'The day of the small butcher is gone'

With 49 years as a butcher under his belt, it was with a heavy heart that Fergie Jameson decided to close the doors of his butcher shop on Sean Costello Street, Athlone.

Fergie's Family Butcher was in business for 25 years, since 1994. Before that Fergie worked in Mick Seery's butcher shop at the same location for another 24 years, having entered the trade at the age of 14. 

The shop was always a hive of activity, where along with the finest of farm-fresh meats customers could be sure of a chat and a bit of craic!

However, Fergie has now decided to call it a day, and closed his doors for good yesterday (Tuesday, June 18). The decision was in the works for a while, with changing consumer habits having hit the business in recent years. 

“The day of the small butcher is gone,” said Fergie. “We used to kill all our own, we're the old type of butcher. All the meat comes in here, forequarters and hindquarters, the old way. But that doesn't really make an awful lot of difference to the young people nowadays, where it's coming from. 

“When I started out on my own I had a contract with Sisk, when they were building Golden Island, for the canteen. I used to have to come in on a Sunday that time, it would be 40 pound of mince, 40 pound of diced beef, rashers and sausages. It's all the big companies now; there's no one dealing with small businesses any more.”

What he will miss most, he said, was the chats with his regular customers, and the “bit of craic”. 

“Look it, it was very good to me for the last 25 years, I can't say anything (bad) about it. We had a great time and great aul' craic here. There would be always a bit of craic or banter or something going on.”

Spending time with Fergie in the shop, it was easy to see why he was so popular with his customers. He chatted away as he got their orders ready, called out greetings to passers-by, and took orders over the phone to be delivered later. It was very much a personal service.

“We've always done deliveries – people would ring in orders and Saturday evening you'd be all over the place, Drumraney, Mount Temple... We probably will be missed for that,” he admitted. 

“I started telling people last week I'm going, I'd say I have them nearly all told now. There are a lot of them disappointed.”

And while he will miss his customers too, he says a lot of the older generation he knew are now “dead and gone”.

“I'll miss it now, I'll miss the people and the street. But a lot of the older people are gone from the street now too, and all the little shops down along the street are gone. For a butcher shop on its own, if a customer dies, there's no one to replace them.”

Fergie is grateful to his family – wife Mary and daughters Amy and Katie – and all who supported him through his half century in the business. But there is one man in particular he singled out for praise: his friend Terry Larkin who worked alongside him for many years.  

“We're friends all our lives, he's a great character,” said Fergie

Shutting up shop he may be, but he has no intention of retiring. “I'm not retiring age, I'll go for another while,” he said. “It wouldn't bother me working at anything. I'll hardly be working at this game because it's coming to an end, bar I get into a supermarket.

“I came in here at 14 and I've served my time. I didn't get the 50 years out of it, but close enough. But sure all good things come to an end!"