Ideas to be sought for Market House
WEXFORD County Council is getting set to look for expressions of interest this Autumn from those interested in taking on the future development of Gorey’s Market House, possibly as a music venue.
The Market House, built in 1709, is the oldest building on the Main Street and the upstairs part of the building has been rarely used since Gorey Town Council was abolished and its functioned merged into the District Committee of the County Council.
Cllr Malcolm Byrne, who is keen ensure the building enhances the artistic, cultural and musical offering of North Wexford, said that the general public is eager to see the building used for this purpose.
‘Wexford County Council has now acquired a lot of the land behind the building so it will allow for development,’ he said. ‘We’ve done a lot of the groundwork and we want whatever happens to be world class, to keep Gorey on the map.’
‘Any development, which is likely to be in partnership with the private sector, will require significant investment,’ he add- ed. ‘Any expression of interest will need to show how it can adequately resource that investment and ensure the project is financially sustainable.’
He stressed that at all times that the building will remain in public ownership.
‘I’d love to see the development of a music venue but that can also serve other purposes such as exhibitions or trade shows,’ he added. ‘It should also respect the history of the Market House and I’m confident that can be done. The issue is about funding such a development.’
Malcolm said that the Market House Festival recently show- cased how the arts, culture and music remain a strong brand identity for North Wexford.
Several years ago, entrepreneur Harry Crosbie outlined how a multi-purpose 1,500 seater music venue could be built behind the historic building. He said earlier this year that his interest is as strong as ever.