West Cork Airbnb bus hosting weekly summer markets every Friday

The family behind a well-known West Cork Airbnb have kicked off their latest venture – an outdoor summer marketplace.

Last Friday, the bus yard where the McCarthy siblings keep their popular Ballinadee Bus was transformed into a buzzing marketplace. With food stalls, fresh produce, homemade jam, jewellery, second-hand clothes and so much more, there’s something for everyone to enjoy at the bustling bazaar.

The party atmosphere wouldn’t be complete without live music, and visitors can enjoy a freshly brewed cup of joe from the on-site coffee dock ‘The Bus Stop’, a mini cafe and bakery built from an old trailer box.

The fab event was held for the time last week, and was such a big hit that the team is planning to keep it trucking all summer long. The market will be up and running every single Friday from 10 am. And the Balinadee Bus gang are expecting such big crowds that they have arranged an overflow carpark to meet demand.

Thomas McCarthy founded the unique tourist attraction with his siblings Anna, Rachel and Niall, and the sibling team is constantly finding new and innovative ways to use the 125-acre farm they inherited from their late father. Thomas says that this latest project has gotten off to a cracking start.

He said: “It went really well, we got some great feedback from everyone who came, so we’ll definitely be going ahead with the market for the rest of the summer. It’ll hopefully be on every Friday, so we’ll keep it growing and get more people involved.”

The McCarthy siblings have worked tirelessly over the last few years in memory of their father Paddy, who they tragically lost to suicide in 2020. They’ve given so much back to the community since, from raising huge sums for charity to creating an adorable petting zoo for rescue animals.