Like the city itself Dublin's shopping scene is dominated by the fusion of old and new. There is nowhere more traditional than the
Moore Street Market on Henry Street (off O'Connell Street) where fresh fruit and vegetables are sold at bargain prices Monday to Saturday 0900-1800. Saturday-only
Temple Bar Food Market in the Meeting House Square displays more pricey organic produce; an arts and crafts market opened here in Summer 2000.
South of the River Liffey is the smart Grafton Street area, with upmarket department store Brown Thomas and Dublin's largest shopping centre - St Stephen's Green. Nassau Street, off Grafton Street, is best for traditional Irish gifts such as hand-blown glass, crafts, knits, Celtic jewellery and Aran sweaters; the Kilkenny Design Centre and the Blarney Woollen Mills are good bets. Good bookshops are Fred Hanna's on Nassau Street (second-hand), Green's on Clare Street (rare editions) and Books Upstairs at College Green (Irish, gay and lesbian). Winding Stair, 40 Ormond Quay Lower, is best for bargain books.
Dublin's fashionable Temple Bar district has good one-off shops, such as the Design Yard, while the antiques quarter, on Francis Street, is particularly good on a Saturday morning. For cool club clobber head for Sesi, 13 Temple Bar Square, Skate City, 14 Crown Alley or The Real McCoy, 3 Fownes Street.
Standard opening hours are Monday to Saturday 0900-1700. Late night shopping is on Thursday. Some department stores open on Sunday afternoon. VAT is levied at different rates on goods and services, with an average rate of 21%. Tax-free shopping is available to non-EU residents. Tax is redeemable at the airport on production of a completed tax-free slip.
