Clerys department store has been part of Dublin since 1853. As I child I visited Santa at Christmas, I bought a tie for a wedding as an adult. The impressive staircase, the old world charm and the opulent exterior of the store that was re-built after being destroyed in the Easter Rising of 1916, are part of the character of Dublin and a link to the past. But it was the clock outside under which many a person’s first date started, lunch meetings and nights in the town began, that will stir the memories of many a Dubliner.
Unfortunately for Dubliners, the Clerys of old is just a memory. On Friday 12th of June workers were notified that the store was closing. Given only 30 minutes notice to clear out their lockers. Some only heard about the closure and their loss of employment on the radio news the next morning. A cruel way to treat staff, some of whom had worked at the store for nearly 40years.
Earlier this year I took some photographs inside the store, and at the weekend took some photos outside. One of which includes the statue of Jim Larkin, the trade unionist who led the great Dublin lock out of 1913, fighting for workers rights.
