The brothers behind Dublin’s oldest bicycle repairs shop say they have been flooded with support since deciding to sell their business.
Paul and Brian Delaney run T Delaney and Sons, a bike shop in Dublin 6 that has been going strong for 105 years. The business is easily recognised through its vibrant red shopfront near the busy Harold’s Cross junction.
The shop was first opened by their great-grandfather, with ownership being passed down from generation to generation. The brothers previously told RTE that although they were nearing retirement age, they have been forced to close earlier than planned due to rising costs.
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Paul told Dublin Live: “Making the decision was the hard part. We’ve accepted it now but we want to say thank you for all the emails, all the memories, all the online comments. They’ve been absolutely heartwarming.”
The demand for bikes remains as high as ever - the shop is now sold out of all its second hand bikes ahead of its closure in December. There are several generous discounts on some of their products, including a €150 reduction on their Ladies’ Fuji bikes, from €900 down to €750.
The brothers also received a surprise visit today - a man called Ger who returned with a Honda motorcycle bought in store over 30 years ago. Just like the shop it was purchased in, the bike is a family heirloom, which Ger intends on passing down to his son.
Ger said: “It’s a Honda 90 which was bought brand new in this store in 1991. This motorbike travelled to Northern Ireland during The Troubles and to Clifden on a week’s holidays. It was bought from these lads grandfather, so I just thought I’d come back in and say hello.”
The shop is currently up for sale, alongside the two floors above it. The brothers admit they are unsure of the direction the new owners will take with the premises.
However, they have plans of their own to look forward to following the departure of T Delaney and Sons. Paul will take six months off to practise some windsurfing, while Brian also intends on taking things easy for the forseeable future.
However, they hope one thing can remain the same under the new ownership: the historic red shopfront. The paintwork has remained largely unchanged, apart from standard maintenance work, since the shop first opened back in 1917.
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