Best known for its fresh fish and butchers (many of whom still serve the best restaurants in the city), English Market is a hub for trade and it provides jobs, directly and indirectly, to thousands of locals. Its layout is simple and easy to navigate. With multiple entrances, the market is easily accessible both by foot and public transit. It hosts over 50 stalls that are run by experienced vendors and blossoming entrepreneurs alike. With its beautiful and historic design as well as a vast assortment of food and goods from around the world, English Market attracts market lovers from around the world--even the queen made a visit in 2011, and she was honored with a plaque to commemorate her visit.

The English Market, located in the center of Cork, Ireland, is a covered market consisting of Princes Street Market and Grand Parade Market. In 1788, English Market started as a meat-centric line of butchers, and a market of some kind has existed on this site ever since. In time the market grew to include diverse vendors and a variety of goods--as indexed by its colorful names like “Mutton Market,” “Root Market”, and “Meat Market Lane.”

The group of buildings in which it is now housed was built during the mid-19th century, and the ornamental entrance at Princes Street was built in 1862 by Sir John Benson. After a fire in 1980, the Cork City Council refurbished the building with the original Victorian building’s design, which won a heritage conservation award.

Image credits: Meg Marks via Flickr, LWYang via Flickr,William Murphy via Flickr

Website: www.englishmarket.ie

Twitter: @EnglishMarket

Facebook: facebook.com/The-English-Market-Cork