Spotlight from 1976 highlights changing business landscape

AN advertising feature promoting Charleville dated in 1976 highlights the enormous changes that has taken place in the town’s retail and services landscape over the last forty-four years.

Of the 46 businesses advertised only six now survive in 2020.

In the retail sector, gone is Ball’s wholesale and retail grocery store, as is the Savemore Store and the Butcher shops of Hehir’s and Paddy O’Connells’, as well as James Connery’s music shop in Broad Street and Paddy Dempsey’s Caravan hire business. D. Foley & Sons hardware, Daly’s fruit and veg and fish shop, Jeeves Menswear, the provender milling business of John Morrissey and Sons, which company was celebrating 75 years in business in 1976, alas it is now no more.

Gone also is Aidan O’Hara’s auto crash repair service, the Emdown Bedding factory, the Imperial, the Deerpark hotels, and the Oriel Press printing works, along with Rathabbey Products who supplied hygiene and protective clothing.

The Mortell family, long a mainstay of local business, had at that time three enterprises on the go including, Mortell’s Dry Cleaning, Golden Vale Egg & Poultry and Mortell’s Restaurant, all of which are now extinct. The Golden Vale Food Products complex was taken over by Kerry Group plc in 2001, an indeed it has been indicated that another change in this regard may soon be in the offing.

The Vale Service Station, O’Malley’s TV Rentals, the Desmond Grill, Hurley’s Shop in Main Street, the Pavilion Cinema, Elizabeth’s Salon, E. Ryan & Sons, undertaker and publican, Charlie Farrell, Furniture Auction, D. J. Cahill, Builder, Charleville Credit Union, W. Nugent, Charleville Cheese Festival, Cahill’s Restaurant, Power’s Coals, Michael Smith, Furniture, M. B. McCarthy, Chemist, all have disappeared from the town’s business scene.

Of the nine public houses advertised under the banner of Charleville Vintners Association, five are gone, namely Tom Stack’s, Eamon Ryan, O’Regan’s, D. Hennessy and Brendan Duckett. However, still trading are what was formerly the Elm Bar, now Mul’s Bar, Pakie O’Brien’s Bar, O’Connell’s Bar, and the Four Winds, the latter under new management.

The remaining businesses still standing from 1976 are Biggane Auctioneer, Maureen McCarthy MPSI, but under new management, Murray’s and Moran’s General Drapers, Cavanagh’s Garage, Paul O’Shea, Hardware and Noonan’s sports, fancy goods and toy store.

However, this doesn’t mean that Charleville has declined as a business centre. Far from it. The town still has a vibrant retail trade and all these businesses that have faded from the street have been replaced, some by national brands, as the old order changeth, and the old names disappear.

New generations of townspeople, and those from the hinterland will continue to be faithfully served by the successors of the previous incumbents, as they have been since the foundation of the town all those years ago.