Moore Street at standstill for funeral of trader

THE spirit of Molly Malone lived on in Dublin’s Moore Street yesterday as traders took time out from the busy Christmas shopping to mark the death of one of the street’s best-known faces.

The funeral of trader Ellen McCreery, known universally as Chick, brought the famous market area of Dublin to a standstill yesterday morning.

Chick, aged 82, was a familiar face on Moore Street for the best part of 70 years having worked on a fruit and vegetable stall since she was a young girl.

Although she had stopped operating her stall on a daily basis for a number of years, Chick still made regular visits to Moore Street in her wheelchair until a few months ago.

"She was working here when she celebrated her 80th birthday and it was a great occasion," said trader Kathleen Kennedy. "Everyone knew her as Chick and everyone loved her. She was one of the old stock the kind you don't really see any more and she loved the whole atmosphere of Moore Street."

Chick is survived by eight daughters, 47 grandchildren and a large extended family.

Many Moore Street stall-holders ceased trading for the day to honour the memory of their former colleague.

And Chick's memory like the ghost of Molly Malone is destined to live on as her stall is now run by her granddaughter, Caroline.

The funeral cortege was given a garda escort through the busy streets around Chick's working place as hundreds of passersby also stopped to pay their respect. Chick's hearse also paused for a minute outside the stall she ran for almost 70 years outside Nelly's café on Moore Street.

One elderly gentleman from Cork who knew Chick from his time as a student in Dublin travelled specially by train to attend the funeral.

"She had a great way about her," he recalled.