OMG! I just got this message from an old/young customer. This is what it was all about for us. Thank you for sharing Ronan Daly.
"Hi Sheena, thanks for adding me here. I stumbled upon your Facebook page today and spent ages going through all the posts you have about your dad and the shop. I thoroughly enjoyed the trip down memory lane. It feels like so long ago. You may or may not remember me from the years I spent almost every Saturday afternoon in the shop. I would get the Saturday morning bus to Cork city from Kinsale with my best friend Jon - both of us in matching Metallica jackets 🤦♂️ Our routine from the bus station was a quick trip to Jeffers drums and across the road to Russell’s music and then down to pro musica, over to HMV for a new CD and then it was into Burger King for lunch before we would make our way up over the bridge. We were definitely saving the best for last. We would walk faster and faster the closer we got and by the time we reached vibes and scribes we would be legging it around the corner. I still remember the feeling of walking through the door and writing this now has even brought back the smell of the shop. Kinda like fags and the inside of an acoustic guitar and it was always warm inside especially in winter while it could be freezing and bucketing down outside and you would always have a big smile on your face behind the counter with your dad sitting beside you. In my mind you always looked like you had just been in stitches laughing. It never bothered any of ye that 2 manky teenagers were going to come in and lurk around for 2 hours and then buy a plec and pack of strings for a few pound and leave but I’d say ye had a good eye for potential future buyers. Back then we would come into the shop probably 20 Saturdays before eventually making a substantial purchase. My most memorable day was coming in with my mother one Friday evening in late August 2000 and being told I had to spend 5 grand in the shop. WTF!?!?
Long story short, I worked that whole summer and saved up the money to buy either music gear or a little speedboat. When I got the money together I stupidly decided to buy a boat secondhand from a dealer in Cork. 5 days later the boat sank and when we eventually took it out of the water my dad found a hole in the bottom that had been badly patched up. My dad was an intimidating tattooed biker and we took the boat back to the dealer and there were some words and threats about selling a dodgy boat to a child and another long story short I got the money back. I clearly remember my dad telling my mother “Take Ronan to any shop and spend the whole lot and on the way home fuck the receipt into that boat fucker!” Haha,, what a day! I came in and bought a Tanglewood Bass Squire electric guitar Peavey pa 4 shure mics Boss effects board Boss 8 track recorder Stands and cables and the whole lot was brand new. I’m sure you all thought I was a spoilt rich kid and why wouldn’t ye think that but I wasn’t and had worked hard for that cash at the time. That was exactly 20 years ago in late August 2000. I was 16 years old. I still tell people that story all these years later. I am married and have 2 gorgeous kids and say the typical shite like “happiest day of my life is at my wedding and birth of kids blah blah blah etc etc” but get away out of it I’m only fooling myself.
I’m pretty sure that nothing beats being 16 years old and getting told by your parents to go spend 5k in a music shop. It’s the closest feeling I’ll have to winning the lotto.
I’m ranting at you now but just wanted to tell you how much I loved the shop and the people and how I miss it dearly. Wouldn’t it be mad if it ever came back? I would be there to give my support."
Post edit - we are back. Crowleys Music Centre's new address is No.1 Friar Street. Launching Thursday 27th of July. Opening Hours will be 12 noon to 6 pm. Hope to see you there at some stage Ronan!!