Myles Doyle’s Select Grocer and Fine Wines

www.myselectgrocer.com

I love strolling down the friendly streets of Gorey and have done so for many years since I first came here in 1967. There is always a great buzz about the place coupled with a great friendly atmosphere.
There is one shop at 67 Main Street, which holds a special place in my heart and that is Myles Doyle’s, Select Grocer, and fine wines.
I remember Myles Doyle standing at the door of his shop since I saw him first in 1967. He was dressed in his traditional white shop coat. Myles had an inquisitive interest in all who passed his shop, and he knew all his customers seed, breed, and generation. He was a lovely genuine man who had time to talk to his customers and people he met as they passed by his shop, and he took an interest in their lives.
When I first met him many moons ago, he detected the Kerry accent and spoke to me about his annual trips to Listowel Races with Larry Hamilton R.I.P and Paddy Doyle. They stayed in the same house every year. He loved meeting and visiting football players in their homes to have a chat about football. Mylie was a non-drinking man so while others lived it up in night-time Listowel, he played a few games of Bingo locally. He never played it in Gorey
He described to me the eateries he visited but his absolute passion was the horse racing. He loved his annual visits there and eagerly looked forward to going there. He was also a regular visitor to Punchestown and Leopardstown races.
We spoke about Kerry football and some of the great footballers of the past. He loved Mick O Connell and his immaculate high fielding and great discipline.
Myles himself played both hurling and football in his younger days with his beloved Cranford. He also, roguishly, loved telling the story about how he played for Barniskey under an assumed name.
His shop was a traditional grocer’s shop, and he sold lots of local produce. He had great time for Kennedy’s Dainty Bakery bread. We had a common bond here because we both knew the Kennedys from Carnew, and his wife was a Byrne from Gorey, and they baked the Dainty brown loaf in their Arklow bakery.
You could buy cheeses made locally, home-made country butter, local honey in honeycombs, fresh hen eggs, duck eggs and beautiful, tasty traditional home-made jams.
How he prided himself in operating his red bacon slicer, slicing rashers with infinite care and skill onto the greaseproof paper. This manual slicer was always spotless and was immaculately maintained. It is still there for all to view and admire to the present day.
Mylie was also a great Church man and was a purveyor of wax candles for church and other activities. We always knew about the blessing of the throats on the feast of St Blaise on February 3rd because Mylie had the candles out for sale.
Mylie as he was lovingly known was an integral part of the town and his passing in 2014 was a sad day in the town of Gorey. There was a huge turnout with people paying fulsome tribute to a genuine man of the earth, being a farmer’s son from Craanford, He was part of the institution that was Gorey town for over 70 years. He was missed by many people from
Gorey and the surrounding areas.
We were lucky because Mylie’s son John has continued working in the grocery trade and with his wife Breda have expanded the business and enhanced the building. There is still that lovely homely welcome for all comers and gratitude for doing your shopping with them. Good old-fashioned manners and courtesy still prevail with the Doyles.Their assistant Paddy Morris has worked in the licenced trade all his life and is affable, helpful, and courteous.
I just love their simple signage, no gaudy garish signs, no flood lights, or spotlights here only pure clearly legible lettering in a nice orange colour stating the name, street number, Select Grocer on the left and Fine Wines on the right. The columns are painted a nice green against a light cream background. It is pure traditional authenticity.
The interior is an Aladdin’s cave of fine groceries, including chocolates, cakes, fine coffees, O Neill’s rashers and sausages from Ferns, salamis, black and white puddings, and the lovely Isle of Crackers range from Ballygarret
I was intrigued by the names of some of their sauces with such exotic names as Mango and Pineapple, Irish black butter, and the piece de resistance Devil’s blood chilli sauce, ideal for Halloween snacks.
The list continues with Wexford preserves and what about Bean and Goose chocolate from our neighbours in Ferns and the Wild About preserves from Craan, Wells or the lovely chutneys from Bunclody.I really liked Meadowfield Farm’s goat’s cheese from Garrylough from just down the road in Screen. The list goes on and Myles Doyle’s shop has lots more foods from all over Wexford and beyond for you to discover and taste.
John also stocks a selection of excellent fine wines from Mitchells of Dublin. He himself has a certificate and Higher Cert in wines and spirits so he knows a thing or two about his wines. When he makes a recommendation for a wine you can be assured it is truly a good one.
His window displays show off a wide, well-chosen range of artisan foods, a lot of them locally sourced. His expertise and dedication to providing the best in artisan foods was proved when he was awarded a Sally Mc Kenna award for his excellence and range of artisan foods for sale in his shop. This plaque is clearly visible on a column on the left-hand side of the shop front. Gorey and John can be justifiably proud of this well-deserved award.
We love their chocolates, home made Christmas cakes and puddings. They have a uniqueness in quality and taste and texture because they are made in small batches in home baking situations, which we love.
Their Christmas hampers, made up with various jams, marmalades, chutneys, teas, coffees, puddings, cakes, and sauces are ideal Christmas presents for the discerning shopper. They are all packed and checked by John and Breda and their discerning quest for excellence manifests itself in the high quality of presentation. They also make up personal hampers so you can select your items and they will pack them for you in a nice basket and wrapper.
John, like Mylie before him, is very aware of being involved in the life of Gorey. During the recent visit of the Roses of Tralee John and Breda had the most personalised shop window in Gorey with individual shots of each rose and a little bio neatly added in. He also stayed open on the night and chatted with the roses and their entourage as they walked in Gorey.
At Christmas Breda involves her sister Mairead Doyle’s artistic talent to portray the message of Christmas in the window display. It is an evolving artistic window display finishing up with a crib in the window ornately decorated in simple style.
They also stock a unique set of occasion cards. These beautiful cards are drawn by Máiréad and printed by Breda, so they are truly Irish designed and manufactured in Ireland. Breda also designs and prints a lovely range of wedding cards and booklets under the brand name “Honorah”. The website is www.honorahweddings.ie.
We love Gorey and love Myles Doyle’s shop a little bit more. Make sure you put a visit to this unique grocery store on your Christmas must visit list.
You will be richly rewarded with quality goods and friendly service, and you will be helping the local economy by shopping local.
Mick O Callaghan 08/10/2022