Last weekend, driving through Ballylanders in Co. Limerick, I faced another representation of the death of local enterprises.

I must have done a load of blogs on similar closures due to the economy; and, the failure to support local over Shopping Centre and internet.

In this instance the request to Shop Local must not have been heeded.

Last month, I referred to Ian’s blog about the decline of commercial centre of a town.

Many like the new Opera Lane development. Me, I find it anonymous – full of multi-national chain outlets and totally lacking in individuality which I like. The development could be in any city in the UK.

All shops have had to deal with the economic downturn and the reduced spending power as well as the competition from online sales and out-of-town centres.

Academy St has also had to deal with a substantial proportion of foot traffic now using the former Faulkner’s Lane.

If one would like to see what a street might be like with little or no shop open, one could walk down Academy Street. My fear is that this will be replicated on other streets.

Last week, I drove from Glen Avenue to the bottom of Summerhill.

Google Maps tells me that this is a distance of 2.0km – not that long. In that distance, I saw these three signs and not one for a property for sale.

Maybe there is movement in the property market after all……

Earlier today, I spotted new Wall Art on North Main St.

I do like the art. I do like the poetry. I do like the sense of fun.

I don’t like the sensation that painting the hoardings on empty sites and buildings is the way forward for the city.

Many of you might have been in or known of the discount book shop that operated at the end of Patrick’s St. – opposite Marks & Spencer.

Some weeks ago I took these photographs. I was thinking that at last I can be happy seeing the closing of a shop. I assumed that the pop-up shop was closing to facilitate a new shop that was opening and so it was a sign of confidence in the Cork City retail sector. Maybe the tide has turned.

That was then.

Two weeks later and there is no planning application for a new shop. There is no sign of shopfitters for a new enterprise. There is just an empty shop unit.

So when even the pop-ups are closing, it doesn’t reflect well on our city centre and its attractiveness as a commercial hub.

This morning I was out and about around Old Blackrock Road, Victoria Avenue and Boreenmanna Road. I noted a few buildings that are now residences but in the past were shop units of some sort or other.

You will see many of their type in almost every village, town, suburb and city.

When I drove through Castletownroche a few weeks ago, it was a sleepy little town. It definitely did not give off the scent of a thriving commercial hub.

Does a similar fate await Cork city centre? Not just the cars as may have done for Castletownroche but parking; suburban shopping centres; human desire to have all things in one place; internet shopping.

If you like the convenience of a local shop, support it.

While in Co. Clare over the New Year, we travelled to the Carron in the Burren and passed through Kilnaboy.

The T-junction on the Corofin to Ballyvaughan  road has a post-box and not much else.

This sign on the wall of the single-story building  adjacent to the post-box did raise my curiosity which was satisfied by resorting to the internet. I did like the community spirit and the heritage use of the building.

It is not just villages but towns and cities are losing their heart and centre.

Cork City Council has already taken on St Peters Church, Christchurch and St Luke’s Church among others so my fear for the future of the city centre remains.

When in town yesterday, I spotted a new industry

A VACANT PROPERTY SPECIALIST

It does not instil confidence as to the future of town and city centres that such an entity can become a ‘specialist’

Then today’s news as to the vacancies in town centres – upto one-third vacant. Another reminder to spend in the city centre rather than in the surburban shopping centres or online if one would like there to be a town centre in the future.

He may well have an argument but I wish the likes of Murphy’s and Lane’s were still trading rather than the likes of Merchant’s Quay Shopping Centre and Faulkner’s Lane where the outlets are the same as any major city.

Are we conceding any sense of individual identity to the multinational brand?

Books can definitely affect the mood of the reader. The Bodhran Makers is one I recall that made me angry. Brave New World, I read in my teens, definitely left an impression to this day – not all progress is good; will the society and surroundings that we are helping to form be a better and happier place than what currently exists.

I was reminded when reading Ian’s blog of the hours I spent in my youth in new and second hand record shops – and that was before sitting down to listen. With tracks now individually downloadable and with shuffle on the iPods, listening to one album from start to finish (preferably having to change sides half-way through) has now been consigned to history.

So too have the record shops but they are not alone. The bank welcomed me when my grandfather brought me to open a bank account with my saving box (for some reason in our house called a Congen Box but do not know why). They also welcomed each little deposit. Now that branch and many others are closed, those that are open encourage customers to interact with a machine.

They are not alone in discouraging customer personal interaction – Insurance Brokers once occupied many buildings in South Mall and Oliver Plunkett Street had so many Travel Agents. The ESB and the Gas Company had their own large public area for customer payments and queries.

Now we are encouraged to use the internet or else listen through automated options on a telephone. This can be beneficial at times but should it be the only option?

There are even self-service taps in pubs so one does not have to talk to the barman.

It is not always the businesses who are promoting online transactions. We as customers will browse through a shop and then see if it can be purchased cheaper online – not the safest method of ensuring that the business stays open and trading; and the city continues to live as a commercial centre.

Are we becoming a society that does not wish to converse – somewhat ironic that this thought is being communicated through the internet.

Is conversation likely to go the way of the record shop and travel agency?

I do not like the vision of such a society.

Welcome to Brave New Cork.

A few weeks ago, we took the Cliffs of Moher Walk. We started close to the Moher Sports Field and availed of a car park that had been constructed at someone’s house.

 We did make the €2 donation but it did make one wonder why it is
described as a donation:
-         If a donation, then maybe not income upon which tax might be
paid
-       Possible different legal obligations if a contract in place as would be if consideration of even €2 offered and accepted. Maybe one has more onerous responsibility to a customer to a simple visitor.
-          Or maybe there may be an expectation that Joe Public might be more inclined to pay a suggested donation than a non-attended pay booth.
-         Or maybe something else totally different.

Further on from my post last week, this is the first time I have ever seen messages of thanks on the premises of a business that has closed.

 Issue 16 of The Archive magazine is well worth a read.

UPDATE EDIT: 20130819
I have just reread the Archive article - how prophetic of Sheena Crowley...

I took this photograph two months ago – in the week after RDJ moved from South Mall to Mahon. A few times I started on a blog to accompany the photo but never finished.

I have written previously on the closure of Incide and Fitzgerald Electrical. Despite not being a customer, the closure this week of Crowleys Music Centre is beginning to feel like my ‘Network’-point.

I am from Cork City. For the vast majority of my life, I have lived no further than a walk of 15 minutes from St. Patrick’s Bridge. I like Cork City. I am biased.