ASHE Street will be the location for a new retailer to open an outlet in April.
The Woollen Market, founded in Clare in 2015, already has four stores open in Liscannor, Ennis, Westport and Sligo. It will set up its fifth outlet at the former Regatta Great Outdoors store which has relocated to Shaws.
A number of jobs will be created and work will take place on fitting out the shop over the next number of weeks. The business, as its name suggests, is famous for showcasing the best from Ireland’s talented design-makers, woollen mills, artisan jewellers and craftspeople.
.Launching the Ashe Street Festival were representatives of businesses on the street, from left: Lilian Holmes (Mozarts), Svajanas Jonavicius (Amaretto), Linda Mulcahy (Ashe Hotel), Paul Horan (Husseys), Deirdre Enright (Craft Makers) and Michaél Moran (Ryle). Photo by Gavin O’Connor.
ASHE STREET has undergone a bit of a renaissance of late and that continues with announcement of a series of seasonal one day street festivals, the first of which happens on Saturday, November 19.
The first Winter event will celebrate the season that is upon us with street entertainment, discounts and special offers across a range of shops and eateries on the street.
Traders have come together to represent the Ashe Street Quarter which also includes nearby pedestrian laneways and market place environs in the heart of Tralee.
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“The area has great choice and offers a unique experience for visitors and for locals,” said Deirdre Enright at Craft Makers Centre.
“We encourage everyone to visit the street on the day to avail of promotions, discounts and special offers right across the Ashe Street Quarter. Special offers can be had in the following premises on the day,” added Deirdre.
An area of significant cultural and historical value, Ashe Street has undergone a cool rebirth in recent years. It is now home to a great number of independently-owned small businesses offering shopping, dining, entertaining and professional services experiences to the town of Tralee.
The Craft Makers Centre has organised poetry and rhyming entertainment for 3-8 year olds at 10.30am on the 19 as well as an opportunity to have jewellery by Alison Walsh and screen prints by Edel Wilson commissioned for Christmas in their centre on the corner of Ashe Street.
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Dress Designer Karyn Moriarty and artist Roisín McGuigan will be offering free studio tours. A Medieval Make & Do will take place on the street with live entertainment from buskers and street artists.
On the food front, Mozart’s are hosting an outdoor barbeque with seafood sliders and venison burgers, while newly established Italian Food Emporium, Italianissimo, will be serving up Sicilian Sausage & Pepper Sandwiches.
At 1.30pm on the day, a Live Model Fashion Show on the windows of Ryles Menswear, Shindig, Regatta Great Outdoors & Sean Hussey Menswear promises to be the highlight of the day and great fun as you watch the live ‘mannequins’ move to the musical sounds of a Ukulele Band.
Watch out for mime artists, candle makers and card trick entertainers while street artists will be at work on art pieces across the street throughout the day. At 2pm a Dog Show has been organised by The Pet Obsession with all monies raised going to Animal Help Net.
The entertainment goes on into the night with Jazz & Gin at The Ashe Hotel from 4.3opm while a poetry evening at Chopin’s Cafe from 6pm offers a reading by poet Noel King and guest writers accompanied by gorgeous wine and tapas.
At 8pm Il Forno are hosting a Comedy Evening with Joe Rooney at 8pm. Visitors can end the night with a Craft Cocktail at Roundy’s Bar.
The traders involved are: The Barber, Regatta Great Outdoors, Ryle Menswear, Shindig, Weardrobe, Sean Hussey’s Menswear, Lana Asian Street , The Pet Obsession, Lloyds Pharmacy, Healthcare@Home, Amaretto Tea & Coffee, NCBI, St. John’s Dental, Craft Makers, Tralee Credit Union, Ulster Bank and John Brassil TD Constituency Office.
Everyone is encouraged to pick up a brochure in any shop on the street and see the programme of events listed for the day or check out the Ashe Street Quarter Facebook page.
For more information contact Deirdre Enright, Craft Makers M: 086 8524222 or by email to deirdre@craftmakers.ie
.Cousins Angelo Nicosia and Giuseppe Andolina outside their new Italian deli on Ashe Street. Photo by Dermot Crean
THESE really are exciting times for foodies in Tralee, especially with regard to the Ashe Street/Courthouse Lane quarter of Tralee.
It started this time last year with the opening of the excellent Il Forno Woodfired Pizza Restaurant, then Lana Asian Street Food opened and now there’s another delicious addition to the menu.
Italianissimo, at the site of the former Casket shop opposite the Courthouse, opens this Wednesday and there’s a very interesting story behind the arrival of two Sicilians to the street.
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Angelo Nicosia and Giuseppe Andolina are cousins from the town of Scoglitti in the Ragusa region of Sicily. I called into the store on Saturday and met the two men who are looking forward to bringing something very different to the people of Tralee.
Angelo told me how he moved to New Jersey as a young man (and he retains that east coast accent), but he moved back home to Sicily around the time of the economic crash in the late noughties.
“I was back living in Sicily from the United States and I had a friend visiting – who is not Irish but lived in Tralee – and when he tasted all the food he couldn’t believe the different flavours and the recipes we have. He said I should come to Ireland and open a shop. And here we are!” said Angelo.
Angelo and Giuseppe searched around Kerry for a suitable location and decided their needs were best served in the premises in Ashe Street.
“Everything here comes from our region; the meats are imported from northern Italy and southern Sicily, the cheeses come from the region from where we grew up, same as the sundried tomatoes, olives, artichokes,” said Angelo.
They have delicious-looking artisan cakes and will bake their own bread daily. Having sampled some fresh, cheese-infused bread with sicilian olive oil, it looks like these guys are onto a winner.
With Chez Christophe, Il Forno, Italianissimo and Mozarts all within a stone’s throw of each other, maybe a mini Irish/Mediterranean food festival would be a good idea on the street in the future?
ASHE Street will be the location for a new retailer to open an outlet in April.
