The owners of Jackie Lennox chip shop in Cork have announced it will close its doors for the final time this Sunday.
The shop, which is located on Bandon Road in Cork city, has been serving chips to loyal customers for 73 years.
Announcing the closure, Frances and Brian Lennox said time had creeped up on them and they were ultimately "unable to cope with the burden of our success".
They said Jackie Lennox and his wife Eileen "raised nine children, seven of who were born above the shop," adding that all the children worked in the shop over the years.
Frances and Brian thanked all the loyal customers, workers and suppliers over the years saying it has been "a privilege".
"Please remember us fondly and we hope that we have made in a small way a contribution to the culture of Cork," they concluded.
In a post on social media yesterday evening, owners sister and brother Frances and Brian Lennox also said "it is with a heavy heart" that they are announcing that the famous takeaway founded by their parents Eileen & John is to close its doors for good this coming Sunday 6 October.
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"This may seem strange to make this decision when we are at our busiest, but time has creeped up on us and we are unable to cope with the burden of our success", the siblings said in their online announcement yesterday evening.
They finished by asking to be remembered fondly and with the hope that they "have made in a small way a contribution to the culture of Cork".
Jackie Lennox's opened their takeaway on Cork's Bandon Road in 1951 and has served generations of Cork families and UCC students, hundreds of whom took to social media to express their shock and sadness at the announcement.
Among the many posts included one from Miranda Ashland in Seattle, Washington who said she was very sad to hear that they were closing, but thanked them for all the wonderful memories of time spent there when she studied at UCC.
She asked if they would consider posting the curry sauce recipe, "as someone from the US who studied at UCC in 2014, we would go to your shop all the time during our semester. I cannot get the curry sauce out of my head and could never find a comparable sauce anywhere!"
Annmarie O'Sullivan, an old neighbour from Noonan's Road called it "a very sad day for the parish", while Phil O'Sullivan Electrical posted "what a cornerstone of our community for decades, serving up not just food but memories and smiles".
Another post from David Wool recalled working there peeling potatoes. "Two of my uncles and four of my cousins worked there. A great employer for the people of Bandon Road, Barrack Street and the surrounding areas. Enjoy your well-deserved retirement Frances and Brian", he concluded.
Former Lord Mayor of Cork Mick Finn called it "an institution on the Bandon Road" and a great source of employment for local people for decades...thanks for looking after us for so long!", he said.
Sinn Féin TD Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire said he was heartbroken by the news of the closure.
"The greatest chipper of all, an absolute institution for several cork generations. I've loved it since I was a child.
"A difficult time for the staff and their families and I hope all they get all available support," he said.
