Covid-19 ‘has been bringing out the best’ in Tyrrellspass

Elaine Ayres is a busy woman these days. The postmistress in Tyrrellspass, like many of us, she has seen her working day altered since the start of the Covid-19 crisis.

“Things have quietened down quite a bit in one area, the money end of things [since the Department of Social Protection introduced fortnightly pension payments], but then the other end with parcels and post, it’s better than Christmas. That will show you how much people are shopping online and posting things.

“It’s funny, the postcards that An Post gave out that time – a lot of people are in looking for them now. People are telling me that even their 15-year-old sons are writing to their grannies. The old kind of things are coming back now. It’s good in that way.”

The post office is located in Elaine’s shop, Cards and More, where she introduced social distancing measures at the start of the crisis, including a three-person limit. She says that the people of Tyrrellspass have adapted well to the changes in how we live our lives.

“I have to say, but it’s a lovely village anyway, from the very beginning everybody adhered to that [the three-person limit in the shop]. Everybody stuck to it; they’ll wait outside and they’ll queue and keep their six feet of a distance. They are very good. We were finding it hard to get hand sanitiser at the beginning but we sourced some and then An Post sent us loads, so we have a plentiful supply of that. We are keeping our counters and our pens and all of that clean.”

When things get quiet in the shop and at home in the evening, Elaine is busying herself by making masks – her contribution to the fight against Covid-19. She started making them following a request from a local doctor.

“I was giving her the masks and she was giving them out to carers and all of that. Then what happened was word got around and I had nurses coming in from Tullamore and Mullingar. Now as I have them made up I am handing them out over the counter.

“They tell me they are very comfortable but I’m just glad that I am able to help. I am glad they are of use to somebody and when I have more time on my hands I bring the sewing machine with me. Sure look it, you have to be at something,” she said.

A few doors up from Cards and More, butcher Enda Daly says that there has been a marked increase in retail sales since lockdown was introduced last month. This has helped somewhat offset the hit from the closure of the hotels and restaurants that he supplied.

“We are well supported. We have lost one side of it, but this side of it is going well. Local business is good again.”

All over Ireland people have a renewed appreciation for the local independent retailers and it’s something that he hopes continues “when all this blows over”.

The virus has also changed how Enda and his staff work.

“We split our shifts, two in the evening and two during the day, just to keep our distance. There are nearly no cases around here at all. It’s great to hear that in a small community. If we can keep it out of a small community, it’s a great help.”

Mark Gavigan is the proprietor of an electrical store on the town’s main street. He closed his doors at the start of the crisis, but is busier than even, he says, delivering essential appliances to people.

I’m delivering washing machines and ovens and driers – whatever people need. There are a lot of people going back to supporting their local businesses. I know that they can’t travel outside a 2km range, but when this is all over, you’d hope that most people will still support local. I’m delivering to people in Tullamore, Mullingar, Moate, Rochfortbridge, Kinnegad.

“I get the elderly ringing me and looking for a kettle and I just drop the kettle at their door and go. It’s grand because they can’t get out of their houses, so I’ll them the kettle or microwave or whatever they need.”

When it comes to his twice daily deliveries, Jamie Farrell, proprietor of Jamie’s Costcutter, is focusing on one section of the community.

“You are trying to prioritise the older person. They are the ones that are most worried and can’t get out at all. At least someone our age can drive or walk to the shop – the older person can’t do that and you have to look at them in terms of their mental health. If it is an older person who lives on their own and they haven’t seen someone from one end of the week to the next, that’s the biggest worry.

“I don’t want to say ‘oh I’ll get out to you tomorrow’. You want to be able to get out to them near enough as quick as possible.”

Since the start of lockdown the revenue from the store’s usual busy forecourt has plummeted, Jamie says.

“No one is on the road. You are losing an absolute fortune on footfall and petrol and diesel.

You’re trying to think outside the box and trying to think of anything to go that extra bit just to keep the doors open. We have the deli on reduced hours. Every one of my 16 staff is on reduced hours, everyone of them.

“You are trying to keep them in a job and keep things tipping away the best you can.”

Bernie Moran was one of a number of people queueing outside John Ryan’s Hardware store when we passed. She lives a short distance outside the town and says that she is coping well during lockdown.

“It’s okay. I just get my few things and go back home. I don’t go where I shouldn’t go. I do kind of get to see my mother [from a social distance]. Other than that, it doesn’t really bother me.”

The good weather has really helped make the last six weeks bearable, Bernie says.

“There’s plenty to do in this weather outside. I am grand. If it was raining, you’d be bored stiff.”

Another business where there was a queue outside on Friday morning was Mark Wright Total Health Pharmacy.

The store has introduced a one-way system and installed a hatch to limit the health risks to customers and staff. Pharmacist John Maguire says that it has worked well.

“It’s business as usual, in an unusual way. We have our partition up. It’s nice that the weather is fine and people aren’t queuing in the rain. We are doing the best we can and people are very understanding. We are trying to abide by the restrictions that the HSE and the government have imposed. Things are taking a little bit longer – we are encouraging people to phone ahead – but we are doing the best we can under the circumstances,” he said.

John adds that the crisis has “brought out the best in the community”.

“I suppose it’s a huge community effort and we certainly see it here in Tyrrellspass. People have all pulled together. The local GAA club is offering a delivery service, not just for prescriptions, but for food from the supermarket next door.

“You would see where neighbours and friends are pulling together and coming in pick up prescriptions for the more elderly people who are cocooning. It’s fantastic.”