Lucinda O'Sullivan's Ireland

Wednesday 27 April 2011

Driving into Kanturk in North Cork, where two rivers, the Allow and the Dallow converge in a surge of rushing waters, brought to mind immediately some of the lush wooded inland towns of northern and central France. Indeed Kanturk is twinned with Rostrenen in Brittany. ‘Kanturk’ is derived from Ceann Turic (Boar’s Head) and a stone marks the spot where the last boar in Ireland was reputedly slain. Kanturk is a very attractive town, with a Georgian influence, a 17thC castle, a market square, two bridges, three public riverside parks, and an imposing big stone Catholic cathedral style church. It has a lot going for it in that it is also less than an hour’s drive from Cork, Tralee, Limerick and Killarney. There is a strong community feel in the town, which has an annual Arts Festival, but most extraordinarily of all, it has seen the opening of 23 new small businesses since February 2009. “Try Town First” is the slogan in Kanturk, Kieran Fitzgerald of Fitzgerald Insurance, and Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, told me. “We know it is not realistic to expect everyone to do all their shopping in the town, but we encourage people to buy a bit more locally, and we are promoting the town as a viable place to shop in.” I went along to meet some of the town’s business community.

I had only been in Kanturk once before at a funeral where we had ended up in the Alley Bar – an asbolutely fantastic old style pub and shop with nooks and snugs – and history hanging off its walls. The Alley Bar is owned by the delightful Eilis O’Connor, and her husband John D. O’Connor, and is a true gem. John D told me that the premises was always a pub and shop which Eilis’s father, Ned Jones, had traced back to the 1890’s. There was a famous ball alley at the back, hence its name, and from the 30’s to the 50’s there were “famous All Ireland games there.” It was owned back then by a husband and wife team of two Doctors O’Toole. In 1959 Dr. O’Toole retired and the pub remained closed for a couple of years. Eilis’s father, Ned, working in the creamery company across the road, always looking across and bemoaning the closure of the pub where he used drink as a young fella. One day he said to his wife Mary “we’ll buy the pub!” They bought it in 1961 and now it is run by Eilis. The walls are hung with pictures including the famous local hero, Dr. Pat O’Callaghan, who won two Olympic Gold Medals throwing the hammer in 1928 in Amsterdam and in 1932 in Los Angeles. You have to visit the Alley Bar! <ep>

One of the longest standing businesses and best known characters in the town is Jack McCarthy of the eponymous McCarthy’s Butchers. Jack is a very pro-active artisan food producer, and a great public relations man for Kanturk. He is the fifth generation of his familiy business which was founded in 1892 by Callaghan McCarthy, a baker, who put down his dough hook and took up a butcher’s cleaver because he couldn’t buy decent meat for his table! Looking at the old historic ledgers you could see where the business suddenly changed from selling bread to the next day selling meat! All of the old Kanturk names are in the book, and all are still in the area, Sullivan, Conway, Clancy, Mahony, Dillon, O’Connor, Barrons. You could also see too that the British Army were in occupation. There is also a great picture taken of a group of men “the day Parnell visited town” and Jack’s son,Tim McCarthy, the sixth generation in the business, proudly showed me his two great grandfathers. The McCarthy’s, father and son, produce the most wonderful charcuterie. Last year they were crowned members of the Brotherhood of the Knights of the Black Pudding, won in the face of intense competition from 4000 entrants in the ‘Black Pudding Capital’ the Normandy town of Mortagne au Perche by La Confrerie des Chevaliers du Goute Boudin – who also visited here in force last year. The future for Ireland is Tourism and food – we have to push our wonderful artisan produce. Specialities at McCarthys include Putog Ceann Toirc, Boar’s Head Pudding, Irish Whisky Haggis, wonderful nitrate free traditional dry cured bacons, honey cured roast pork, French style boudins with cream and apple, honey, garlic, an Ardrahan cheese sausage, the regular Cork style white pudding, a new seafood sausage, and many many more inventive delicious puddings. “Pudding has gone through the roof”, says Jack, “they want it everywhere.” And Jack will give it to them, and a helluva lot of banter and fun as well. <ep>

