NEYLON’S Foodstore has closed its doors after more than six decades of service to the people of Kilmurry McMahon.

When Tony and Geraldine Neylon closed their shop on Wednesday last, it marked the end of an era.

For 63 years, Neylon’s Foodstore has been a central part of the community of Kilmurry McMahon and surrounding areas. In 1958, Tony’s parents, Paddy and Susan Neylon, set up shop at Drumdigus, Kilmurry McMahon. They ran a successful business until Tony and Geraldine assumed responsibility in the mid 1980s.

In the intervening years, the shop provided a reliable and invaluable service to a rural West Clare community. As well as selling newspapers and groceries, they kept the parish going with diesel and petrol and the farming community relied on them for animal feeds.

Neylon’s shop was more than a place where you could buy goods. Tony and Geraldine – and Paddy and Susan before them – provided a listening ear, kind words of advice and quiet support for people. Very often, the person who benefited, might not have even realised they needed that support, but inevitably, you left Neylon’s shop in better humour than when you went in. It might have been the funny story that Tony told you or some quirky observations on people and life in general, as experienced in a rural area.

Tony and Geraldine stocked a wide range of goods in their shop and provided a meeting-place for locals to exchange news and views. People often think that this easy chat can only happen in a local pub, but Neylon’s Foodstore fulfilled the same function – and this aspect of their service, accompanied by Tony’s ‘online’ commentary, will be sorely missed.

Tony and Geraldine’s daughters, Antoinette, Susan, Maryruth and Claire, all helped their parents in the shop over the years.