Write a commentJames and May Elizabeth Gorman owned a shop in Broadway, Belfast, but in 1921 they decided to buy a shop which had a bar, farm, funeral and undertaking business and post office in Mayobridge, outside Newry. They settled into the local community and the business was eventually taken over by Seamus, one of their children.
The post office contained the telephone exchange and was also responsible for delivering the post to the countryside around Mayobridge. The post was delivered to Mayobridge Post Office before 7am each morning, and the bags opened and sorted. The mail was usually delivered on foot, but there was also a post office bicycle, which had a large basket at the front, which was useful for delivering parcels. The postal delivery staff were Charlie Fegan, Tommy Gribben and Mrs Coulter. At a later stage, the post was delivered by van.
Old age pensions were collected from the post office and often a basketful of groceries bought at the shop. This would have included meat and butter from animals reared on Gorman’s farm. The farm had a dairy for churning butter, and pigs were killed and the bacon cured on the premises.
From the 1930s to the 1960s the shop also had a mobile van that delivered groceries to isolated homes and farms. This was an important service, as there were very few cars in the area until the 1960s. The van had a counter with a glass top and there was standing room for the shoppers who came in through the doors at the rear. A variety of goods were sold ranging from foodstuffs, soap to bandages. Eggs were also collected from farmer’s wives, and these were sent off to Kilkeel and Lurgan. The money they received was usually spent on groceries or paid off some of their account. Orders were also taken for heavier items such as coal and animal feed, which would be delivered the next day.
The public bar was popular for people to come in for a drink and relax. Guinness was bottled in the bar, and although this was labour intensive, the family were proud of never selling Guinness younger than fourteen days. If it became apparent that extra might be needed, it would be sourced from Catherine Boden in Newry or Henry Smith in Warrenpoint.
In the early days of the business, only a few funerals were carried out each year, and the hearse was usually horse-drawn. A neighbour’s horse was used with Gorman’s horse to pull the hearse. As most people were ‘waked’ in their own homes there was no need for a funeral parlour. Whiskey, stout and other beverages for these occasions were purchased in the bar, while tea, ham and cheese for sandwiches were bought in the shop. Funeral and undertaking is now the focus for the Gorman family business, particularly since the closure of the grocery shop, and the relocation of the post office.
Although many things have changed over the years, the Gorman family is still very much at the heart of the Mayobridge community.
Newry and Mourne Museum is closed.
In 2107 Newry and Mourne Museum opened a temporary exhibition titled Historical aspects of business and commercial enterprise in Newry and Mourne and this article was produced as one of a series to accompany the exhibition.
by Dympna Tumilty
