A Cork city institution and a cultural icon, Lennox's takeaway on the Bandon Road is to close for good tonight.
Beloved by Corkonians and generations of UCC students, it was founded 73 years ago by soccer star Mancunian Jackie Lennox, who played for Blackpool FC, and his Cork born wife Eileen in 1951.
Seven of their nine children were born upstairs in the building.
A family run business, the youngest of their children, Brian Lennox reckons over those seven decades they served some 14 million bags of chips.
Their shock announcement last week that they are to close for good today, with the loss of 30 jobs, has seen a huge reaction online and thousands of people queue since Wednesday - even in yesterday's torrential rain - to say goodbye and to get their last Jackie Lennox supper.
Among those in the queue this week was David Lavelle, who grew up locally but now lives on the island of Bornholm in Denmark.
The painter and decoration downed tools when he heard Lennox's was closing and took a boat, plane and bus to travel almost 2,000km to get home.
"I had to get up at 5am, get a ferry across to Sweden, drive across Sweden over the big bridge, down under the sea and into Copenhagen airport. From there I flew to Dublin."
"Jackie Lennox's is kind of iconic," he said.
Mr Lavelle added: "He was looking forward with relish to his batter burger, two sausages, chips, a double 'Jackie Delux’ and maybe mushrooms."
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
Also in the queue were father and son John and Grady McNamara from Glasheen. John joked he grew up on Lennox’s.
"My gran lived around the corner, and she always sent me for chips.
"It is more of a nostalgia thing. We get Lennox’s every now and again. We thought it would always be there so it's a bit of fun (queuing) and it is something he will look back on in years and go ‘remember that time dad we were mad to go queuing, like’," he said.
For them both, it will be the breast supper and a sausage.
For Anne Moore, originally from Magazine Road but who travelled from Co Kerry, said she joined the queue at 1.15pm, a full 45 minutes before the shop usually opens at 2pm.
She and her sister Catherine were looking forward to getting fish and chips, some curry sauce and "the potato pie is a must".
"Lennox’s is part of our lives growing up: our mom used come here, then we all came, and our kids came during college, so amazing." Ms Moore said.
She said it will be sorely missed.
"It is just part of Cork, part of the culture of Cork. Everybody knows it, everybody comes to Lennox’s."
