Peg’s Shop closes after almost 100 years of serving the community

ONE of the oldest shops on the Beara peninsula, and possibly its most famous landmark, Peg’s Shop in Adrigole, has closed its doors for the last time.

Last Saturday, the shop ceased trading after 90 years in business.

Current owner Maureen, daughter of the late Peg O’Sullivan, the original ‘Peg’ in its name, said there was a constant stream of people calling to the shop throughout the day until they closed the doors for the last time at 6pm. The decision to close was hard, says Maureen, but was ultimately down to the high cost of running a business in the current climate.

Maureen with Peg, and Maureen’s daughter Margaret.

‘People’s shopping habits have changed and also I want to spend more quality time with my family. Last Saturday was a very emotional day. We were overwhelmed with the amount of people who called in to wish us well and brought gifts. People from both Adrigole and surrounding parishes had great memories of our shop. We heard a lot of stories and tales about the shop, some which I had never heard before. Everyone was very supportive and they could understand why we decided to call it a day,’ he said.

Peg, who passed away in 2016, just months short of her 100th birthday, ran the shop until her late 80s.

In the 1930s Peg’s aunt Julia ran a post office on the site of the present shop and, following her death in 1948, left the premises to her niece.

The Post Office operation closed, but Peg soon built up a thriving shop.

Peg’s Shop soon became the centre of life in Adrigole. Around the corner was a dance hall, along the road was a pub and just a short distance away was a school.

Before heading into the dance hall, women would call to Peg’s where she had set aside a small room with a mirror for them to adjust their finery, after cycling the length and breadth of Adrigole.

Shopping would be stored in the shop and collected following a visit to the pub.

Following Peg’s death, Maureen and her daughter Margaret took over the business, and were helped in the summer by her grand-daughter Chloe O’Neill. ‘Over the years, five generations of our family have served behind the counter,’ explained Maureen.

Closing the doors for the last time, Maureen said they remembered the people who came before them. ‘Peg and her aunt Julia Dunne set the seed for the business to last 90 years, and we are very proud to be able to continue as long as we could. We also fondly remembered our great customers over the years who have passed away.’

Maureen said they were grateful to all their suppliers and staff. ‘Our local suppliers who provided a great service, and the staff who worked with us went above and beyond the call of duty at times,’ she added.

She said she would miss the chats and banter but had some wonderful memories. ‘It was an honour to serve the community of Adrigole.’