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All of the potted plants and colourful bouquets were gone from the stall. Only the empty frame was left with a pair of daffodils tied to each of its vertical bars. She had been growing those daffodils at home, said the local historian, tour guide and activist James Madigan. That was just told to me. Nearby, some locals had attached bunches of flowers to a pair of signposts.
There were red and white roses, daisies and more daffodils. One person left a single red candle on the footpath. For many, she was as reliable a sight on Thomas Street as the street itself. She was, in some respects, a part of the furniture, says community activist Rita Fagan.
Farrell was the fifth generation of her family here, Madigan says. Her mother and grandmother before her had traded on this spot, back when, decades ago, there were almost sixty stalls on Thomas Street, said Fagan.
Those stalls vanished over the last 30 years, until really it was just Farrell and her kids still selling on Thomas Street, carrying the tradition, she says.
