A music school owner is hoping to reverse the decision to close McCullough Pigott's through a petition.
McCullough Pigott's, owned by sheet music provider Hal Leonard, will likely close alongside several other music stores in the UK. The South William Street shop confirmed the sad news in a post on Facebook.
Aideen Cooney, owner of Cooney School of Music in Lucan, is campaigning for the music bookstore to remain open through a petition, which has already amassed 800 signatures. She explained that its closure will leave many students without an outlet for pursuing their studies.
READ MORE: 200-year-old Dublin music shop McCullough Pigott set to close
Aideen told Dublin Live: "What upset me the most is that the Dublin store first opened in 1823. There should be a massive celebration for a store that's been open for 200 years- but instead plans are in place to close it.
"There'll be nowhere else in the city centre that you can go to for your music, Waltons and Opus 2 are closed. You can get next day delivery from the store at a nominal charge, the likes of Amazon don't compare to it."
Many of Aideen's students use the shop to purchase their sheet music. However, she hasn't quite given up hope that the decision will be reversed, and is hopeful that her petition will have a positive impact.
She got in touch with staff after they announced the upcoming closure on Facebook to inform them about the petition. Aideen said they are hugely thankful for the public support they've received since the news broke.
The shop holds precious memories for many Dubliners who received music training at a young age. Aideen has fond recollections of visiting the store after she took up piano.
She said: "My mam used to bring me into the store when it was in the old building on Suffolk Street. It was wall to wall with pianos and I used to spend so much of my time there. The ground floor was where the sheet music was sold and it was such a treat."
Aideen continued: "It's a musician's playground. The advice you get from staff is second to none, it's amazing."
The petition calls on Hal Leonard to keep the Dublin store open, arguing that online music resources don't fully engage students in the same way. It is available to sign online.
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