NEW: ‘It’s much deeper than money’: Kilkenny butcher John Joe Cullen on 50 years behind the counter
As featured in the Kilkenny People newspaper
After more than half a century behind the counter, renowned local butcher John Joe Cullen announced his retirement last week, with doors closing for the final time on Saturday.
The news has been met with great sadness, but also a deep sense of nostalgia for times gone by.
After leaving the army, John Joe forged a long and successful career in the butcher trade, first stepping behind the counter on John Street in 1976.
Having worked for many years alongside then-owner Billy Sullivan, John Joe took over the reins in the 1990s, continuing the successful trade.
But as a new dawn approaches, it’s raised mixed emotions for John Joe.
“I will feel the loss of customers, and I know they will feel the loss of going into it (the shop),” John Joe revealed to the Kilkenny People.
“I know it's got to be a big shake-up for them, and that's probably the worst part of it. Obviously, I’ll miss it in ways,” he said, but admitted he’s looking forward to the new chapter.
“I’ll still meet plenty of people; it’ll just be in a different way. On the street or in the shops.”
Although it hasn’t fully sunk in yet for John Joe, the last couple of days have given him plenty of time for nostalgia, and on reflection it could have been very different…
“I always had it in my head that I would open a (butcher) shop at some stage once I stuck with a trade.
“When I started, I didn’t intend to stay with it. I was going to join the army,” John Joe recalled, stating that ‘life got in the way’ and a pathway away from the armed forces presented itself.
Having spent a couple of years in the butcher trade, John Joe crossed paths with Billy Sullivan and soon agreed to join him in the John Street business. There was, however, an inauspicious start to this new chapter when John Joe broke his arm playing soccer the very next day, delaying his arrival behind the counter. However, little did he know that half a century later, it would become not only his starting point, but his life.
By the mid-1990s, John Joe took the leap from employee to employer, with his long-term mentor Billy still in the background making the transition ‘seamless’, revealing that the pair never had a cross word.
The iconic butcher believed the importance of the business stretched far beyond its financial value, highlighting the role of tradition and the local community in keeping John Street alive.
“It’s much deeper than money, it’s tradition,” he continued,
“The thing about John Street is it has thrived even in bad times because the shops were small. Some closed, some stayed open, but overall, it has thrived because of the people that were living in the street and living around the street.
“We wouldn't have survived as a business without those people around us.”
Message to Customers:
“After 50 wonderful years, retirement beckons. Thank you to all our loyal customers for 50 years of support, friendship and loyalty. It has been an honour to serve you,” he added.
“From the bottom of my heart, thank you.”