End of an era as West Cork family butchers closes doors for the final time 

A butcher shop founded by two brothers who “never had a cross word between them” has closed after more than half a century, marking the end of an era for a West Cork town.

Collins Bros Butchers on Dunmanway’s Main Street, founded in the late 1960s by brothers Patjoe and the late Jamesie Collins, has closed its doors.

Patjoe’s daughter Pauline told The Echo it had not been an easy decision to close the butcher shop, which for over 50 years was a hub of the community.

“Collins Bros Butchers was been a gathering place for generations of families, a hub in the community with lively conversations about local happenings,” she said.

“Anyone passing the shop front, on foot or by car was greeted with a wave and a smile.”

Patjoe and Jamesie shared a flair for butchering from a very early age, learning their trade in McCarthy and O’Brien’s in Drimoleague.

Trained

With an entrepreneurial drive, coupled with the support of their late father DD, Patjoe and Jamesie, still in their teens, trained as butchers and opened their own shop in the late 1960s.

“They were more than butchers, they were trusted advisors, always ready with a recipe suggestion or cooking tip to make every meal tasty,” Pauline said.

Not long after opening their shop, the brothers built an abattoir outside the town, based on their own design.

They secured a European abattoir licence, one of the first in Ireland, with vets and butchers from across Ireland and even Europe visiting Dunmanway to learn from Patjoe and Jamesie.

Heartbroken

Patjoe had been heartbroken when Jamesie passed away in 2017, Pauline said.

“They were partners all of their lives, and they never had a cross word between them."

When the business closed, Pauline said, Patjoe had expressed his heartfelt thanks to their employees, whose hard work and dedication had been the backbone of the business, and to their suppliers, who had consistently provided top-quality produce.

“He also thanked their customers, whose loyalty turned a local butcher shop into a lasting legacy and a part of Dunmanway’s history,” she said.