Clara Market in jeopardy?

Here in the midlands there is an open market event that happens every weekend called The Clara Market.

Ostensibly, it’s a flea-market style affair with makeshift stalls and a mixed bag of various goods . . . some more reputable than others. In any case, I was reading through the papers recently and saw that the market’s future may be threatened by a dispute between two families. Offaly Councillor Tommy McKeigue is calling for the whole market to be closed over the incident last week.

Apparently, the gardai descended on the market to stop a violent fracas that involved iron bars, knives and timber. It’s unfortunate, but the violence has caused the powers that be to look into the market as a whole, bringing up issues of road safety (visitors to the market park on the roadside) and vendor licensing.

It’s a shame, because I really enjoy perusing the hodge-podge of strangeness that the Clara market presents. I hope this doesn’t spell the end of things . . .