I have just moved to this historic quarter of Dublin. Born and bred on the Northside, I grew up hearing about the street markets in The Liberties, but I never made the trip over to see them.

But on a hot sunny day in early June, I ambled along Meath Street and was enthralled with the stalls and shops that enticed me in if not to buy, then to browse to my heart’s content.

This is Dublin’s oldest street market. Back in the 17th century, the clothes on sale here were made by Huguenot weavers in the streets nearby. Nowadays, who knows, clothes manufacturing is a rare thing in the western world these days, most of the amazingly cheap clothes on sale here must come from China, India or The Philippines.

Wherever the goods come from, this is a bargain hunter’s paradise. The stallholders are the real deal too; genuine Dubs who love a bit of banter and chit-chat as you wander from stall to stall.

Everyone is friendly and informative and even if you don’t want to buy a thing, the traders don’t mind, they are happy with the chat and the laugh. It breaks up the boredom for them, I suppose.

The late-lamented boom brought big changes to the Liberties, with young professionals and media types buying homes in places like Pimlico and the Coombe; nearby Francis Street is now Ireland’s premier location for antique hunters.

But on a market day here in the Liberties, the real old-fashioned inner-city Dublin is back in full swing. Take a trip down here while the weather holds, you won’t regret it.