The Irish Barber is a unique institution, a place for gossip and chat, an oasis of calm in a difficult world. A good Irish barber will give you more than a haircut – he or she is also an informal counsellor, dispensing good advice and good cheer along with a short back and sides. John Duffy’s barbershop in Sandymount was by all accounts a place for socialising as much as for grooming. You could sit down, have a read of the paper, follow the horses on the radio, or chat to your friends. Other notable establishments were Cecil’s in Ringsend (still here – see below) and Gerard McCartney’s in Irishtown.

The trade is an ancient one, razors have been found in Egypt dating back to 5000 years the ancient Egyptians habitually shaved their heads, though strangely enough they also wore wigs made of human hair to shade themselves from the sun, so having your own hair was a mark of poverty. Egyptian priests were required to a full body shave every three days. Of course, haircuts were not always a matter of choice, Alexander the Great insisted that all his soldiers were clean shaven so they could not be grabbed by the hair in combat. The barber shop as a place of business became established in Roman times, it was the mark of a freeman to be clean shaven whereas slaves were bearded, so a daily visit to the barbers was as important as a visit to the public baths.

Barbers of former times were also surgeons and dentists performing minor operations like lancing boils, blood-letting and tooth extractions. The traditional barber’s pole with red and white stripes is a reminder of this dual trade representing the blood and bandages one would expect to see on a visit to the barber. The white coats worn by barbers until recently were also a reminder of their quasi-medical past.

Barber shops had their heyday in the days before the advent of the disposable razor. Recently however, the joys of getting a wet shave from a professional using a straight-edged barber’s razor are being rediscovered as you will never get a cleaner, neater shave.