IF someone presses a final pint Ion you in the pub, next Friday evening decline their generosity and get home early to bed, for it will be the early risers who will scoop the finest spoils on the first Saturday of the new Temple Bar street market, opening in Meeting House Square at 9 a.m.
If, however, you can't drag yourself out of the sack at that early hour, then dander down for 11 a.m., when Darina Allen will officially crack the bottle of bubbly against the wall to signal the start of the brightest food venture to have hit the capital in years.
The capital has been crying out for a true artisans' market for decades, a place devoid of cheap anoraks and jaundiced fruit and veg, and devoted instead to good things to haul home for lunch. Some of the brightest stars of the regional markets will be proudly flogging their splendiferous wares - Frank Hederman's stunning smoked fish, Toby Simmond's brilliant selection of oils and olives, Janet Drew's peerless preserves, Silke Cropp's luscious cheeses, Denis Healey's great organic vegetables and Sarah Webb's delicious patisserie are just a few of the marketeers.
Anyone who is interested in participating should know that rents for the stalls are miniscule, so if you have the goods and the gift of the gab, contact Una Carmody for details, on (01) 677 2255.