A Dublin butcher says the Irish language connects him to the history and heritage of Moore Street.

Stephen Troy, of Troy’s butchers, is giving a 10pc discount to customers who order in Irish during seachtain na gaeilge, taking place from March 1 to 17.

“I’ve been working here since I was 12 years old. It’s a family business, so I was working through weekends and summer holidays,” he said.

“I went through school and then after school, I became full time. I eventually took over the family business, myself and my brother.

“This place belonged to our uncle and our grandfather. We’re the fifth generation to take it over here on Moore Street. We’re one of the only two generational businesses left here, along with the street traders.”

Over the years, Moore Street has changed drastically, but for Mr Troy, “there’s no place I’d rather be”.

“I absolutely love Moore Street. But over the years, unfortunately we’ve seen it being neglected by the dereliction of the national monuments and by private developers who intend to knock down the buildings and haven’t invested in the area,” he said.

“It’s a poor management policy in place. Because of that, it’s become famous for anti-social behaviour.

“But thankfully, we’re still doing well here and we’ve a good, loyal customer base. It’s great to have them here.


Moore Street Christmas Rush, Dublin City, Ireland 1975

“We’ve a generational customer base where we have people who came in, their mothers used to come in and the granny used to come in and so on. It’s a big thing when it’s a generational family business.

“I feel this attachment to the place, I remember the good times on Moore Street, the craic you’d have with the street traders and the characters that used to frequent the street on a daily basis.

“We’ve earned a really good living from the street, we’re thankful for that as well,” he added.

Regarding the Irish language, Mr Troy is ready to encourage customers to use their cúpla focal and bring some extra community spirit to the area.

“I was always interested in the Irish language, history, and culture, particularly being on Moore Street. I think it’s fair to say, the country was actually born on Moore Street, so having a little bit of Irish connects me to the heritage of the street as well.

“I left school 25 years ago, so I was out of practice, but the classes have been fantastic for me. It came back very quickly and then having the children attending Gaelscoils, I was able to use it at home with them too.

“Baile Átha Cliath na Gaeilge recruit businesses to promote the Irish language within the workplace. I would highly recommend every business to take part.

“They put on free Irish classes, they do poster services, translation services and it’s all completely free.

“I was actually very surprised with the amount of, you know, non-nationals who actually try to make an effort and make an attempt by using the posters, the posters are done phonetically. We have the laughs with it too.

“It’s opened up a new customer base. I’d have a couple of hundred people in, ordering rashers and sausages through Irish.”

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