Bridie Mooney
If ever proof was needed as to just how loved Bridie Mooney was in Greystones, the funeral procession on Friday, September 25th 2020 from her home of over 60 years to The Holy Rosary church next door sparked a spontaneous round of applause that spread out far from Trafalgar Road, up through La Touche Place and down the town's spine, Church Road.
There were tears too, of course, just as there had been on Christmas Eve 2015, when hundreds of people gathered outside that very same home which also happened to be a shop. Bridie was retiring, stepping out from behind the counter, and away from a family business she had started 62 years earlier alongside her husband, Robert.
It was a shop that sold everything, from washing-up liquid to bags of coal, from homemade furniture to the holy grail of Mooney's shop, sweets. Over her six decades behind that counter, Bridie was pretty much Willy Wonka in a dress to generation after generation of children.
It meant the lady was a big part of many families' lives, from parents to kids and on to grandkids. And for many a local, Bridie Mooney will always be a big part of Greystones.
Last Day Christmas Eve 2015
Mrs Mooney's
Robert & Bridie Mooney