Thurles Market Quarter

This project takes a vacant historic building and carpark at the centre of Thurles and adapts it into a vibrant café and bustling market place.

The new café is located in a former agricultural milking parlour dating from the 19^th century. This long, narrow limestone building contains the counter and dining area in a lofty double-height central space, which opens into a new glazed extension facing the market - a perfect place for people-watching. Facilities and staff areas are to the North, with kitchen and market store to the South. A new mezzanine level at either end houses plant.

Externally, the public realm has been enhanced with seating, rewilding and new planting, providing many spots to rest and chat. A new stepped and ramped path on the East side leads to the café’s ice cream and coffee hatch, which serves the adjacent kids playground and connects through to The Source Library Arts Centre, also designed by McCullough Mulvin in 2007. The spark between these new and old structures, and their considered relationship to the medieval town gate on the opposite bank of the Suir, creates a dynamic connection between the history of Thurles and its contemporary community.

Tipperary County Council planned the tensile fabric canopy structure which covers the weekend market, and also creates an outdoor event space for the town. The Market Quarter project is a flagship of the Thurles Town Centre Renewal Strategy. Not only does it revitalise existing infrastructure, it also integrates the town’s green network by acting as access point to the Town Park and Riverside Walk.

Thurles Market Quarter is an example of how small radical moves within existing fabric can be a catalyst for change, bringing new life into the heart of a town.