Francis Brennan: 'We’re not putting it up on the shelf if it’s not 100%'

As he marks 10 years with Dunnes Stores, Francis Brennan reflects on legacy, home, hospitality and attention to detail

Francis Brennan amid his Francis Brennan The Collection display at Dunnes Stores, Patrick Street, Cork, marking ten years of his exclusive homeware partnership. Picture Chani Anderson.

Francis Brennan surveys Cork City through the panoramic window of the top-floor cafe in Dunnes Stores on Patrick Street. I’m meeting him here as he marks the 10th year of the Francis Brennan Collection in Dunnes.

As we’re introduced, he focuses his attention on me completely; there’s a warmth to him and a hint of divilment. As you would expect, he’s immaculately dressed in a classic navy pin-striped suit, not a hair out of place.