IN the 1970’s my father ran a newsagent in Artane Dublin (one of his many careers!). We sold all these things at a fantastic rate, where are they now?
- Boiled sweets dished out from glass jars into quarter pound bags
- Slices of ice cream cut and served between wafers straight from the fridge
- Individual cigarettes
- Packets of safety razors (just the blades, of course you have a razor!)
- Broken bits of various cadbury’s products sold by the quarter pound
- Hapenny chews sold at 4 for a pre-decimal hapenny
- Large bottles of red lemonade
Copacetic 
There’s a shop on George’s street that still sells the quarter of sweets. The window is full of jars of boiled sweets. My favourite are pear drops. Apple drops are good too but they end up with bits of brown paper stuck to them if you don’t eat them quick enough. Rubharb and Custard are another favourite of mine.
LikeLike
hey Joe —
the broken bits of Cadbury’s chocolate may be a northside-only thing — didn’t they have a factory up the road in Coolock?
LikeLike
bang on Justin, though I think we got them from Leyden’s, the cash and carry in Fairview. We then had to sit in the car for an hour with a bottle of coke and crisps while my dad sank a few pints in Gaffneys.
LikeLike
When I was in school, the shop opposite the school used to sell a combo pack with a cigarette, a match and a polo mint. Genius.
LikeLike
what a commercial world we live in today…
though i think i know a few places that sell boiled sweets in jars.
LikeLike
I was employed as a storedetective in your fathers shop. It was only for a couple of hours after Sunday Mass. I had to catch all these thieving bastards from Artane and Harmonstown, Never caught anybody, They woz to hard.
LikeLike
Your old man had a big dog called Major
I remeber once being stuck in the garage with you and your brother Mike because of this most fierce dog.
LikeLike
Yeah, I remember that, Christ that dog was fierce. So CTP remind me of your name.
LikeLike
Tom the sweatshop man of Artane was in icon to all of us useless layabouts. He had money and durex in his pckets. I still think of him with great regard after all of these years. Top Man T. F. Drumgoole.
LikeLike
My name is Ciaran.
LikeLike
MY name is Ciaran.things. I have 3 Barbours, three pairs of Churches shoes, wardrobes full of paul smith, gucci, boss, westwood, etc etc. My life is very short so I would like to donate all of my gear to a charity. Cars Cameras and houses horses dimonds
ld etc stc I will stick up my nose.
LikeLike
ha ha of course Hi Ciaran. Good to here from you.
LikeLike