The end of the road for Mullen’s of Tullycoe

Mullen’s Grocery shop in Tullycoe was once a busy grocery, post office, and funeral directors, started by Michael Mullen in the 1880s. The closure of the store by his grand daughter, Rosemarie, marks the end of an era in the community. Gemma Good caught up with Rosemarie Mullen...

Gone are the days when a bike would be propped up outside the door of Mullen’s Grocery shop, or when donkeys stood in what is now the car park.

The practice of going out to the store room to weigh and fill packages of tea, sugar, flour, baking soda or raisins after school is also a distant memory. That was the least desired job, but “it had to done”.

Those are the memories of Rosemarie Mullen, who took over her family business aged just 21 years old. As the eldest of six, the responsibility to take care of the third generation Tullycoe business fell on her, when both her parents sadly passed away within one month of each other in 1964.

Now in her 80s, Rosemarie has seen many changes from her vantage point behind the counter of the family shop, which was once stocked with things like paraffin, eggs, flour, meal, coal - “anything and everything”. In those days, people were more self-sufficient and most lived off their own animals and home-grown produce. Trading was a popular custom, and she still recalls a man who came to trade eggs for groceries, but he drove a hard bargain and would go home “with money” too.

“They [people] had everything, but that’s all changed,” she observes. “I often say that, if the older people came back now and seen the set up with everything, they’d probably just turn their heels and go. Everything has changed so so much, when you think you can just go to a switch on the wall and turn it on and there comes light. They didn’t know that type of thing at all. It’s unbelievable.”

Rosemarie’s fondest memories are derived from those who came into the shop, their sayings and “ways of going on”.

There was another man who came on his bicycle and stocked up, before taking a seat outside, lighting up his pipe, and watching the world go by for a bit. He would call Rosemarie twice or maybe three times during his sitting to fetch items he forgot, untying his satchel and dropping a few shillings in her hand each time.

“Oh God lassie there’s something else I want,” he’d say. “The longer he sat, the more things he thought of.”

Break-ins

There were some tough times too, the business was broken into 10 times during Rosemarie’s time there.

“Only once the people were got,” she laments.

“It’s something you’re up against, these things happen,” she says, with an acceptance that comes with experience.

“Look it, there’s manys a story if you could remember them. It’s like having photographs, if you haven’t a date on them you’re lost.”

The business was once a busy grocery, post office, and even a funeral directors, which was all started by her grandfather, Michael Mullen almost 150 years ago. The newsagents and grocers was handed down to her father Michael and mum Tonie, when they had a two-horse hearse and a hackney service too, before it became Rosemarie’s responsibility to run.

Downfall

Up until last year, people still came weekly for their pension and other post office services.

“I lost that after the wind storm we had, the lines were broken and eir should have repaired them and didn’t do it [in time].”

Left without power for almost six weeks, Rosemarie had the post office for three of those weeks before “they took it off me”.

“That was a big downfall.”

“That was kind of the beginning of the end, we lost customers,” she explains.

With nobody willing to take over the business, Rosemarie took the difficult decision to put the premises up for lease. Her last day trading was Sunday, November 30.

“The priest even gave me a send-off on the altar,” she says with pride.

Located on the “busy” Virginia to Cootehill road, Rosemarie is hopeful the right person will one day come along to bring a new idea into the space.

She has already had some keen enquirers.

“I don’t want it going derelict,” she notes.

However, since closing her doors, Rosemarie hasn’t been idle, with much “decluttering” still to be done.

“It’d set you mad,” she groans, with exaggerated annoyance. “Someday I’ll get there hopefully,” she laughs.

Rosemarie shared a heartfelt thanks to all customers who supported Mullen’s Grocery down through the years, and she wished them good health for the years ahead.