While I was waiting for my order in the Canton House Chinese takeaway recently, I began to reminisce looking over at George Reynolds House, the flats where I grew up, thinking of my childhood and all the happy times I had.

In those days, things were much different and life was much simpler. The entire place has changed so much in the last years.

Clifford’s was a sweet shop and confectioners, next was Lucey’s chemists then Bracken’s cut price store. Farrellys butchers was owned by Mr & Mrs Lynch and in the lane was the O Gorman’s pork shop run by Miss Holmes.

Ben O’Reilly’s the greengrocer was a great shop where there was always great banter with Ben cracking jokes. Kay’s was another shop which sold almost everything. Further back was a hairdressers owned by Sis Martin, next door to her was Mrs Leonard and then there was Agnes Westby.

I remember Owen Kane the barber and McGowan’s shop which sold lots of different commodities. There was an old couple living next door to this shop called Cooney and their house had a huge back garden which had lots of gooseberry bushes. At the corner at the watery lane there once stood an old church which became Robert Roberts tea merchants.

On the other side of the road was Alice Kelly’s small grocery & sweet shop– we used to get hikers’ lunch there. Scotchie Byrne’s the chipper was a great favourite and in Pembroke Street was Nyland’s a small grocer. Farther up the street was Mr Balfe who repaired bicycles and on the other side there was Arthur Cunningham’s bookmakers.

In Bath street was Mabel’s which sold almost everything and out the back Mr Lynch sold coal, logs and paraffin oil. The Winning Post was a bookie’s shop and next door was Coady’s, the local shop selling lovely, fresh bread and they always used lovely tissue paper to cover it.

Farther up in Bath street was the post office ran by Mrs Murray, at the corner of Chapel avenue was another shop owned by Joe Carolan. Reggie Nolan had a workshop for his welding plant and on the other side of the street was a small drapery shop owned and run by the Traynor family.

Gleeson’s bar was there and directly facing this was Beckett’s, another small grocery shop. Larry Skinner’s shop sold everything from a needle to an anchor. He only retired a few years ago. Brennan’s shop sold an assortment including some hardware. The family had a few little well-trained dogs. Tom Brennan and his two sisters Kitty and Betty were very friendly and helpful people.

On Irishtown Road there was Mrs Robertson’s who sold mainly newspapers, sweets and cigarettes. In Barrack Lane there was the Garda barracks and Gertie Clerys owned by John Clarke, another small grocery shop.

At Londonbridge Road where the Garda station now is being rebuilt stood the Vicarage. Next door was the old school now Gospel hall on the corner of Church Avenue. Leo Neary owned a small shop which was ran by Anne Byrne who came from Aughrim in Co Wicklow. Further up the road was Mrs Manifold’s who had a small shop beside her house.

There was always four public houses, the first being known as John O’Dwyer’s now Irishtown House, O’Donoghue’s now the Vintage, John Clarke’s then on Bath street was Gleeson’s. The statue factory was next door to Coady’s.

Today in Irishtown there is only one grocery shop which is owned and run by Eileen Lawless. It was once known as Robertson’s. Coady’s, Mabel’s, the butchers, the pork shop, the greengrocers have all since vanished as has a lot of the old characters since my childhood days.