Money is flooding out of the Irish Economy.

There is also precious little money around among the traders of Dublin 12, 10, 8 and 6
This is partly down to the fact that we buy alot of products which have to be brought in from abroad, and also, because we have to buy in fossil fuels for transport.

If you buy products from a locally owned independent shop instead of an internationally owned supermarket, research from the USA shows that 3 times more of your money will stay in the local community.  This is because local shops are more likely to use other local businesses and employ local people, at a fairer wage.  It is easier to employ a whole lot of staff on the minumum wage if you you are sitting in an office in another country rather than seeing them every day.

I would like to set up a list of local independent businesses. Let me know if you know of any businesses which should be added to the list, by e-mailing me or leaving a comment on the comments page. 

If you buy local products, for example, fruit and vegetables and meat which have been grown in the greater Dublin area, then the distance that these foods have had to travel is lower than potatoes that have been flown in from Cyprus. The concept of "Food Miles"  refers to the distance your food has travelled from the farm to your fork and the Carbon Footprint it has generated on the way.  Cutting down on food miles means less carbon needs to be used.

Of course, shopping locally for local food is also healthier.  Shopping on Meath Street, Inchicore, Ballyfermot, Crumlin or Terenure villages means parking the car and doing a bit of walking around to get all your bits and pieces.  However, you will also notice the taste of locally grown fruit, vegetables and meat.

I get alot of my fruit and vegetables from the Dublin Food Co-Op on Newmarket Square (off the Coombe bypass)  Here I buy very tasty organic fruit and vegetables from Christy and Deirdre who have farms in Wicklow and Kildare respectively.  I can also get Moonshine Dairy Milk and various cheeses.  In between times, however, there are plenty of local fruit, vegetable and grocery shops around the area.  We need to support them before they dissappear.