Much-loved Garryvoe Stores to close as operators retire 

John Murray and Mary Walsh, who ran the popular beachside shop for more than 30 years, are hanging up their buckets and spades for the last time as new operators are sought to ensure the shop reopens

Mary Walsh with flowers handed in by well-wishers on her last day at Garryvoe Stores, which closed its doors after 31 years on Sunday. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

The people who ran one of Cork’s favourite beachside shops have retired and closed the doors of their little shop of treasures and treats for the last time.

John Murray and Mary Walsh, who ran Garryvoe Stores next to Garryvoe beach in East Cork since 1989, thanked people for their support over the years as they cleared the last of the stock from the shop shelves on Monday. Most of the food items were donated to causes close to their hearts.

They said they were a little overwhelmed at all the fuss as they were inundated with flowers and good wishes from their community.

But Ms Walsh said the time had come for them to retire and she said they were looking forward to it.

“We’d like to thank all the customers who came into the shop all down through the years for their support over all that time,” she said.

“We’d also like to thank our staff, those who worked with us regularly and during the holiday seasons.

The shop was very popular with visitors and holidaymakers, of course, but it was also a great meeting point in the community. 

"It was a place for the chit-chat and to catch up and we’ll miss that, but the time has come for us to retire.” 

The small shop opposite the Garryvoe Hotel has been at the heart of the local community for decades.

But it also served tens of thousands of holidaymakers, day trippers and beachgoers over the years, and was hugely popular with residents of the nearby caravan sites.

Famous for its 99 ice-cream cones and other treats, the shop stocked everything from fishing rods to fish fingers, Ballycotton spuds to soap, as well as boogie boards, buckets, kites, and buckets and spades.

It was a rite of passage for generations of children staying in the nearby campsites to be allowed to walk on their own to ‘Johnny Murray’s for a treat’.

Mr Murray took over the running of the shop in 1989. He was joined behind the counter some years later by Ms Walsh. 

The shop is owned by the owners of the Garryvoe Hotel and it remained open throughout the pandemic.

It is understood that efforts are under way to find new operators to ensure the shop reopens soon.