Image credit “Come here to me”
A Walk Down Memory Lane – In this article, Gary Kelly reflects about Thomas Street in the 1980s, the old shops, the old buildings. Always time for a bit of nostalgia!
Happy New Year World!
After Christmas, it always takes me a bit of effort to get back to normal and this year was no exception. This extended to coming up with something to write about, so this week I went for a bit of a walkabout with my colleague Poraic Cahill. Poraic joined me on my little expedition as he was eager to know the area.
As we walked down Thomas Street, most of the buildings are the same but in a weird kind of way there also different. I remember going into Woolworths years ago with my mum (where the Social Welfare is now), and hanging out at the pick ‘n mix where I would help myself to some free samples, while my mom was getting her bits and bobs. I also remember Fitzgerald’s just across the road (from Woolworths), which was the place to go to for jeans in Dublin. They had old cowboy saddles on display (good memory). A couple of doors away was Frawleys. Next door was the Carpet Mills. Sadly, all since gone now.
We strolled around the corner to Meath Street. Meath Street is still hanging in there with traders working the same pitch of their grandparents. That is great to see. The Liberties is still going strong but it’s sad to see the Mooneys have sold the bullring. The saddest memory for me while walking down Meath Street was the absence of the Coconut. Anyone my age will remember the Coconut ( I’m a very young looking forty-year old I might add, hello girls). The Coconut was one of the best toy shops in the city.
It had everything a child could imagine and nothing seemed to be mass produced. Everything seemed to be a one-off. Of all the toys there, the small figurines stand out most. They were about two-inches high. There were cowboys, Indians, cavalry men on horse back, alongside knights riding their great steeds but the real impressive thing about these was their detail. They were perfect in design. After getting one, I must of spent the first few hours just looking for mistakes and I don’t think I ever found one. I still remember that to this day.
But not all change is bad, there are some good changes…….just give me a minute, OK so the good changes might not be obvious to me or maybe I’m just getting set in my ways.
Gary Kelly & Poraic Cahill.
