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markets · Saturday 1 August 2026 · 10:00am 
Kells Heritage Market Day
At Kells Town Centre · Main Street and Farrell Street, Kells, Co. Meath
At Kells Town Centre · Main Street and Farrell Street, Kells, Co. Meath
Once a year, the streets of Kells fill up with the kind of market day that most Irish towns have long since lost. The Kells Heritage Market Day, run by the Kells Chamber of Commerce as part of the Kells Heritage Festival, brings Main Street and Farrell Street alive with arts and crafts stalls, artisan food vendors, farm produce, street entertainment and livestock displays - all free to walk around, all rooted in the older tradition of a proper country market. It suits families, food lovers, anyone who enjoys the social side of a Saturday out, and visitors who want to see a working Meath town rather than just pass through it.
The market fills both Main Street and Farrell Street from 10am, so there is room to spread out. Expect a good mix of handmade crafts - pottery, textiles, woodwork, jewellery - alongside artisan food stalls selling preserves, baked goods, farmhouse cheeses and locally grown produce. Livestock displays bring a traditional agricultural edge that sets this apart from the usual craft fair format; it is a nod to the old market-day function that Kells and other Meath towns have served for centuries. Street entertainers work the crowds throughout the morning and afternoon, so there is generally something happening wherever you stand. The event is organised in conjunction with Heritage Week, which gives it a particular focus on local history and craft traditions. The whole thing is free to enter and open to all.
Kells sits on the N3 Dublin to Cavan road, about 50 km northwest of Dublin city, and is straightforward to reach by car. The drive from Dublin takes roughly 50 minutes outside peak times. Bus Éireann runs services on the Dublin - Cavan route that stop in Kells; check real-time schedules on transportforireland.ie before travelling. Parking is available in the town square and on side streets around the town centre - on market day the main approach roads fill up early, so arriving by 10am gives you the best chance of a short walk.
Kells is a heritage town with genuine depth to it - the high crosses in the churchyard, the surviving round tower, and the site of the famous monastic settlement that produced the Book of Kells before it was moved to Trinity College Dublin all repay a short walk around town. The market day is a good anchor for a half-day or full day out in the area. There is more to see in Kells and across Co. Meath.
Heading to Kells Town Centre in Kells? Meath has plenty more to see. Read the Kells area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.