15/06/2026
A heartfelt thank you from Bushy Park Market
It is with great sadness that we share the news that our social enterprise project, known and loved by many as Bushy Park Market, has not been successful in securing the tender to operate the market in Bushy Park.
While this is deeply disappointing, we are also very proud that our application scored highest across all areas except the financial element. That, in itself, says a great deal about what was built here, the values behind it, and the strength of the community project that so many people helped to create.
For those who may not know the story, Bushy Park Market began with a community meeting in 2012. Over 250 people turned up, and from that gathering around 20 local ideas and projects emerged. One of those ideas was the dream of creating a community market for Terenure.
At the time, Dublin City Council was not operating markets in parks in the way we know them now, so we were asked to prove the concept first. That was easier said than done. We struggled to find a suitable place to begin, until Gerry Caffrey very generously came to the rescue.
Every weekend, a group of volunteers came together to move cars out of Gerryās car lot so that the market could take place in the village. It was hard work, but it was also full of energy, goodwill and belief. The market quickly became a much-loved part of Terenure and, after more than a year of building support and proving the idea, we began discussions about bringing it into Bushy Park.
Dublin City Council Parks agreed, and history was made.
From there, we never looked back.
Over the years, the market became far more than a place to shop. It became part of the community. It supported local food producers, craftspeople, small businesses and young Terenure enterprises. It brought people together week after week. It gave people a place to meet, to connect, to volunteer, showcase our other projects to collaborate and to feel part of something local and positive.
One of the hopes from that original 2012 meeting was to create employment in Terenure. We are incredibly proud to say that two jobs were created through this one community project. This was long before āsocial enterpriseā became a familiar phrase. We were doing it before we even had the words for it.
Looking back now, it has been an extraordinary 12 years. We have seen more than a decade of community spirit, local support, collaboration and friendship. The market was something very special project , and that is because of the people behind it and the people who supported it.
We would like to sincerely thank the original group of approximately 12 volunteers who worked so hard to get the project off the ground. Without their belief, time and determination, none of this would have happened.
We also want to give a very special and heartfelt thank you to Georgina and Anne, who have made the market such a warm, welcoming and special place over the past number of years. Their work, commitment and care have meant so much to the community.
To every trader, volunteer, customer, supporter, neighbour, friend, local group and community partner who played a part in the Bushy Park Market story: thank you. You helped create something that mattered.
There will be a market operating in Bushy Park in the coming weeks, under a new operator, and it will be relocated down beside the tennis courts. We wish everyone involved well as this new chapter begins.
For us, this is the end of a very special chapter, but we are immensely proud of what was achieved. Bushy Park Market began as a community idea, built by volunteers, supported by local people, and sustained by a shared belief in Terenure.
Thank you for being part of it.
Jim O'Callaghan TD
James Geoghegan
Cllr. Punam Rane
Cllr. Yvonne Collins
Cllr Pamela Kearns
John Lahart TD
Patrick Costello T.D. - Dublin South Centralcarolinemoore
Ivana Bacik
Eoin Ć Broin TD
Cllr. Fiona Connelly
