Death of legendary Dunnes doyen

"The street is devastated, a legend has passed on."

The 93-year old retailer and Dunnes Stores company director, as well as right-hand man and confidante of Ben Dunne senior, Dan Barrett had just marked 70 years service with Dunnes in March, continuing to turn up every week at the company’s Cork stores.

Apart from being in at the foundation of an empire as the first-ever employee of a firm that now employs 16,000 people, Mr Barrett had been instrumental in Dunnes Stores’ 2009, multi-million euro, flagship revamp of its historic, first-ever outlet on Patrick’s Street.