Focus on Business: Gillmor's

After the painters had finished in my house some years ago, I was faced with the problem of those annoying little specks of paint on the window glass. I knew just the thing to remove them - a bohemian blade. What's that? A bohemian blade is a one-sided razor blade which is as useful as a small saucepan. It's the sort of thing which every general grocery shop would have stocked 50 years ago, but not so easy to find now. Anyway, I popped down to Gillmor's and asked John if he had such a thing. "I think I have some around somewhere" came the answer, and indeed he had. You see, Gillmor's is that sort of shop. It stocks all the things you expect it to stock, and quite a number of things you probably didn't expect at all.  

The Gillmor family has been in Dromahair since the 1700s. Thought to have originated in Scotland, they came to Ireland before emigrating to America and finally returning to settle in Dromahair. Originally farmers, they have been in the general grocery trade here in the village for more than two centuries. The business began with John Gillmor's great-great-grandfather on the corner of Market street, not in the familiar Main Street location we all know today, which was started by Stuart J. Gillmor, grandfather of John. 

Leitrim Observer 6th Sept 1913

Over the years the Gillmors have dealt in a wide variety of stock, from groceries, drapery, homewares, animal feedstuffs, fuel and hardware to White Star and Cunard Line tickets. Many of those U.S. immigrants arriving at Ellis Island in the earlier part of the last century had purchased their tickets at S.J. Gillmor, Dromahair. There was also the bakery, which was run by Stuart Gillmor until the 1920s. Deliveries were originally horse-drawn, then motorised in the petrol age, although as this clipping (left) from the Leitrim Observer shows, the horse could at times prove more reliable. 

The advent of the motor car affected the Gillmor family in more ways than one. John tells the tale of his grandfather, Stuart, who decided to take the wheel for the first time while returning from a funeral in Riverstown with his son Alfie (John's father). Alfie became concerned that the vehicle was too close to the edge of the bog road, and mentioned this to his father who promptly swung the wheel and tipped the car off the road and over into the bog. Later he explained that he thought cars were steered like boats, by turning the wheel in the opposite direction to the preferred one. The car was pulled out of the bog by other travellers returning from the funeral, but was badly damaged., and had to be taken to Sligo the following day for repairs. Before these could take place though, the damage was spotted by RIC officers who decided Stuart Gillmor (who was not carrying the correct permit for his vehicle) must have been involved in an ambush, and threw the unfortunate man in jail! There he languished for almost a week, until a family friend arranged his release.

Stuart J. Gillmor and family

Not all of the Gillmor family has been involved in the retail trade. John's uncles, Donald and Hubert, both became veterinary surgeons in Scotland. Donald was based in Glasgow, after a spell serving in the armed forces in Mesopotamia. Hubert settled in Ayr and was at one time chief veterinary officer for the famous Harringay Arena, original home of the Horse of the Year Show. John's brother Des is a retired Professor of Geography from Trinity College Dublin. In the younger generation, Kelvin Gillmor is an award-winning photographer based in Galway.

John & Joyce Gillmor under their new sign

Gillmor's has survived in Dromahair for more than 200 years, through the War of Independence and the Civil War, and through two World Wars. Vernon still has the ration books which were issued to local people during WW2 or the "Emergency" as it was called in this country. It has survived the depression of the 1930s and the economic highs and lows of two centuries. The current recession has seen an unprecedented collapse of the construction trade, which of course has had an effect on "Gillmor's Yard", the heavy hardware side of the business. Increased competition from the bigger grocery chains, or multiples, is another factor which has made trading conditions difficult for independent retailers like Gillmor's. Make no mistake though, Gillmor's will survive this recession as it has all others.

Vernon, John, Joyce & Kelvin Gillmor

What keeps Gillmor's going, and what makes it different, is a family tradition spanning six generations. Vernon now manages the business begun by his great-great-great-grandfather, and is not, the ladies of Dromahair will be delighted to hear, thinking of emigrating, contrary to rumour. These days the trade consists mostly of groceries, fuel, homewares and light hardware/DIY supplies. There is a staff of 8, covering the shop and the yard. There is also a delivery service, for both fuel and groceries. If there's something you need and can't find, ask! Vernon or John will be happy to order in anything that is not immediately available. And bohemian blades? I asked John yesterday: he thinks he has some around somewhere.

Gillmor's, Main Street, Dromahair.  071-9164118

For anyone who cares to leave a comment about this article - John & Vernon Gillmor have very generously agreed to sponsor a prize for what is deemed (by the Editor) to be the best comment.