Gough, O’Keeffe & Naughton shop recalled

Hearing the sad news about the passing of the late David O’Keeffe certainly struck a chord with me and resurrected some great memories from my time working in the shop he co-owned, Gough, O'Keeffe & Naughton in Pearse Street in Nenagh, in the 1990s, writes former staff member, Brendan Murphy.

It goes without saying that the old traditional department store that operated for decades in the main street of the town was an institution.

The large multi-storey building was a one-stop-shop for clothing, footwear, curtains, furniture and much more. I think every household in North Tipperary and beyond had one, if not more, of Gough’s yellow bags in the bag press - referred to as the good bags!

Having moved from Nenagh to Templederry at the age of 12, we then returned to Nenagh to live with my mum and siblings in 1995 when I had just turned 16.

The years leading up to this had been quite challenging for me personally. I would describe myself back then as being quite withdrawn, shy and lacking in confidence. My mum thought it would be a good idea for me to get a weekend job and so she approached the late David O’Keeffe to see if he had any work going in the store.

There were no interviews or questionnaire to be filled in back then. I just got word back from my mum that I was to turn up the following Saturday morning... and so life working in Gough’s began for me.

RETAIL THERAPY

If there is one way to bring someone out of their comfort zone and shake off one’s shyness, retail is certainly the place to do that. Back in the 1990s Gough’s was a hive of activity.

Once your entered the main double doors you had entered the women’s clothing section where you had Mary Ryan and Joyce Armitage at hand ready to help.

Walking deeper into the store you were greeted by Monica Burns, Sally Dunne and Donie Mackey in the Shoe Department. The Sports Section followed next with the great Pat and Joan Naughton were ready to fit you out in the latest sports attire.

At the end of the shop was the Men’s Department where the late Sean Naughton presided over railings full of clothes to suit all ages, shapes and sizes.

On the first floor we had the Materials Counter with Ann Ryan and Maura Connolly. Across from that was the Furniture Department which is where I was stationed.

The late David O’Keeffe was the boss here in Furniture, and on my arrival on my first Saturday morning I was instructed to go and help the great Bobby Morgan. “He will show you what to do,” I was told.

LOOKING BACK

I always pride myself on delivering good customer care in the many retail positions I held following my time in Gough’s, and, looking back, I think a lot of that mindset of putting the customer first comes from my time working with Bobby Morgan.

Bobby invented good customer service; he could switch on the charm and break a smile even if everything was falling down around us. If it could be wrapped in brown paper and tied with twine to avoid scratches, Bobby was your man. Nothing was ever too much trouble.

Bobby loved the social aspect of the job. It was meeting people and helping them out that kept Bobby in his job in Gough’s for so long.

In the four years that I worked there he always called me Dermot for some reason. After about two months I gave up on the notion that Bobby would ever call me by my proper name. I was to be ever called Dermot as far as Bobby was concerned.

My job also involved helping with the deliveries of furniture and fitting of floor covering and I would travel in the van with Willie Mackey, a brother of Donie, who also workied in the store.

We travelled the country far and wide delivering all sorts, from suites of furniture to beds of all shapes and sizes. On occasion, especially around Christmas time, there might be some deliveries to be done after 6pm. These deliveries would normally be carried out by David himself and he would usually ask someone to go with him to help, which would mean an extra 10 pounds for me sometimes.

I recall on one occasion David asked me to help him deliver a suite of furniture to Birr. I agreed as 10 pounds at the time was almost another day's wages for me.

At that time David had bought a newer van; the old Nissan Urvan had finally given up and David purchased a much bigger Peugeot/Talbot van from Slattery’s of Puckane. I believe the van was previously owned by Heenan’s of Borrisokane, who had traded it in.

We loaded up the van and we set off on our journey to Birr to deliver the suite of furniture. David never put the van under any real pressure with his driving as he always drove at a slow and steady pace.

However, I did notice as we passed through Borrisokane heading towards Birr, where the road narrows, that the position of the van was very much in favour of the middle of the road.

I could tell David was not used to the size of the van and was allowing too much room on the inside. At one stage I said to him, “You have lots of room at this side David if you want to keep in a bit more.” “Aye”, was his curt reply, as he smiled and focused on the road ahead.

As we passed through a series of bends, cars started to flash their lights, and one even blew the horn and flailed his hands, urging David to move over to his side of the road. At this stage both my hands were placed firmly on the dashboard as I looked at David to see his reaction to the angry motorist.

David broke out into a smile. He nodded his head as he turned towards me and said: “Isn’t it gas? No matter where you go you will always meet someone you know. That man there knew me now and, I only having this van two days.”

We made the journey safely there and back somehow, but to this day that memory brings a smile to my face.

I went to visit David last year. The late Hubert Durkin who was a friend of David’s, called to me one evening and said David had looked for me. I called to him and spoke to him on a few occasions after. David had found the challenges posed by the Covid pandemic very difficult. As a highly sociable person, he found the isolation hard to cope with and really reached out for some company.

In his final years David was extremely well cared for by his friend and carer, Sinead Morgan.

As I look back over my time working in the old store I can say without any hesitation they were fantastic times and that those who worked there were fantastic people.

Gough's was a hive of human interaction, and the stories and life experiences that came for working there has shaped all us former employees as people. It has helped build our characters, personalities and work ethic. And, most of all, it evokes memories that will live on forever.