On Monday, however, Josie is absent from the shop that she is synonymous with. People swing open the door, asking for her, carrying flowers and cards with well wishes. On the counter an open notebook invites those calling in to leave messages.
Mr Fogarty , along with his five siblings, was born and raised on Parnell Street. In the days of Féile, the music festival held in Thurles during the 1990s, punters would call into the shop in their droves as they made the walk out to Semple Stadium. “I remember the crowds,” he says. Fifty-cent bags of sweets have been enduring in their popularity, however. Conor Mahony , a grandson of Josie’s, helped in the shop during the after-school rush, when schoolchildren crammed inside to nab something nice for the way home. He’ll miss the shop, he says, standing at the counter. “I love helping out at the shop, and there’s a lot of people coming in being really nice and talkative.”