The old corner shop, a relic of a distant era that we all have fond memories of.
Co Fermanagh in particular had plenty of corner shops with great personalities spread across our towns and villages over the years.
We asked our MyFermanagh readers to share their nostalgic memories of their visits to their favourite corner shops and those who manned them.
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There were plenty of stories shared from days gone by, so we thought we’d share a few of the best ones here.
McCabe’s, Henry Street
Fergus McCabe and family will be fondly remembered by many who stepped through the doors of this iconic corner shop.
The shop was located on Henry Street in Enniskillen and was one of the shops that was most mentioned by our readers, with Fergus retiring in 2016.
Fergus' daughter Carla said his favourite part of the job was heading out in his van to deliver to the rural areas.
"Going out in the van to serve the rural and town community, the interaction with customers, the children rushing to get their 10p mixes or just a single penny chew, the children raiding the sweet shelf," Carla said.
John Palmer’s, Cornagrade
Palmer's in Cornagrade was another of the most popular suggestions from MyFermanagh readers.
John and his wife Kathleen ran the corner shop, and some readers described him as a 'gentleman' and remarked that he was 'always smiling'.
Mary Ellen’s, Mulleek
The holiday village of Mulleek was a popular place for locals to head in summer in days gone by, and many fondly remembered the days of popping into Mary Ellen's shop.
“Mary Ellen's was a great shop when I would be up on my holidays in Mulleek and also John Connors of the station house," Enda McGrath said.
"My sister and cousin would go there on a Sunday afternoon, wonderful times. We so enjoyed getting there."
"Loved going here when we were on our holidays. My mum would send Mary Ellen a shopping list (by post) before we arrived," Janet Bryan added.
Flynn’s, Kesh
Another local favourite both in terms of the shop itself and the characters who ran it.
Tommy and Annie Flynn of Kesh's corner shop were fondly remembered by several of our readers.
"Magical place, great memories, said Joseph McGrath.
"Tommy Flynn in Kesh never in a hurry and had everything always had time for a chat," Jenny Robinson added.
Larkin's, Maguiresbridge
Another corner shop that was fondly remembered by those in Co Fermanagh was Larkin's in Maguiresbridge
“Larkins Maguiresbridge I used to work there, great times, " Greta Caughey said, while another reader said the Larkins were 'lovely people'.
"We were so happy there, the good old days” Kathy Quail said.
The Maguiresbridge Events and Photos page said it was a 'great hub of the community'.
"It sold everything, you wouldn't get moving in it on a Sunday morning after mass and the Church of Ireland also."
O'Keefe's, Newtownbutler
Another village shop with many memories for the people of Co Fermanagh and Newtownbutler.
"I remember that shop well. My grandparents lived across the road, Hugh and Annie Fitzpatrick. Remember the bell ringing as you went in," Liam Henderson said.
"We used to stop on way to granny's at Gortbrannon to get blocks of ice-cream wrapped in newspaper" Martina Cleary added.
There were lots of other iconic corner shops mentioned from around the county, here's a few others that we felt we should mention:
- Ferguson's, Lisnaskea
- Mrs Curley's, Irvinestown
- Roy Smith's, Derrychara,
- Billy Coulter's, Newtownbutler
- Mrs Lynch's, Roslea
- Armstrong's, Ballinamallard,
- Daly's, Ederney
Got any photos or old memories of corner shops from Co Fermanagh from days gone by? Get in touch via our Facebook page.
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