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The chipper was established in 1951. Facebook

Famed Cork chipper Jackie Lennox's to close its doors for final time tonight

Owners Brian and Frances said: “To our loyal customers thank you so much you have been a delight to serve and will be part of us forever.”

THE FAMED JACKIE Lennox’s chipper on Bandon Road in Co Cork is to close its doors for the final time tonight, after 73 years in business. 

The announcement last week of the chipper’s imminent closure has been met with despair by people across the country, including Tánaiste Micheál Martin, a TD for Cork-South Central. 

He said the Jackie Lennox’s chipper “personified Cork decency” and had made an “outstanding contribution” to the city throughout the decades.

The closure of the chipper will result in the loss of 30 jobs. 

Set up in 1951 by Jackie Lennox and his wife Eileen O’Callaghan, the chipper was the “first purpose built Fish and Chip shop in Ireland”. Over its many years in business, it has made life-long fans in students past and previous of University College Cork, as well as locals and visitors. 

The chipper has experienced an upsurge in business this week, with one man even making the journey from Denmark to Bandon Road for one final supper at the institution. 

According to the Irish Examiner, the business had taken the difficult decision due to struggles around “paperwork” and in finding staff. Co-owner Brian Lennox told the paper that the closure was not for a lack of business, as the shop remained at its “busiest”. 

In a post to Facebook, owners Brian and Frances said:”We would like to thank our local suppliers who have always given the best and freshest of [their] products. To our loyal co workers many of whom have been part of our family for many generations. It has been a privilege.

“To our loyal customers thank you so much you have been a delight to serve and will be part of us forever. Please remember us fondly and we hope that we have made in a small way a contribution to the culture of Cork.”

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    Mute ecrowley ecrowley
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    Oct 6th 2024, 5:39 PM

    I like chips as much as the next fella but do we need this amount of coverage of a chipper closing?

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    Mute Sarah Jane Patten
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    Oct 6th 2024, 5:48 PM

    @ecrowley ecrowley: I agree, totally over reported, so many long established businesses close regularly without any articles from The Journal

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    Mute Buster Lawless
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    Oct 6th 2024, 6:06 PM

    @ecrowley ecrowley: 75 years this shop fed the village and poor

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    Mute yourname
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    Oct 6th 2024, 8:00 PM

    @Buster Lawless: not a good idea to eat chips for that long. Fruit and veg is cheaper and healthier.

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    Mute Freda Peeple
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    Oct 6th 2024, 9:11 PM

    @Buster Lawless: hahahaha Ken you are something else

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    Mute Paddy Whelan
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    Oct 6th 2024, 6:01 PM

    Perhaps I’m being unduly cynical ‘…but the business had taken the difficult decision due to struggles around “paperwork”…’ makes me wonder if there’s more to this closure than we’re hearing about.

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    Mute Nemethon
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    Oct 6th 2024, 8:39 PM

    @Paddy Whelan: there’s also owners are in their 70s now paperwork is a chore probably HSA HACCP paperwork staff paperwork then tax suppliers debtors etc all paperwork and then be expected to go do a few hours on top of that. Brian did say staffing was a frequent issue as the nature of the job isn’t for everyone if your the one dealing with the public “ Yourself “ can I have 6 chips 4 breast in bun 2 cheese and onion pies 2 battered sausages a curry. Your expected to recall all that then. The job would be fast paced.

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    Mute TheGood Feign
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    Oct 6th 2024, 9:42 PM

    @Nemethon: I don’t think recall would be an issue. Have you never worked in a late night venue like a bar, a chipper or a shop before? You’re bombarded with drunken orders yes, but you pick up the system if recalling the orders fairly fast, in 1 night really. That’s fast-paced but it’s not beyond the capability of most people. I wouldn’t say it is for most people as a job, but I don’t think recalling orders would be an issue.

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    Mute yourname
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    Oct 6th 2024, 11:48 PM

    @Nemethon: haccp might be a pain for businesses but it’s necessary when you hear of the horror stories found in food retail inspections, particularly take aways. If you don’t like it, don’t open a food business.

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    Mute Sean O'Dhubhghaill
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    Oct 6th 2024, 5:53 PM

    I just don’t understand the sudden closure. If there were difficulties why didn’t we hear about them? Why not keep going until Christmas? Why not try to sell as a going concern? Something odd here, to me at least.
    (And while I am here, in my opinion there are other FAR nicer chippers in Cork. This place was running on it’s name and reputation, not necessarily it’s food. Was that part of the problem?)

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    Mute honey badger
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    Oct 6th 2024, 5:59 PM

    @Sean O’Dhubhghaill: KC’s is a better chipper, but Hillbillies ‘breast in a bun’ will always have a special place in my heart.

