'We can’t wait': Beloved Cork bakery hopes to make its return this year 

The oldest bakery in Ireland should be back in business on Cork’s northside by autumn despite a devastating fire in January, its owner has said.

Healy’s Bakery, on Great William O’Brien St in Blackpool, which was established in 1862, was burnt down in an electrical fire that broke out in the early hours of January 15 this year.

Now, after months of working with insurance providers, owner Rachel Healy has said she is hopeful of being back in business by the end of the year “at the latest”.

“We’re getting there, slowly but surely, not nearly fast enough for me, but we’ll get there,” Ms Healy told The Echo.

A builder is due to start work on the premises in July, she said, and she is hopeful that construction can be completed by autumn.

Ms Healy added: “We’re really hopeful that we’ll be open for September or October at the latest, and we should definitely be up and running for Christmas.”

The bakery has been in the same family for six generations. Ms Healy, who has worked there for 35 years, said she is in Drogheda at the moment, where her sister has a bakery.

“I lost all of the equipment I had been collecting over the years, so we’re up in Belfast sourcing new equipment,” she added.

The fire in January began when an electrical fault in a fridge caused sparks to ignite paper bags and cake boxes stacked at the back of the shop, and in its immediate wake and in the months since, the people of the northside have rallied around Ms Healy and her family, she said.

“They’re all so brilliant, God help us, people are so brilliant, people are very good, they’re very decent,” she added.

“The family support has been brilliant as well, and I’m hoping we’ll have everybody back here working soon.

“We have a great old gang working here, and it’ll be great to get back.

“We will be back, and we can’t wait,” Ms Healy confirmed.

“It’ll be a small bit longer than we thought, but we will be back.

“I have a young fella wanting to come in behind me, and when he does, he’ll be the seventh generation of our family in the bakery.

“I can’t wait till we get back up and running and see all our old friends.”