Column

Eithne Shortall: Let’s hear it for the local corner shop

Small, family-run independent newsagents are often quite literally the cornerstone of our communities, but they need our support to keep their doors open

John Hyland, owner of Dun Leary's ‘last corner shop’, who retired after 49 years as a news agent: it was lovely to see the outpouring of love when it closed its doors in September last year

A favourite weekend ritual is a trip to our local newsagents. In the early morning, I’ll pull on my coat, my three-year-old will hop on his scooter and we’ll whizz around to the corner shop (it’s amazing how often they really are on corners) and load up on reading material. While I peruse the newspaper bench, he’ll rifle through the bottom shelf of the magazine section.

I tend to make my selection first, but Ruan ...