Around the corner I met Mark Reidy of Duhallow Seafoods who opened his compact fish shop about six months ago and is “delighted with it.” He has been quite a while in the fish business, working at one point in a fish shop in Skibbereen. He was then selling fish from vans, door to door, but “it was too hit and miss” – people might be out – he might miss them – so he decided to give himself a base and open his own fish shop “it is more convenient, if they want fish they come – people are out walking, shopping, or carrying kids to school so you would miss them with the van.” “I keep my prices reasonable - and I round it down, say if it was €10.60 I’d give it for €10, I’m not stuck in my prices.” “The more someone busy the better the discount.” Business is good, he says, and he is a firm believer in giving back to the community with everyone supporting one another in local business. The most popular fish, Mark says, is salmon, then cod, plaice and whiting. Mark has also developed his product further by working with a local restaurant Oncle Bobs who produce lovely lasagnes, fish cakes, and seafood pies which Mark sells in his shop. “These dishes offer great value – selling by weight – if you were to buy the ingredients yourself you couldn’t do it cheaper.” A great local product.

A few doors down is Tina Sheehan who opened her children’s clothing shop ‘Jemma Jim’ in October 2009. “Its, great,” Tina says softly, “it’s great fun, we have a lot fun. You know what, I don’t know any different so, as far as we are concerned, it’s going good.” “We haven’t been here in times past when people were having massive profits whereas you know we think its going great. We are willing to change we keep moving on with our stock.” Tina wasn’t always in the retail trade, she worked with Mallow Urban Council for four years but then her contract was up. “ I have an eight year old daughter, I always loved clothes and fashion and previously worked with children, but I just didn’t want to go back into a formal setting. I had done Social Studies and worked on the Disadvantaged Programmes in the Education system. I have always worked in some way with kids. I love teenagers and kids.” Tina’s motto is to be “more affordable – that’s what we are looking for. If people want to spend €10 or €25 on a couple of things – great. We supply gift wrapping it keeps customers’ costs down. We see ourselves as a Children’s Store not a Boutique which people regard as expensive.” They have lovely outfits for children of all ages, equipment and toys, First Communion plus Debs dresses. Tina stocks Debs’ dresses for fitting on, some are in stock and, if not, Tina measures up and orders the desired dress. Here too prices are reasonable. “Some little girls don’t want to spend a lot so I have lovely dresses from €65 up to the very top at €300 – likewise Communion dresses run from €50 - €200.” Tina encourages girls to buy classics that they can wear again, and also to loan dresses to one another. “I say to them – you buy a red, you buy a blue – you buy a black – share around. All I wanted to do was to bring affordable fashion, and also to do big sizes for children, I am very sensitive about that, I want shopping to be fun for all kids not a nightmare!”

Across the street from Duhallow Seafoods is Kanturk Photo Framing where Bertie Harman, told me he originally had a “chipper” in 1994. He then bought the building he is in and started a video business moving then into the photographic business and framing. Framing is a good business, people still have to get all the family photos, the educational certificates, framed. “After Christmas was quiet” Bertie says, “but it has really picked up particularly with their recent Arts Festival.”

Madison Avenue is a cute shoe shop owned Geraldine O’Callaghan from West Limerick who opened in Kanturk on the 1st December 2010 but has been two years in business previously in Mallow. “The first year in Mallow was going okay but my location wasn’t good and I had to spend a lot on advertising, which would work for a week. If you are not constantly being seen by the customer on the main thoroughfare you are forgotten very rapidly.” “I wanted also to get good kids shoes which I couldn’t do in Mallow as they were already being stocked there. She now stocks childrens shoes such as Startrite, Ricosta, and Pablosky. She has lovely ladies shoes including Rockport, an American label. “Obviously price points have had to come down hugely in the recession. The first year I opened you could easily sell shoes €150/€200 but now it is hard to sell anything past €80. There is a massive change so you have to have different price points so stocking ranges that are good for this economy. I am getting new brands also for winter which will hit price point of €50/€90.”

