Bill Glennon (b. 1936)

The Glennon shoemaker business has existed at New Row, Naas since the early nineteenth century. The existing workshop is exactly as it was in Bill Glennon’s grandfather’s time, and the same tools are still in daily use. Bill discusses in fascinating detail the shoemaker’s craft, and the fact that his father would make riding boots for the local gentry. He remembers the tannery at Portlaw which supplied leather to the business. He also recalled the old family names and street names in the town and the pastimes he enjoyed in his rare days of freedom.