Clerys was a long-established department store on

O'Connell Street O'Connell Street () is a street in the centre of Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, running north from the River Liffey. It connects the O'Connell Bridge to the south with Parnell Street to the north and is roughly split into two sections ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, a focal point of the street. The business dates from 1853, however the current building dates from 1922, having been completely destroyed in the 1916

Easter Rising The Easter Rising ( ga, Éirí Amach na Cásca), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the a ...

. Clerys completed a five-year restoration programme in 2004 at a cost of €24 million. A renovation project is currently underway to restore the building and will include converting the layout from that of a department store to that of various businesses operating under the same roof. The group also included three "At Home With Clerys" homewares stores in out-of-town retail parks at

Blanchardstown Blanchardstown () is a large outer suburb of Dublin in the modern Counties of Ireland, county of Fingal, Ireland. Located northwest of Dublin city centre, it has developed since the 1960s from a small village to a point where Greater Blanchards ...

Leopardstown Leopardstown () is a suburb of Dublin in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, within the traditional County Dublin, Ireland. Located at the foot of the Dublin Mountains, it is a residential suburb with institutional lands and a large racecourse. It is di ...

and

Naas Naas ( ; ga, Nás na Ríogh or ) is the county town of County Kildare in Ireland. In 2016, it had a population of 21,393, making it the second largest town in County Kildare after Newbridge. History The name of Naas has been recorded in th ...

; and the discount department store Guiney and Co (a different company to the

Guineys Michael Guiney's Ltd, more commonly known and referred to as Guiney's (), is an Irish department store founded in June 1971. The store specialises in homewares, menswear, womenswear and children's clothing. They have 11 stores in the Republic o ...

chain) at 79-80 Talbot Street; all of which closed during the 2012 receivership. There had formerly been a fashion-only outlet in

The Square, Tallaght The Square Tallaght is a shopping centre located in Tallaght, Dublin, Ireland, opened in 1990. It is located 10 minutes from junction 11 of the M50 motorway on the Belgard Road (the R113) and the N81. The centre comprises 53,000 m2 of ...

but this had already closed by the time of the receivership.

Ownership

The history of Clerys began in May 1853 when Mac Swiney, Delany and Co. opened ‘The New or Palatial Mart' on the site of the present store in what was then Sackville Street. In 1883, the premises was taken over and renamed by M. J. Clery (died 1896), a native of Bulgaden, Co. Limerick.Aoife Reilly (1997), "CLEARY'S GRAND OPENING SALE 1940 'CHRISTMAS STOCKS AT BARGAIN PRICES'"

William Martin Murphy William Martin Murphy (6 January 1845 – 26 June 1919) was an Irish businessman, newspaper publisher and politician. A member of parliament (MP) representing Dublin from 1885 to 1892, he was dubbed "William ''Murder'' Murphy" among the Irish ...

was also involved in the business. Clerys was bought out of receivership in 1941 by Denis Guiney (1893–1967)P. Costello (2008) Denis Guiney (UCD) for £250,000. The receivers were Craig Gardner & Co. Denis Guiney died in 1967, and his widow (née Mary Leahy) continued to be chairperson until her death on 23 August 2004 at the age of 103 years.Sunday Tribune obituary
Clerys was placed into receivership on 17 September 2012. Receivers Paul McCann and Michael McAteer of Grant Thornton said the store’s future could be secured.

Closure

Kieran Wallace and Eamonn Richardson were appointed joint provisional liquidators to OSC Operations Limited (the "Company") trading as Clerys, on 12 June 2015. The company ceased to trade with immediate effect. Staff were given 30 minutes' notice to pack up and leave, some had worked there for over 40 years. Clerys sold for €1.00, the building itself sold for €29 million to the Natrium Investment Group, with Paddy McKillen’s Oakmount and Europa Capital coming on board to redevelop the site, with architects Henry J Lyons, trying to keep as much of the original design (based on Selfridges' in London) as possible.

Clerys Quarter

Clerys is being redeveloped into a mixed-use development of offices, retail and leisure called Clerys Quarter.

Press Up Entertainment Press Up Entertainment is a cinema, hotel, pub, retail and restaurant operator based in Dublin, Ireland. Ownership is shared between Paddy McKillen, Jr., son of Paddy McKillen, and Matt Ryan. Their properties include the Clarence Hotel, the De ...

(run by Paddy McKillen Jr and Matt Ryan, and known for a number of pubs, bars and hotels as well as Wowburger and Tower Records Ireland) will operate a boutique hotel which will be called The Clery, with the hotel also including a rooftop bar and a restaurant.

Clerys Clock

A large clock with two faces hangs above Clerys' central doors on O'Connell Street (opposite the statue of Jim Larkin). "Under Clerys' clock" is a well-known ''rendez-vous'', both for Dubliners, and visitors from the countryside, and is famous in the city's culture as a place where many romances begin. 1990, on the fiftieth anniversary of Denis Guiney taking over the store, a new clock was installed. File:DINGNAM(1891) p011 CLERCY & CO, LOWER SACKVILLE STREET.jpg, 1891 artwork of Clerys in Lower Sackville Street File:Dublin Sackville Street 1853.jpg, 1853 artwork of

Nelson's Pillar Nelson's Pillar (also known as the Nelson Pillar or simply the Pillar) was a large granite column capped by a statue of Horatio Nelson, built in the centre of what was then Sackville Street (later renamed O'Connell Street) in Dublin, Ireland. ...

and Clerys File:Clerys (8197432472).jpg, The Clerys clock in 2012

Guiney and Co

Guiney and Co was Clerys' discount department store located at 79-80 Talbot Street, not far from one of Guineys' Dublin stores at 83 Talbot St. Even though the two stores were run by separate companies, the latter chain was founded by a nephew of Denis Guiney called Michael, who had been working as the buyer of household goods and furnishings at Clerys, before setting up his own Dublin store in 1971.

References

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