Shops innovate to stay in business
DINGLE shops and businesses are continuing to provide essential services for the local community, despite having to adapt to tighter restrictions after the government announced a virtual national lockdown last Friday.
The town’s four supermarkets, chemist shops and petrol stations are providing essential food and medicines with social distancing and hand sanitizing facilities in place. Many smaller businesses have also established innovative ways meet tighter work and social distancing regulations in order to keep supplying their local customers.
Millner Kathleen Mc Auliffe has applied her creative skills to making face masks. Kathleen and her husband Niall have spent two weeks bringing a fairly standard design to something that would almost rate as a fashion accessory in the current time. They make no medical claims about the mask, but it serves the basic function of covering the nose and mouth and looks a lot better than the grim surgical masks that are becoming a more common sight in Ireland. Kathleen has provided her masks free to people in need and others will be on sale from her website. They have also uploaded a video to the website with instructions on how to make the masks.
Meanwhile, the current ‘stay at home’ restrictions will have people looking for jobs to do around the house and with this in mind Josie Finn of Curtain Call is making herself available for phone or video consultations. To avail of this service call her on 066-9151989 or email curtaincall@gmail.com.
If something breaks down in the house, Fitzgerald’s Hardware are offering an emergency service - to contact them email info@homevaluedingle.ie
Also on the home front bakeries in Dingle are making fresh bread daily and delivering to shops while Courtney’s bakery are accepting orders for birthday cakes which can be collected on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. And Bacús Bakery will prepare orders for collection at their premises in the Wood, Dingle. Courtney’s number is 066-9151583 and Bacús can be contacted on 087 3185453.
For those who wish to improve their cooking skills, Mark Murphy of Dingle Cookery School is providing daily recipes on the school’s Facebook page. To get the best results from cooking you need good ingredients and the best of ingredients are available locally. Fresh meat is available at local butcher’s counters including Jerry Kennedy’s butchers on Orchard Lane which is open every day except Wednesday and Sunday. People can call ahead on 066-9152511 to place orders.
Kingdom Fresh vegetables in the Tracks and O’Connor’s vegetable shop in Orchard Lane Shop are also open for business. Contact Kingdom Fresh at 9151083 and O’Connors at 9152623 to arrange for collection or delivery. The Health Food shop, ion Main Street is open with a limit of two in the shop, Kate will also take phone orders on 9151910 for collection or delivery.
Those who want a break from the kitchen have lots of take-away options available, including the best pizza outside of Italy from Novecento (9150663), award-winning fish from Reel Dingle Fish on Bridge Street (9151713 – Thursday to Sunday) and The Fish Box on Green Street (087 6027866), and for vegetarians home cooked food is available on order from Brenda Flannery at the Thyme Out café on Dykegate Lane (083 1840197). The Chinese takeaway on Green Street, Canon’s Corner on Green Street (text order to 0879345771), and Eat.Dingle (weekends only) and Sheehy’s Fish Van on Strand Street are also open for business.
Bernard Ó Suilleabháín’s shop on John Street is open normal business hours and customers are allowed in one at a time to maintain social distancing. West of Dingle, work is continuing as normal behind closed doors at Mac Eoin general merchants (9150615) who are still shipping out web and mail orders for next day delivery if ordered before 11am. And Eamon Houlihan in Baile an Fheirtéaraigh is doing coal and gas deliveries, call 087 2063962.
Meanwhile, local vets are currently working flat out in what is their busiest time of year. “From March 15 to April 15 is our peak season with lambing and calving,” said Brendan O’Connell who is encouraging people to phone his shop on the Spa Road (9151814) to place orders, rather than arriving in person.