Tipperary man Andrew Maher came from Tipperary to open Drogheda chemist store

I CAME across the history of the Maher chemist family recently and it makes for interesting reading.

The report from 1973 - nearly 50 years ago - has even moved on a generation.

Andrew Maher came from his native Tipperary to set up a pharmaceutical business in Drogheda in 1928. He opened his first main shop in James” Street. Though his business was on a small scale, it steadily increased and he became a wellknown figure in the town.

Disaster struck the little business in the 1930’s when the shop was ruined by fire, but there was another side to the story — it was the first blaze attended by Drogheda Fire Brigade.

He carried on undaunted and rebuilt the shop in the same year and progressed it even further.

The family were interested in the trade and Liam, Noel and Paul progressed to run the shops and Margaret becoming a cosmetitian, and worked in the family shop in Laurence Street.

And even their mother. Rosalie Maher, was still an active member of the family and had complete running of the financial concerns of the business.

The main centre of the business was still in the shop in James’ Street in the 1970s where Andrew Maher started his career in. Drogheda 40 years ago. This shop was run by Noel, the second eldest of the family.

Their shop in Laurence street was completely run by the women of the ‘ outfit.’

Noel’s wife, Olive—keeping up the tradition of the family concern in the business—is a fully qualified pharmaceutical assistant in this shop and was joined there by Margaret Maher. Mrs. May Farrelly worked with the family for a long period and was a qualified chemist.

Paul studied pharmacy in the normal way in Dublin but he had always a keen interest in photography. To further this aim he studied in London and Munich, and fitted an ultra-rhodern and highly sophisticated photography unit into the new shop in West Street.

He carried large stocks of paper and developer for the ‘ do-it-yourself ‘ photographer. And the Rolls Royce of cameras — the Japanese Nikon — was also an exclusive brand which the shop carried. The shop carried the largest and most comprehensive stock of photograpic equipment in the town. And of course, the noted names in this line, such a Miniphotos Ltd.. Agfa- Gevaert Ltd. and Photax Ltd.