TERAPROOF:User:noelcroninDate: 28/08/2007 Time:10:20:19Edition: 28/08/2007 Tue tuesecho280807 Page:15Zone:EE

EVENING ECHO, Tuesday, August 28, 2007 NEWS 15EE - V1

Fitzpatrick’s of Glounthaune, Co. Corkcelebrate 65 years in businessFITZPATRICK ' SShop, a family runbusiness with a tra-dition of 65 yearsservice to the com-munity, has becomea household nameto many people.

Not only in the immedi-ate environs of Gloun-thaune, but also to themultitude of passers-bywho have made it theirregular stopping off pointover the years on whatwas then the main Cork -Youghal road.

In 1998 the village ofGlounthaune was by-passed with the openingof the East Cork motor-way and the businesssuffered some major set-backs, indeed manypeople thought it wouldsignal the end of thisgreat store.

However, since thattime the proprietors havecontinued to invest theirtime and money intobuilding Fitzpatrick'sinto what it is today, alocal, modern, well-stocked conveniencestore which retains aunique family structureand tradition. It remainsone of the only totally in-dependent stores, freefrom any buying groupor franchise. The onusrests on this family busi-ness to perform for itselfand be all the better forits individuality.

In 1941 MargaretFitzpatrick from Kinsaleoriginally, but thenliving in Dublin was vis-iting her sister Kitty who

was at that time a teach-er in Belvelly Cobh. Re-turning on the train fromCobh to Cork she ob-served the small shopwith the “For Rent signin the window. Anxiousto return to her nativecity, and already havingthe experience of run-ning a business in Dublin- Margaret decided torent the premises, and soin 1942 the shopre-opened under theFitzpatrick name.

In 1967 her son WilliamFitzpatrick who was thenrunning the businesspurchased the premisesfrom Kate O' Connell'snephew for the pricelysum of £750 (approx€954!).

At this stage thesecond front room hadbeen added to the shopand incorporated a lib-rary service and a publicphone. One could pur-chase not only foodstuffsbut also boots/shoes,candles, paraffin oil,items of clothing, andmany other living neces-sities of the day. Thiswas long before the daysof supermarkets as wenow know them. Alltransactions were doneover a high counter; thecustomer was heraldedby the ringing of thefront door bell.

Sadly WilliamFitzpatrick died in 1971at the relatively youngage of 54, and left his wifeNora with seven youngchildren to carry on thebusiness. Nora co-incid-entally also came from a

“local” shop in LittleIsland namely Pennys ofBallyverry. As her eldestchild was only 16 yearsold, it was due to Nora'sdetermination and hardwork that the businesscontinued to survive.

It was not until 1976that their daughter Ger-aldine, on her returnfrom teacher training inCarysfort Dublin, tookover the running of thebusiness. It was she withher husband Martin and

their six children, whoextended and builtFitzpatrick's into thebusiness it is today.

Sixty five years onfrom those humble begin-nings, it stands out as anexample of how focus, apassion for hard workand a total commitmentto quality service canbring success even to thesmallest beginnings. Cur-rently the store is man-aged by the 4th genera-tion, Martin andGeraldine's eldest daugh-ter Kerri, who has inher-ited her parents' commit-ment and passion for thebusiness. NoreneFitzpatrick (sister of Ger-aldine) plays a vital roleas purchasing officer andTara (sister of Kerri) nowjoins the business on afull time basis. In addi-tion on any given morn-ing at the weekendbetween one and four ofthe other children can beseen serving at the del-icatessen or checkout, ordecorating the cakes inthe bakery upstairs,making this businesstruly a family affair.

This is indeed a uniquephenomenon in itself.Statistics show thatfamily businesses repres-ent 90% of the indigen-ous business in Ireland,yet a mere 12% of themsurvive to the third gen-eration. The family canbe justly proud to be partof that elite 12%.

Today Fitzpatrick'sShop offers all the ser-vices and facilities onewould expect from anygood convenience store.

However it is in the areaof fresh foods that it hasalways excelled, and con-tinues to carve out itsown unique positionwith the in-store produc-tion of many foods withparticular reference toits own traditionalbakery. This is not justyour usual in-storebakery as found in manystores but a fullyequipped old stylebakery, where a team ofprofessional bakers and

confectioners producedaily a range of confec-tionery, scones etc andnot forgetting that brownbread (whose reputationhas caused it to be car-ried not only the lengthand breadth of the coun-try but also across theseas!). The extensiverange of mouth wateringdesserts on display eachday would tempt even themost saintly among us -not to mention theirrange of signature sand-wiches and rolls of alltypes ..... The list justgoes on. Strict emphasison hygiene has alwaysbeen a hallmark atFitzpatrick's and this hasbeen brought to thehighest standards todaywith the recent achieve-ment of the HygieneMark awarded by Excel-lence Ireland.

Another areaFitzpatrick's are gaininga reputation for is that oftheir outside catering.Many people now preferto have their special oc-casions at home but re-quire the professionalservice of an expert whowill plan and organisetheir event from begin-ning to end, allowingthem to fully enjoy theoccasion themselves. Inthis respect Fitzpatrick'swill organise all the de-tails from menu plan-ning, to supplying ware,delicious food, servicestaff and even a wash ups e r v ice.

Geraldine O' Neill hasspent most of her work-ing life in the family

business at Glounthaune.Over the years she andher husband Martin havedeveloped other success-ful businesses but herfirst love has alwaysbeen “the shop”. She hasseen dramatic changesfrom the days when shewas a young girl sheworked inside thecounter with her latefather. But what has notchanged she believesover the years is peoples'desire for good serviceand an appreciation fortheir custom, particu-larly in today's busyworld where it often ap-pears that these are indecline.

“Man who cannotsmile should not opens hop.”

Geraldine firmly be-lieves a smile, a word ofrecognition and a genu-ine interest in people hasserved their businesswell. She believes therewill always be a place forlocal shops likeFitzpatrick's who serveas a focus and centrewhere local people exper-ience that sense of com-munity, an experiencewhich is fast disappear-ing in Irish society today.Martin, Geraldine andtheir family; Kerri, Erin,Tara, Aisling, Sheenaand Ryan would like totake this opportunity tothank all their customersand staff who have sup-ported them and contrib-uted to their success overthe years and they lookforward to many moreyears of business.

Nora Fitzpatrick, Geraldine O'Neill and NoreneFitzpatrick at Fitzpatrick’s, Glounthaune, Co. Cork.

Martin and Geraldine O'Neill with their family members, Aisling, Kerri, Sheena,Ryan, Erin and Tara.

Kerri O’Neill, Yvonne Mc-Carthy (Deli Supervisor)and the delicatessenteam.

The Bakery Department, with Sigmund, Mary Duggan (Head Confectioner),Elizabeit and Jan.

Rose Murray, Normah O'Grady and Jennifer O'Mahony, at the checkouts.

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