115 years since first opening their doors, sense of tradition is as strong as ever at Mullaney Brothers
STILL going strong after 115 years, Mullaney Brothers clothing store and travel agent is a Sligo institution.
Established in 1909 when Michael Mullaney bought the existing business from the White brothers, the store has gone on from strength to strength.
It has survived through many storms over the years with each generation of the family steering the business through them and maintaining it as one of the leading retailers in Sligo town.
John Mullaney, the grandson of Michael, is currently at the helm and he sees both the success of Mullaney Brothers and that of the town itself as being inextricably linked.
He said: “I’m the third generation in charge of Mullaney Bros. We’ve been here for 115 years. So it’s a long established business here in O’Connell Street in Sligo.
“It has weathered many storms – the latest being Covid which was quite a significant challenge and we’re still feeling the after effects of that. It hasn’t quite worked its way through the system but it’s getting there. But is was quite a significant shock to the business.
“It was a shock to all businesses, not just this business. What we’re focussing on now is to get over that and look to the future and see what’s there.
“Retail isn’t getting any easier, business isn’t getting any easier as there are lots of obstacles – there are always obstacles. There’s nothing new that businesses and retailers have to deal with. The skill is negotiating that obstacle and finding a path either around or through it and getting on with business.
“I’d like to think that the future looks strong for Sligo – and for Mullaney Bros in particular. But it’s a collective effort. I look at business as a whole for the town. I’m mostly concerned for my own but the importance of the town functioning is just as important because we don’t operate in splendid isolation.
“We work with other businesses. We work as a town and as a unit. It’s just as important for me that the town works well as the specifics of this business. That’s the bit that is outside our control in many respects.
“Therein lies some of the frustrations that I feel in business is the lack of pace, the lack of urgency of getting things done.
“In many respects, you shouldn’t be worrying about stuff you can’t control because worrying isn’t going to change it. But we live and die on footfall as a retailer – as all businesses in town do.
“So the better the footfall in town, the better the business we have. The more businesses that are in town, the better business is in town.
“Seeing empty premises and seeing closed premises is a huge frustration. Seeing restrictions on people being able to access Sligo is a huge frustration.”
One particular frustration lies not in Sligo town itself but further on down the N4 at Carrick-on-Shannon.
The new bridge proposed for that town would see traffic heading towards Sligo bypass Carrick town centre and provide easier access to the north west.
However, the slow progress of this bridge is holding up a potential increase in footfall and Mullaney sees the current situation as hamstringing Sligo’s business potential.
He added: “Seeing a lack of urgency in addressing those issues – and I’m not talking specifically about Sligo per se, but for instance, access to Sligo. In Carrick-on-Shannon, we drive over a bridge that the Brits built in 1840 – 1840, not 1940. That hamstrings the development of Sligo.
“The lack of housing being built in town – in the High Street and down at the docks – and the lack of any development in town is hamstringing Sligo.
“There are enough hurdles in business without having ones that are self-inflicted in many respects. If all these things were done in a timely manner – I’m not expecting them to be done overnight but the bridge for Carrick-on-Shannon (the N4 Carrick to Dromod project) is maybe 20 to 25 years of planning.
“It’s a long time and at that rate of going, I’m not sure I’ll see that bridge built in my trading lifetime. Now that’s pretty scary. I’ve been doing it for a while but nonetheless, given how big an impact has on Sligo, that should be addressed urgently.
“For me, that’s a frustration. However, that said, we’ll make the best of what we have. I’m an optimist by nature – most of the time but probably 10 months of the year.
“Right now are probably the ‘pessimistic months’ in which trade is quiet. Although this is Easter, it’s a very early Easter and it’s not the start of the season really. However, we’re trading and we’re trading strongly and in our normal pattern and we have a lot of experience.
“I’m not overly concerned about trading at the moment, but the first two or three months of the year don’t dictate what your year is going to be. Later on in the year will give you an indication as to what your trading year is going to be.
“I hope it will be good – the signs are all good.”
The lack of hotel accommodation in Sligo town is also a particular source of frustration as Mullaney states that the hotel sector is a key driver in local business.
“Accommodation is probably the one critical issue for visitors in particular. That has a constraint on Sligo’s ability to get visitors and to keep visitors,” he said.
“That’s not just the impact of the Ukrainian situation. Sligo is ‘under-hotelled’ and has been for some considerable time.
“Hotels are great drivers of business – they have a fantastic momentum in an economy to drive business to fill their hotel with visitors who will then wander around town and spend their money.
“It’s an example of how the economy works as a whole, rather than for just one specific business.
“I’m optimistic and I think there is a good future for retail. But it requires work – consistent work – and you have a commitment to your business that requires you to keep working at it.”