ONE of Glasgow’s most infamous, historically Irish landmarks could soon be revived six years after its closure.
Paddy’s Market, named after the 19th century Irish immigrants who used it, was a famous Scottish institution that welcomed generations of families running stalls underneath its railway arches.
The market began as a second-hand clothes market in the Bridgegate area almost 200 years ago, before Glasgow City Council provided shelter for the stalls in the 1870s.
Almost 50 years later market traders moved to nearby Jail Square and Shipbank Lane, where it ran primarily as a bric-a-brac market until the council closed it in May 2009 after branding it a crime-ridden area.
Network Rail, which owns the premises, is considering options to revive the site.
There are plans to replicate either London’s Borough Market, renowned for its top quality food produce, or the West End’s tourist-laden Covent Garden Market.
A trader works at Glasgow's 200-year-old Paddy's Market in 2009 before the site's closure (Photo: Getty Images)Speaking to The Irish Post, a spokesman for Network Rail said: “Our Commercial Property Department are considering proposals for the area. Following the Merchant City developments and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow two years ago, there has been a revival of the nearby areas.
“Paddy’s Market was well-known for its railway arches, so if the site is to be relaunched as a market, it’s likely the individual units will continue to be used by traders.”
But the spokesman emphasised that the railway company are considering a number of options and are yet to make a formal decision on the future of the site, adding that the iconic name could be re-used.
He said: “There is a consideration for the area’s Irish heritage and history, and we will definitely keep in mind whether the community wants the Paddy’s Market name to remain.”
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