McGuires bid farewell to Raven Terrace shop

After forty years, McGuire’s shop in Raven Terrace is to pull down its shutters.

But owner Arthur McGuire is keen to stress that the new owners plan to retain the supermarket, continuing its tradition of serving the communities of the Claddagh and West End as well as customers of the vibrant restaurant and café district.

The McGuires have been a monumental presence in Raven Terrace since 1935, when they opened a pub where the dog grooming business currently trades.

Edward McGuire was a mechanic in Higgins’ Garage and a lodger in John and Annie Connolly’s Bar. He met his wife to be Ethel Corbett around the corner in George Gay’s furniture shop, and when they decided to get married, they bought Connolly’s and changed the name to McGuire’s Bar.

Upstairs they raised their family of six boys and only daughter Regina. The family later bought the sweet shop to the left of the pub, which had been owned by sisters Hanna and Sheila Gannon.

Regina took over the pub and the youngest lad, Arthur, went on to buy the corner shop in 1982, first operating as a toy shop before he extended it nine years later to create the Daybreak supermarket that currently trades.

He and wife Bernadette lived upstairs, where they raised their two sons. Across the road Regina continues to live with husband Tom after they sold the pub licence and leased out the building.

“It’s a very busy shop, we’re blessed because we have a lot of passing traffic, we have a core community in the Claddagh the West End who are very strong supporters of our business. We’re very grateful for all the custom that came through the door, from offices, the fire station, the Garda station, students from the Bish and the Jes.”

Asked what prompted him to put the business up for sale, Arthur laughs when Bernadette answers for him: “Old age!”

This is a shortened preview version of this article. To read more on Arthur’s retirement, see the July 15 edition of the Galway City Tribune. You can buy a digital edition HERE.