Trade NamesAlthough fashions have changed a lot, the Irwin family has run a jewellers in Limerick for over 130 years. Rose Doyle reports
When Arthur Irwin, gentleman, set up a jeweller's shop at 44 Roches Street, Limerick in 1870 he'd already been part of a family business in west Limerick which, his great-grandson believes, "could be traced back two or three generations, probably to Scotland".
Asked what it's like being a descendent of all that, to be running a jewellery business 136 or more years old, Edward Irwin just laughs and admits it "feels rather long!"
He tells the family story with a feeling for history which belies his relative youth. Edward Irwin, fourth generation to run Irwin's jewellery, was born in 1967 and has complete confidence that the business will go on, and on.
The original Arthur Irwin's previous experience paid off and the business in Roches Street flourished. The first Irwin Bros sold mainly watches, jewellery and, Edward says, "some silverware. He bought from around Ireland, and from Birmingham and London."
Arthur Irwin of Roches Street had three sons, John, Joseph and Ned. The last remained in Roches Street with his father while his brothers, John and Joseph, were set up by Arthur in a new shop at 22 Patrick Street in 1897.
"That's where we are now," Edward Irwin says. "We still have the original invoice for the mahogany and glass wall display cases. They're almost ceiling-to-floor and perfect for showing jewellery and silverware. We modernised them by putting in lighting about 15 years ago. We've still got one of the original, pedestal counter bases too."
They still have ledgers from the early 20th century, too. One of these, from 1901, records a silver mounted walking stick sold for 7/6d and a half dozen silver knives at 10/- per dozen. The following year, on Christmas Eve, a Ms Kivlehan bought a diamond ring for £2.5.0d. In 1903 a Dan Donnelly paid £2.0.0d for a "new English watch" and a Thomas Lawlor bought a silver pencil for 1/6d. and a Limerick brooch for 1/-.
Joseph Irwin was Edward Irwin's grandfather. "Some time in the 1920s he and John went their separate ways," Edward says, "with John going to Dublin, where he continued in the trade. The Roches Street shop continued with Ned in charge until, in time, his son, Pat, sold on. My grandfather, running this shop, married my grandmother Ellen and they had three sons, Tony, Charles/Charlie, who is my father, and Joseph."
The family of five lived over the shop in Patrick Street until the early 1930s, when they moved. The first born, Tony, contracted polio when he was a child and, for most of his life, until he died in 1993, he got around Limerick on a bicycle. Joseph, the youngest of the three brothers, did dentistry and practised in Brighton. Charlie Irwin went into the business.
"He was educated in Clongowes and came into the business when he was 18, which was in 1940," his son explains. "My grandfather, Joseph, was still here so they worked together. At the time they would have sold watches, a certain amount of jewellery, silverware, optics and clocks. They would have been opticians as well.
"Going back in time, jewellery and optics went hand-in-hand with jewellers training as opticians; my father trained as a dispensing optician. He was also a watchmaker, which meant he did repairs. He served his time under a watchmaker who worked here at the time, Douglas Bremner."
During the 1940s and wartime, most watches sold in Irwin's were of Swiss origin. "The Japanese market didn't exist," Edward explains. "Because there was very little contact between Ireland and Switzerland, there were currency and other difficulties which meant they had to be imported through Spain and Portugal directly from the Swiss factory. Irwin Bros was on the dial and the amazing thing is that we still see some of those watches coming back to us for repair!"
In the 1940s, too, for obvious reasons,"there was very, very little business done with the UK. Most UK companies with manufacturing capacity were turned over to the munitions industry. After the war manufacturing got going again and during the 1950s dad would make trips to Switzerland and to Pforzheim in Germany for jewellery, pendants and brooches, all of which were popular then. We had always, since the 1920s, dealt with Alabaster and Wilson. We still import a small quantity of 9ct jewellery from them."
He recalls other things heard from Charlie through the years. How, during Lent in the 1950s and 1960s, "it was very, very rare to sell an engagement ring. We do now; engagements are popular on occasions like Christmas and New Year's Eve." And he remembers, growing up, running through town to engraver Alfie Jones, in Catherine Street, and laments that Limerick no longer has a hand-engraver. Irwin Bros still use the services of a hand-engraver in Dublin, "though a lot is computerised engraving now. It's one of those trades which is dying. We still use a jobbing watchmaker here in Limerick. We've used the same family for the last 40 years."
Jewellery styles have changed through the years. Wedding rings, in the 1960s, were much wider than now and there is a lot more jewellery bought now than in the mid-20th century.
Charlie Irwin ran the business all through the 1960s at which time, Edward says, the shop front was practically the same as it had been in the beginning. Charlie Irwin married Limerickwoman Kathleen Quinn in 1957 and they had twin sons; Edward and his brother Charles. Charles jnr qualified as an accountant, then went to St Patrick's, Maynooth, where he was ordained in 1997. He now teaches in St Munchen's College, Limerick.
Edward has been involved in the business since he was "17, or 22 years ago, in 1984. The week after I finished my Leaving Cert. I went to Switzerland to do a generalised course in salesmanship, product knowledge and business management in Lausanne. I spent four months there. It was a multinational course with people there from Ireland, England, Italy, America, Australia, New Zealand, Holland, South America, South Africa and Qatar."
In 1989, with Limerick's inner city development going on around them, they bought and extended into the building next door.
"We built up our watch and jewellery ranges and in 1997 completely renovated," Edward says. "It was a big job, including putting in giftware showcases on the first floor. We traded through it all, bar the last two weeks. Now we have about 700sq ft on each floor. Including the basement, which we don't use for retail, we've got five floors. Things have gone well since 1997 and we've grown well with the Celtic Tiger; the refurbished building helped. It presents a very classical business with a brighter and more modern feel to it. On the first floor we sell Waterford Crystal, John Rocha, Hummel figurines and Lladro Spanish porcelain."
Charlie Irwin, though retired, is still MD of the company. His son is co-director. "You could say general manager or general dogsbody," he admits. There are five full-time staff members, one part-timer.
Edward married Audrey in 1994 and she helps with administration and computer work. Their children - Niamh (10), Ciara (six) and Tom (five) - haven't shown an interest yet, but Edward is hopeful. "There should be one of them who will show an interest."
