Meat is in Paddy Buckley’s blood. We’re standing in his butcher’s shop, F.X. Buckley, which has stood at 61 Moore St for nearly 90 years.
Paddy started working with his father in 1972 and he’s been in the business ever since – first at the Chatham St shop off Grafton St and for the last 20 years on Moore St. He says that the street has changed even as the business has survived.
“At one time there were 22 butcher's shops on this street, all very busy,” he says. “It's changed a bit now, there are only two left – ourselves and Troy's down the way. We miss the other guys – we wish they were still here.”
All the same, business is brisk. There’s a constant stream of customers into the shop while we chat with Paddy, and despite the competition presented by the supermarkets he describes his clientele as “very loyal” – some of them have been coming in for as long as he’s been working there.
“They travel from far and wide as well,” he says. “We had customers in here this morning who are just back from London for a few days and they brought a bit of meat back with them – things they can't get in England. We have a flow of those every weekend. The white pudding is incredibly popular.”
He’s not averse to having a bit of fun with the many tourists who pop their heads in either, making a point of charging them €2 for a photo – “I return it to them after I get it off them!” he says with a mischievous grin.
After a life in butchery, Paddy seems satisfied with his lot. There is one thing troubling him though – the long-awaited redevelopment of the Moore St area.
“It needs to be done,” he says. “It could be fantastic – there's space for nice retail business, hotels, restaurants, apartments, housing. Six-and-a-half acres is an awful lot of space, right in the centre of the city. And it should be used. Get on with it!”
