Galway City Councillor Niall ? Brolch?in.

Galway's famous farmers' market, which takes place beside St Nicholas' Church every Saturday, has outgrown its surroundings and must be expanded to cope with the demands for organic produce in the city.

That's according to Galway City Councillor Niall Ó Brolcháin, who told the Galway Independent that a full-time market would thrive in the city and that more focus must be put on finding a new site for the development.

"The farmers' market is very healthy, but there is always room for improvement. There is definitely demand for a full time market in the city, both from consumers and traders. More than 70 traders applied for licenses last year but none were granted due to space restrictions. This cannot continue or it will stifle the vibrancy of the market," he said.

The main obstacle to a full-time market in the city has been the lack of a suitable site. Cllr Ó Brolcháin has urged people to come forward with ideas in order to get the project underway.

"This would be great for the city, as it would make home-grown produce more accessible to everyone. A lot of people don't come into the city at the weekend, so only a specific section of people can avail of the market. A lot of possible sites have been put forward including Hynes' Yard Car Park and Spanish Arch but none have been suitable so far. It is down to the people to come up with ideas and then we will push things forward to make it happen."

Galway Farmer Padraig Fahy of Galway Food Group believes that a full-time market is closer than ever with the arrival of new funding for rural development.

"I would definitely be in favour of a full-time market in the city because, based on the feedback that I get from customers, there is a demand. People often come to me saying it would be great to be able to get fresh produce during the week as well. It would have to be an indoor area because of the climate, but I think a feasibility study would be the first step towards making the new market a reality.

"There is new funding available now, which could also be used to develop the market so the most important thing is to get agreement from everyone involved and then start developing the plans," he said.

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