Kieran

Dublin – Nearing the Finishing Line

We’ve been up and trading in Temple Bar for a few days, even though the shop is not finished. Specifically, we are missing the glass front and side, wood cladding, and a few other bits and pieces. When the shop is done, it will be a glass cube, and hopefully the glass will arrive on Wednesday, so we will close for a couple of days to let that happen.

In Wicklow Street, we’re also getting really close. With a bit of luck we’ll be open on Thursday. The majority of the work is done, and we’re just missing the finishing touches.

As always, with a project like this, we’ll have to accept that there will be imperfections and bits and pieces that we’ll have to address over the next weeks and months.

Still, I’ll breathe a very big sigh of relief when the doors are finally open!

The Joys of Coffee

One of the greatest pleasures of opening shops in Dublin has been working with Colin, the current Irish Barista Champion and maestro behind Third Floor Espresso. He’s sourced a biodynamic, Brazilian bean for us from Has Bean in the UK and agreed to help with training. I’m so happy to have the chance to spend time with and learn from from someone so passionate about coffee.

Not only does he have a lot to pass on in terms of barista skills and coffee appreciation, but he also has a great philosophy about empowering baristas and fostering a sense community. The feedback from those in our team who have spent time training with him has been extremely positive, and I feel totally confident that he will help us improve our standards.

If you’re in Dublin and love coffee, I recommend that you drop in to his shop (in the Twisted Pepper building). It’s still quite new but already is a Dublin treasure.

If you do stop in, wish him well, as he’s heading off soon to represent Ireland at the World Barista Championships. We’ll keep our fingers crossed for him.

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Mad Cow?

I know that Dublin Zoo now have one of these full-sized replica cows, but we had our eye on this baby long before we ever heard there was one in Ireland! Our idea was that we’d stick it in Temple Bar Square outside our new shop there, and it looks like it will be making its way to us shortly. I know that we should probably make it a Kerry Cow, as in the little black indigenous cows that we use for milk, but we have half a mind to paint it blue (see photo) just for the craic.

I’m not sure if it’s any good with the skateboard, but I guess we’ll find out!

Should we have a naming competition?

Murphys @ Tig Áine’s Reopens Today

I’m happy to announce our seasonal our shop at Tig Aine in Graig is opening this weekend. It’s on Slea Head drive, and I highly recommend stopping in (and not just for the ice cream!). There are ducks, geese, goats (including the two babies shown in the photo above) and the surrounding landscape is really special. If it’s a meal you’re after, Aine’s restaurant next door will give you a nibble with a view, and we’ll be serving the usual ice creams, sundaes, coffees, etc., all far away from the hectic summer bustle of Dingle town…

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Hello, Dublin Team!

Say “Hello” to our Dublin team! We’ve done our hiring, and I think we have a super team of people to launch our Dublin shops. They’re all in Dingle for a week of training (eating ice cream, drinking coffee, etc.) and hopefully are having a great time. With the weather here in Kerry, Dingle looks it’s best, and it’s such a buzz for all of us to have the new energy and enthusiasm of this group of people.

I have to head back to Dublin tomorrow to keep things moving along, but if any of you are around, come in and meet the Dubs!

The Secret is Out: Two Murphys Shops Opening in Dublin!

AHHHHH! It’s finally happened, and I can finally talk about it!

Hello, again, everyone! I must apologise for my relative silence over the last weeks and months, but here’s why – we’ve been working on a deal to bring Murphys Ice Cream to Dublin, and I’m delighted to announce we have the keys!

So, as of now we have possession of two premises, both formally occupied by Haagen Dazs, one on Wicklow Street, and one on Temple Bar Square.

There! It’s out! Ahhhhh.

It’s not easy for a blogger to keep secrets, and I feel so, so much better!

Given that finalising the deal took so much longer than expected and that the summer is upon us, we are going to try to open as quickly as possible (a matter of weeks), even if the shops are not quite perfect. We hope you’ll understand that we’ll have time to improve the shops once the summer is past and that you’ll forgive any bits that are not perfect!

I’ll pass on more news as we go along.

WHOOP,  WHOOP!