Traditional Shop Fronts

To me there is something about a traditional Irish shop front.  Is it comforting, familiarity or just nostalgia, or maybe all three?  Whatever it is it’s there, calling to me, begging to be recognized among the razzle dazzle of corporate neons, the identikit of chains, the banality of modernity that populates our streets.

“The traditional Irish shopfront is a significant piece of Irish architectural heritage and contributes enormously to the fabric and texture of town and village.  The architecture of Irish shops developed over the centuries and was shaped by the same forces, social and economic, which formed the architecture of ordinary people elsewhere in Europe.  The shopfronts are often an integral and harmonious part of the simple and unpretentious architecture of the town, and their colours and small scale details are invaluable ingredients for the preservation of the essential liveliness of the street”

These wise words come from the conservation guidelines issued by Meath CoCo.

The uniqueness of these shops and pubs still exist.  Some boarded up, some repurposed and some bucking the trend, stoically providing us with the same welcome that they have done for generations.  

While a number of the shops featured in this collection are listed in the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage this is not about architecture, it is not an academic study it is simply a series of photographs which aim to capture the beauty and uniqueness of the traditional Irish shopfront.