Curtain to come down on nearly six decades in business for County Roscommon woman
Members of the Kenny family, Linda, Marie, Yvonne and Cáit with Maureen as she retires from the shop she has run in Ballyforan, Maureen's Foostore, for the past 57 years. Pic: Gerard O'Loughlin
The curtain comes down on an incredible nearly 60 year career for one County Roscommon woman as she retires from business today, Sunday, July 5th.
For 57 years Maureen’s Foodstore in Ballyforan, South Roscommon, run by Maureen Kenny, has been the unofficial community hub in the village. And with good reason too.
Not just providing a much loved grocery shop, Maureen Kenny and her family have gone above and beyond for their neighbours and friends time and time again.
To celebrate her special milestone, friends, family, customers, and the community will gather from 4 p.m., today, Sunday, July 5th outside the shop. Then, at 6 p.m. the church bells will ring to mark the occasion and give Maureen the send-off she truly deserves.
Everyone is welcome to join in and help celebrate an amazing career and a very special person.
For Maureen and her family, it is a bittersweet moment retiring from the shop today and handing it over to the new owners Ronan and Sharon Holland.
Over the past few days the normally busy shop was even busier with a constant stream of well-wishers asking, ‘what are we going to do without you Maureen?’. Among the visitors was the Cathaoirleach of Roscommon County Council Domnick Connolly.
“It is the end of an era here in the village and wider area,” he said. “She and her late husband Pete delivered a mighty service; you could get everything from a needle to an anchor here in this shop.”
On February 4th, 1969, Maureen started her incredible 57 year journey, after returning from working in Dublin in the grocery trade. Married in 1972 to her beloved late husband Pete, she has seen the pound being decimalised, and then in 2002, the punt making way for the euro. There were hard times too. During the prolonged bank strikes of the ‘70s, local shops like hers became the country's unofficial bankers. Customers had to pay with personal cheques, and trusted retailers often accepted them because they knew their customers personally.
“What started as a small family shop grew into a lifetime of memories and friendships,” Maureen told the Roscommon Herald, adding that she has been truly privileged to serve the wonderful people of Ballyforan and the surrounding areas for almost six decades.
Gracious and modest, Maureen said she was deeply grateful to have the help of so many people, giving a special word of thanks to her wonderful late husband and her dearest parents Nonie and Malachy Grehan, who were a tremendous support over the years, her staff and all her family.
