Strawberry sellers are a ubiquitous sight on Irish roads during the summer months, and nowhere more so than in Wexford. The county produces the vast majority of strawberries grown in Ireland.
On the busy N11 just north of Enniscorthy, Sarah Martin (15) is minding a stall selling strawberries, tomatoes, potatoes, jams and fruit juices. "I just started in August," she said. The teenager works six-hour shifts, starting at 9am and finishing at 3pm.
She whiles the hours away listening to music, reading and, of course, texting. "I read magazines and books and I have a radio so that keeps me busy," she said.
A few hundred yards down the road, Darlene Grant (17) has been working her stall six days a week since the end of May. "It's not too boring," she said. "I read books and text people or play games on my phone."
Like any veteran she has her fair share of war stories. "One day a van came by driving fairly hard and they pulled in really close and a guy jumped out and landed on top of the table," she said. "Another day a woman's tyre blew out and she bounced off the barrier and nearly took one of the other girls out."
The safety of young sellers is an area of concern. Wexford Fine Gael councillor Kathleen Codd-Nolan believes it needs attention. "It's very dangerous with the speed of traffic. Some councillors would be in favour of banning them altogether, but I think we need to find some balance and just tighten things up," she said.
A spokesman for Enniscorthy Garda said "so long as they are not causing a traffic disruption, we would not have any objections to them. But the onus lies with the producer to guarantee the safety of the sellers."
Local fruit grower Cyril Wheelock operates five stalls around Enniscorthy. He said the rate of pay is just under €8 an hour, but the sellers are delighted to get it. "We have no problem getting sellers so I think that's an indication that it's a fair wage," he said.
With many producers growing under plastic, the season now runs from early May to early November. "It used to be about three weeks but it's a much longer season now," said Wheelock. He has a "more mature lady" lined up to sell for him when the schools go back next month.
Kamikaze table-crashers and traffic woes will not be enough to deter Sarah Martin. "It's my first year doing it but the people are very nice so I'd say I will be back next year," she said.