‘Kate’s Kitchen’ is a new Deli which was also opened on the 1st December 2010 by Catriona O’Keeffe. “It’s up and down but it’s good, I always have people coming back for repeat orders”. The smells of gorgeous fresh lemon drizzle cakes were wafting through the shop as Caitriona told me business was growing now with Confirmations, Communions, Stations and so on. Growing up with baking was a big help as her mother was a Home Economics Teacher. She also did Hotel Management in Shannon and had cheffing rotations working in commercial kitchens. “It is all practice. I don’t think at this stage I could go back to working for someone else again.” She has twin girls aged 7. She bakes scones, brown breads, carrot cakes and lemon drizzle cakes every day – you would hang around just for the aromas! “Customers love the carrot, sultana, and coconut muffins with no butter, and the kids after school flock for the Madeira buns, as well chocolate biscuit cake, which is huge seller. It seems Prince William has something in common with Kanturk as Kate Midleton is having a special chocolate biscuit wedding came made for him. Catriona also makes daily potato salad, pesto pasta, Waldorf salad. She boils her own hams, glazes them with honey and brown sugar, she gets steak mince for her shephard’s pies from McCarthy’s of course. She also stocks jams and preserves, Ardrahan cheeses and Ardrahan Lullaby milk which has a naturally higher level of melatonin – so helps you sleep. “I am busy until 2 o’clock every day cooking and baking. I have total control over quality when I do it myself but I now also have three girls working for part-time to help.”

Denise Hickey is originally from Cullen and living married in Millstreet. The Perfect Fit was opened originally a year or two ago but she took over from previous owners in November 2010. Denise also has a DVD games and consoles shop but was always looking for the right underwear and shapewear for herself and the right shop came up! “It was a big jump from DVDs to lingerie.” She laughs. “In general, you do have your quiet days but occasions have a lot to do with the business. People want the right bra for a wedding, Communion, Confirmation, or under a dress for a Saturday night! The start of the week could be hit and miss, but then you could have a great Tuesday. In general the shop is doing very well. I measure and fit customers. They bring in their dresses and their outfits, some will come before they go shopping, brides, bridesmaids, and so on. Fantasia and Freya bras are my best sellers, in bigger cup sizes, because smaller sizes are easy enough to pick up.” The dearest thing in the shop is a shapewear piece for €55. She is also doing accessories from America, toeless tights, bra strap protectors, arm shields, extenders, and she also does the much talked about Shock Absorber bras with which Derek Mooney was titillating the nation recently on his show.

Martina Drew of The Crowning Glory opened her shop in 2009. “I was unemployed for six months and I decided this was either the time to do it or not. I am delighted with the business.” She started out with accessories, ladies handbags, jewellery, and fascinators. “I now make my own fascinators in all colours to match people’s outfits for weddings and special occasions and in the last month I have gone into ladies fashions going up to size 26. I was buying in fascinators for the first year but I found people were looking for specific colours, or two colours, which I didn’t have in stock, so I thought there has to be a way around this. I went to Dublin and did a training course to make my own.” Fascinators run from €35 - €70 for the bigger styles.” She also does all the bridal accessories, gorgeous shoes, head pieces, jewellery. “We work off one another here – I send people over to ‘The Perfect Fit’ for underwear and she would send people to me. The Wedding Season is big and I have lots of orders now for fascinators – cerise pink is big this summer – but I have to make sure people arent going to the same wedding.” Wise girl!

Finally I met Teddy Ambrose of Ambrose Iron works. Teddy comes from a long generation of blacksmiths who have been in Kanturk in business since the family original came to Ireland from Heidelberg in Germany in the 18th C.

So from Putogs to bras, seafood to shoes, cupcakes to iron craft, there is plenty in la belle Kanturk to do and see. Small businesses are the lifeblood of our economy it is imperative that we remember this when we spend our euros in whatever area you live in. Its all about Meitheal!

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THIS IS THE UNABRIDGED VERSION OF ARTICLE FIRST PUBLISHED IN THE SUNDAY INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY APRIL 24 2011.