This coming Thursday, 13th of February, the Lord Mayor of the City of Dublin, Oisin Quinn, will unveil a welcome stone marking the site of the Dublin Cattle Market, which was convened at that spot regularly for over one hundred years.
The stone will be sited on the green by Hanlon’s pub on the North Circular Road and will be inscribed “Welcome to Hanlon’s Corner – Location of the Dublin Cattle Market”.
The market proper was situated on Prussia Street and held on Thursday, so the sight of hoards of cattle been driven to market on a Wednesday was a staple event on Wednesdays. The route of the cattle drive proceeded through Ashbourne, Dunshaughlin, Chapelizod and deeper into the north city. Hanlon’s Pub is being honoured by association, as the place were many a deal between cattle farmers were negotiated and bargains eventually struck.
After the market, cows were run all the way down the North Quays or, towards the end, were shunted by rail from the Cabra rail depot to the North Wall station for the Dublin-Liverpool boat.
Trading at the Market is said to have peaked in 1957, with 684, 158 heads of cattle traded that year. In 1970, the Dublin Corporation announced their intention to close the market, following a sharp decline in trades over the ten year period following 1960.
For anyone interested in attending, the ceremony takes place at 2pm.
by Rúairí Conneely
