses which found their spot on this privately owned market place.

Some food souvenirs

I appreciated that the market made an effort to present products from other parts of Europe: as mentioned earlier the Lángos from Hungary, Italian oils and other specialties, breads in continental style, dried beef strips reminding of Biltong and Spanish delicacies. Certainly the offering was not for the daily consumption but great for bringing back home a non Irish food souvenir.

At the end of my little tour I went into a sandwich shop where there was no real queue. And by coincidence I got to know the owner who is a German. Easy target for a chat. He has this shop since a few years and is very happy with his life and success. In addition Ireland is less stressful than Germany in a good economic environment, at least in Dublin.

All in all: Get a bite and bring back a food souvenir when you spend a sunny day at the sea in Howth.

A little link list:

• The official Howth market website
• Nice blog post from French Foodie in Dublin

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