Tributes and awards as Marie Grenham's travel business in Athlone prepares to close

It was approaching mid-December, nearly eight months after she announced that Grenham Travel would be closing for good, and people were still coming to knock on Marie Grenham's door, shake her hand, and deliver their own messages of goodwill and gratitude.

The shutting of any long-established business will prompt tributes and expressions of sorrow. But the depth of the response in Athlone to the news of Grenham Travel's departure has been on another level.

Social media was flooded with hundreds of tributes, not to mention the countless phone calls, emails, and texts that poured in. It's fitting that the response has been extraordinary, because Marie is no ordinary businesswoman.

For more than half a century, she has been working in the family business on Connaught Street. She became managing director of Grenham Travel after the death of her father, Tom, in 1999.

Delivering quality customer service, with a sense of integrity and decency, comes as naturally to her as breathing.

The trust and loyalty she developed with her customer base meant she was there for generations of local families during landmark moments in their lives.

"You met all different types of people, and you were with people in good times and sad times," said Marie.

"You were sending people off on their honeymoons. There were deaths and funerals that were sad, and then you had other happy times with family holidays, anniversaries, and all sorts of different occasions."

Her contributions to the business life of Athlone and the travel industry were formally acknowledged when she received two significant awards last month. At Athlone Chamber's Business Awards, she was presented with a Lifetime Achievement honour.

"I was overwhelmed, really," she said of the accolade. "I got very nervous and emotional. Being honoured on your home ground - that was really exceptional."

This was then followed with Marie being celebrated by the travel trade when she was inducted into the Worldchoice Ireland 'hall of fame' at its conference in Dundalk.

"Stop the lights! That was another emotional night," she said. "It was wonderful. They even went to the trouble of recording video messages with the people from the different airlines and companies, and the staff here.

"I got very emotional that night, to tell you the truth. I'm not used to all of this attention! But it's lovely and I appreciate it very much."

Speaking to the Westmeath Independent last Wednesday, she said the decision to close the business for good at the end of December was - and continues to be - a difficult one.

"There are different prompts you get over time. I'm over retirement age, and when you have good health it's time to think of when to come out (of the business).

"We've had a great team of staff but, as time went on, it became hard to get other trained or managerial staff. So there were different prompts that helped me decide.

"It wasn't an easy decision and it's still not, because I still love engaging with people and I have a great rapport with a lot of the airlines and companies we deal with."

She had "a passion" for the travel industry from an early age, when helping her father with the business often felt more attractive to her than spending time with her school books!

The business itself was established in 1911 by Marie's grandfather, John, and initially comprised of a bar, grocery, hardware and small shipping agent. John procured a licence for operating the North Atlantic shipping route and sold tickets to passengers for the Titanic's voyage in April 1912.

The late Edward Farrell, a solicitor and family friend of the Grenham's, would sometimes remind people of that fact when he called into the business and jokingly told others; "Whatever you do, don't book a cruise with this crowd, because they put people on the Titanic and it sank!"

In the 70s and 80s, as package holidays overseas became more common, the travel side of the business became increasingly prominent. The grocery on the premises was phased out and the bar became a 'club' for regulars which was operated by Marie's father in the evenings as something of a hobby.

Having grown up in the business, Marie was accustomed to interacting with customers from an young age.

"From the shop you would be used to that. You were a family business, and you were very connected with people," she said.

"But you just do that as part of your job. You don't think about it - you just help people as much as you can."

After completing her Leaving Cert, she went to Commercial College in Dublin, and she has been continuously upskilling over the years in order to keep up with the changing trends of the travel industry.

The business had its challenges over the years, notably when the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020.

"That was a very strange time, and people didn't know what tomorrow was going to bring," she recalled.

"But we were very lucky that we had a sense of trust with our clients. They were very understanding, and you updated them as much as you could.

"It took time, but, since Covid, business has just mushroomed. It's come back up in a big way."

The volcanic ash cloud from Iceland, which led to thousands of cancelled flights in 2010, and serious weather events, such as hurricanes, were other incidents that could cause knock-on disruption for the business.

However, Marie praised the support she's had from the Irish Travel Agents' Association, and the Worldchoice Ireland group.

"They were fantastic, and it was great to be under those umbrellas. You didn't feel you were on your own, in trying to get people sorted, because you had that backup."

Marie got to travel herself fairly regularly, especially in her earlier years, but not as much in recent times.

"I've seen quite a number of places, but the world is big and there's a lot there still to see," she said.

"I have a few favourite places that I've been to on and off. South Africa is somewhere I enjoyed very much. It was a different culture and I found that interesting. I was with other agents, on an agents' trip, and we saw different parts of it. It gave a great insight to help sell and promote it when you came back.

"Then the cruising was great because, say in the Mediterranean, you were seeing different cities just by getting off the boat, without any airport hassle."

It's an indication of how much she enjoyed her work that she didn't feel the years passing.

"I've worked here for 50-plus years, without ever realising it to tell you the truth. I got interested in it very young and really loved it."

When asked about the next chapter, she said she has no firm plans at this stage.

"It's going to take me time. It will be an adjustment, but I haven't any plan.

"I will be able to say yes to my friends now, when they want to meet up. Before this you were often saying no, because you were busy or there was something on."

As our conversation drew to a close, Marie emphasised the importance of thanking her staff over the years, and her customers.

"I would like to thank all our customers who supported us over the decades. We have had fantastic repeat customers, many of whom are generations of the same families.

"I would also like to acknowledge the incredible team members, past and present, who have worked with Grenham Travel over the years, and the role they have played in making the agency such a great success."

She also spoke about the importance of Connaught Street in her life.

"I was born, reared, and worked all my life in Connaught Street, and I wouldn't pass it. It's been good to us, and the community in Connaught Street is so closely knitted together.

"We have been lucky in business, thank God," she concluded.