FROM actor Jimmy Stewart to crooner Rod Stewart, Dublin trader Carmel Mooney has rubbed shoulders with them all. Now she is Moore Street’s latest queen and a celebrity in her own right.
Carmel (75) was crowned recently at a landmark event attended by independent TDs Maureen O’Sullivan (Ind) and Nial Ring (Ind) as well as Dublin city councillor Mary Fitzpatrick (FF) and chairperson of the traders’ committee, Ernie Beggs. She is only the third trader to receive this honour – the previous incumbents being Rosie Johnston and her successor May Gorman.
Carmel, who is married with two sons, has sold fruit and vegetables on the street for over 60 years. She comes from a long tradition of trading – five generations in all. In times past, her mother Bridget ran a stall outside Hanlon’s fish shop, specialising in fruit and tomatoes and her brother Paddy still trades from his own pitch on Thomas Street.
Today, Carmel has two nieces helping her. They sell everything from bananas, apples and strawberries to more exotic fruit like Chinese pears and Sharon fruit from Israel.
“You’d need layers of clothes in the winter down here,
? she told Northside People recently.
“On Moore Street you’re old when you’ve lived just half your life.
?
In times past, Carmel had to visit the fruit market in Green Street every morning at 6am to pick up what she needed for delivery by horse and cart.
But alongside the hard work, there was great fun too.
“I remember once we had a load of Dutch people over to see the street,
? fish seller Margaret Buckley recalls.
“Carmel stood with us linking arms and we all started singing
‘Tulips from Amsterdam.
?
On another occasion, former Taoiseach Charlie Haughey bought a box of strawberries from Carmel and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
And how does the Queen sum up her life’s experience?
“I feel very proud,
? she said.
“It has been a hard living but an honest one.
?
Meanwhile Cllr Ring said the appointment of a Queen of Moore Street was a vital part of the continued existence of the street as a city market and its future viability and development.
“Carmel Mooney epitomises the history and importance of the street to Dublin life,
? he stated.
“Carmel follows in the illustrious footsteps of May Gorman, who recently passed away, and Rosie Johnston, the first Queen.
“Moore Street is an iconic street in Dublin both from the trading and historical point of view, and it is important that, as we approach the centenary of the 1916 rising, it becomes one of the centres of celebration and reflection.
?
Cllr Ring said that having a Queen of Moore Street sends out the message that the street is alive and well and is ready to continue its role in the life of the city.
“With Carmel as Queen and the new Liffey bridge being named after Rosie Hackett, the role of women in Dublin life is emphasised and celebrated,” he added.