JOE GALLAGHER, BORN 1927, LETTERKENNY

Joe Gallagher runs a general merchant’s shop at Main Street, Letterkenny which was established in 1964. He is a native of Church Hill and comes from a farming background. He recalls the early years, following his education, when he took up residence at 32 Main Street, Letterkenny, a building which had housed the Telephone Exchange since the 1920s. He worked initially for the Irish Agricultural Wholesale Society for sixteen years and was employed in the retail department. In 1964, he decided to open his own business across the street where he retained many of his original customers. He recalls market day in Letterkenny, the lint market and the characters in the town. In 2009, he celebrated his forty-five years in his ever- changing business at 15 Lower Main Street, Letterkenny.