Twomey-Walsh’s Drapery Shop

By Maureen Carrig

Dan Twomey-Walsh ran a very successful drapery store in Kilrush during the 1950’s, 60’s and early 70’s. He was a sibling of the Twomey- ire of its day who hailed from Ennistymon. Kilrush was a very different town back then with many small thriving businesses. His drapery shop was different in that he sold a mixed range of drapery from household items i.e. tea cloths, towels, sheets and blankets to ladies and men’s wear. Material for men’s suits was one of his specialities. He also sold shoes, boots and wellington boots. The shop always seemed to be full to the brim.

Maureen Carrig recalled how his store could be called the “Penny’s” of
today. He used to travel to Dublin to liquidation sales and purchase what
he thought he could sell or could be sold at a bargain price and return to
Kilrush with a car packed full of goods. That time sales men came to the
shop to introduce new wears or take orders. Dan was well known for his
bargaining skills in fact he would call back the buyers who had walked
away and persuade them of the quality or bargain he was selling them. He
was also a good salesman as he is remembered for offering a bargain on
other shop items to the customer even though they would not have asked
for that item. Maureen said he was very good to the poor and she said he
would be a millionaire if he got all the money he was owed by customers.
Maureen Carrig was one of the shop assistants there from 1957-1959 and
she kindly told us her story. She was born into a farming family about six
miles outside Granard and twenty miles from Mullingar in County
Westmeath. She lived on the farm and like all other farmers children,
helped out with all the chores. They lived with her maternal grandparents,
the Sullivan’s. Maureen being the eldest was often left minding the
younger children.

“I started working at a very young age as I wasn’t too keen in going to
the convent in Granard so I persuaded my dad to allow me leave and get
a job. He agreed and procured a job for me with his cousin who had a
shop in Granard. I served my apprenticeship there and then saw an ad in the paper and applied for a job in a drapery shop in Mullaghmore in Co
Sligo. When I was successful with my application, I had the pleasure of
serving Lord Mountbatten (who I hadn’t heard of then) when I worked
there. Every Sunday when we were off my friends and I would cycle to all
the notable towns and places around we even went as far as Bundoran in
Donegal. We were happy once we were back by nightfall. My maternal grandfather Thomas O’Sullivan, whom we called old Joe, bought me a
bicycle for my sixteenth birthday hence all the cycling, being the eldest
child my grandfather treated me very well and when I had visited all
those places I decided to move on. I saw an ad for Dan Twomey’s Drapery store in Kilrush, seeking an assistant so I applied for and was successful in procuring the position. I took the train from Sligo Train station and to Ennis Station where Dan Twomey picked me up on his way back from one of his shopping trips from Dublin in his packed car. That was in 1957. When I started working there a Mary Doherty from near Ardagh in Co Longford working there, also Mary Donnellan from
Galway and Brid Coughlan replaced me when I married John Carrig in
1959.”

Maureen served the customer as well as keeping accounts and sending
out bills. She loved working there and made many friends.

John and Maureen’s Story

The following is an extension of Maureen’s story with and extraction that we got when we met the couple back before our first edition.

John and Maureen Carrig’s home is at the end of a boithrín in Kilcarrol. The road to their house had many other homes in the past, today they are the only residents. The houses on route from theirs were, McMahon’s, which was formerly Leonards, who came from Vincent McMahon’s, Kilcarrol.   Next home is the old shell of a house, which was the Miller home, connected to McInerney – later Mrs Maisie Clancy, now owned by Clancy’s, Carhuefree.

Mrs Miller who lived there, in old Mr Carrig’s time, would shout to Carrigs 100m away (no phone back then) ‘Come up and take out your asses, they have what we have ate’, Mikey Carrig (John’s father) would call up and a long chat would follow – no ill will.

Mikey Carrig was married to Bridget Callaghan from Lisheen, Carrigaholt, it was a match made at a horse fair in Kilrush by their mothers, Mrs Callaghan and Mrs Carrig (Behan woman from Burrane). When John was born his mother earmarked the farm for him. His brothers Michael, Senan half twin to Martin, who died at a young age, and P.J. later all went to England.

John married Maureen Flood from Lissmacaffrey, Co. Westmeath, an employee of Twomey – Walsh’s, Drapery, Kilrush and lived in with John’s parents.   Maureen recalled hearing many of their stories from long ago. One being how ‘Old Mrs Margaret Carrig (Behan woman) attended at births in the locality and that she seemed reasonably well off as she took holidays in O’Connell’s, Kilkee’.

John mentioned great friendship with the Lucas family. One of them being a great carpenter who helped to build a boat that sailed to North Carolina, some feat in those days, and he attributed the sailing skills to the Carrigs.

Maureen remembers, Mikey Carrig telling the story of how he helped dig a trench on the bog road near Nancy Casey’s and Fitzpatrick’s during the War of Independence though he did not say who helped.

John did not have happy memories of school days, he said he is glad to see the changed relationship with the teachers, as the stick was the only communication they knew and feared in his day. He recalled how his family brought an ass load of turf to the school annually, while some just brought sods of turf. He said Priests too were strict with the teachers and wondered did this explain those times. John shared great stories of farming, turf saving, marketing and the local social scene of the times.

Maureen and John spoke of their love of music and dancing, particularly the set, which John taught voluntarily for a number of years, to locals.  It was a very busy household in their younger years with nine children to rear on a west Clare farm.  Thankfully they are both active and Maureen continues her role of helping in the parish with the Apostolic Society, the Church, as she always did in earlier years. The Fáilte and co-operation received from both Maureen and John when researching the history of the parish was second to none.