'All of Athy’s life has played out in front of the shop': O'Brien's marks 150 years

I WONDER did Stephen O’Brien ever imagine, on that day in 1875, when he saw the sign go up over the door of his grocery and public house on Emily Square, that the O’Brien name would still grace the premises 150 years later?

A lot of water has flowed under Crom a Boo bridge since that morning, generations of Athy families have come and gone, yet the cheerful tinkle of the bell as you enter the shop serves as a reminder of times past and all of those who have passed through these doors before us.

“Two World Wars, The Easter Rising, a civil war, the sinking of the Titanic, thirty-five General Elections, two hundred and seventy six all Ireland finals, not to mention replays, AGMs, EGMs, union strikes, local elections, pilot schemes, gunpowder plots and the odd coup d'etat were all planned, discussed, dissected and formulated in this room. If the walls could talk they would be bound by the Official Secrets Act for a hundred years,” laughed Judith O’Brien, as we shared a cup of tea in the ‘meeting room,’ behind the bar.

“This was the family dining room and the hatch was put in so my great-grandfather could keep an eye on the shop while he was having his dinner.” 

Judith spent ten years teaching in America but returned to Ireland in 1996 with her husband Marc Guernon. 

“Marc decided it was time to go ‘home’, he could see how much I missed home and how sad I would be having spoken to Mam and Dad on the phone, so we upped sticks and came back to Athy, and we have absolutely no regrets.” 

Judith has so many memories of both growing up and working at number 23 Emily Square. She told me that telephone calls for the fire brigade would come to the shop and someone would have to cross the square to sound the fire alarm, even in the middle of the night.

She spoke about their phone being the one that people would call from the UK, America and further afield to bring news of births, marriages and deaths to local people right up to the beginning of this century.

“All of Athy’s life has played out in front of the shop, Dev and Haughey and Joe Ber’ and Cosgrave all stood on the back of a lorry out there during general elections promising the sun, moon and stars. Rugby, camogie, football and hurling teams all celebrated great days on the Square and back in January 1990 local people took ‘shelter from the storm of bullets’ during the infamous bank raid next door.” 

 We spoke about the ‘music’ the Berkel meat slicer made as it cut corned beef, ham and luncheon meat in the shop.

“It finally packed in about twenty years ago, having served us for almost seventy years, since then we have had three or four meat slicers, they just don’t make them like they used to,” she said. 

“We are the last grocery and pub left in the town and I guess the great thing is you can come in for a few pints, have a chat, and get all you need for your breakfast on your way out.” We talked about the loyalty of their customers, about the generations of families who have made O’Brien’s their local and how it is the first port of call every summer for people coming back for holidays or a few days break at Christmas.

We could have chatted for hours but the afternoon was drawing in and Chris and Carmel would soon be kicking off the 150-year celebrations on the ‘Open Gate’ stage in the side yard.

As the evening rolled on, old friends and new came through the door for the chat, the good company and just to celebrate what has always been so important in O’Brien’s; the welcome and the hospitality that has marked it out as a special place all down the days.

Music and craic was the order of the night, but unlike Mrs Finnegan in the song by the Dubliners, Judith would not be serving ‘Tea and cake then pipes tabaccy and brandy punch’, instead her years in the USA kicked in and Don’s succulent cheese burgers and Davy’s New York pizzas were feasted on by those who had come to celebrate the years of warmth and welcome at O’Brien’s on Emily Square – the brandy punch was optional. Here’s to the next 150 years.