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    Mute Sean O'Dhubhghaill
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    Oct 6th 2024, 6:31 PM

    @honey badger: Mmmmmm! KC’s! After a match in Musgrave Park! Mmmm! Yummy!

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    Mute Julio's Evil Twin
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    Oct 6th 2024, 7:02 PM

    @Sean O’Dhubhghaill:
    ..I heard it’s gonna be an IPAS hostel..
    Humans are worth a lot more than chips..

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    Mute Alan d
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    Oct 7th 2024, 6:51 AM

    @Sean O’Dhubhghaill: 100% , I don’t know anything about the Chipper only what I have seen this week , but if it is so popular when not sell the business on as a going concern , makes no sense

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    Mute Vinnie M
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    Oct 6th 2024, 6:00 PM

    What the h&ll is going on here, the amount of articles about a chipper in Cork closing. So what!?
    I understand it was a famous chipper in Cork, it’s one chipper in one city in Ireland and I’ve seen at least 10 articles in the last week. Only in Ireland

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    Mute honey badger
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    Oct 6th 2024, 6:01 PM

    @Vinnie M: Ireland is basically a big village.

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    Mute Max
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    Oct 6th 2024, 5:37 PM

    What was the problem around staff? It’s an ideal job for Ukrainian war refugees.

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    Mute Thomas Berry
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    Oct 6th 2024, 7:00 PM

    @Max: It’s an ideal job for the Paytriots too.

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    Mute Thomas Meaney
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    Oct 6th 2024, 8:35 PM

    @Thomas Berry: Irish “patriots” are too good for such a menial job. They think they are so much above that kind of work they prefer to draw welfare from the tax paying citizens.

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    Mute Brendan's Mother
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    Oct 6th 2024, 5:41 PM

    I honestly can’t see Mehole in a chipper.

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    Mute Ronan Mc
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    Oct 6th 2024, 7:18 PM

    @Brendan’s Mother: He cut the queue in front of me one day, the decker

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    Mute Mike
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    Oct 6th 2024, 8:56 PM

    The only 2 things you’d learn from the comments:
    * A lot of begrudgery of coverage. If it was Leo Burdocks we’d have had a OB from the RTE news truck. News from outside the Pale gets a lot of giving out
    * I didn’t think an article about an institutional chipper closing could have been twisted into anti immigrant or anti government sentiment, but I was wrong. They seem so efficient and organised at following from any mention of key politicians that you’d swear they’re organised for political gain…

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    Mute TheGood Feign
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    Oct 6th 2024, 9:44 PM

    @Mike: maybe if you keep calling it “The Pale” you’ll be able to stamp out begrudgery. Christ on a bike! You can’t teach this stuff in schools people.

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    Mute larry smith
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    Oct 6th 2024, 5:44 PM

    Chip happens… embrace it .

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    Mute Paul Norton
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    Oct 6th 2024, 5:33 PM

    Overrated muck.

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    Mute Max
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    Oct 6th 2024, 5:35 PM

    @Paul Norton: Did you ever try it.

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    Mute Paul Norton
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    Oct 6th 2024, 5:39 PM

    @Max: Yes… and it was muck.

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    Mute Brendan Doyle
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    Oct 6th 2024, 5:57 PM

    @Paul Norton: more of a Golden Fry man?

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    Mute Sven O
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    Oct 6th 2024, 7:49 PM

    @Brendan Doyle: both have gone to the dogs

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    Mute Nemethon
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    Oct 6th 2024, 8:34 PM

    @Paul Norton: you probably rate McDonalds so

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    Mute Larry Betts
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    Oct 6th 2024, 6:30 PM

    A very sad occasion. But,when the chips are down………

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    Mute aidan bergin
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    Oct 6th 2024, 8:32 PM

    It’s a chipper ffs

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    Mute Thomas Meaney
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    Oct 6th 2024, 8:36 PM

    @aidan bergin: no it’s not itS Lennox chipper far superior to the rest.

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    Mute yourname
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    Oct 6th 2024, 11:55 PM

    @Thomas Meaney: it’s still just a chipper

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    Mute MIchael Costello
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    Oct 6th 2024, 8:26 PM

    Maybe the chipper was built with OPW money back in the day as well as cheap labour from ANCO. With all the investigations going on in Leinster House, the paperwork was just found.

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    Mute Dermot Blaine
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    Oct 6th 2024, 7:55 PM

    How can you call yourself the real capital when there only seems to be one chipper in the place?

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    Mute Nemethon
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    Oct 6th 2024, 8:30 PM

    @Dermot Blaine: there’s also Dino Kc’s and others that escape my memory

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    Mute Dermot Blaine
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    Oct 6th 2024, 8:37 PM

    @Nemethon: really? You mean this is not the only chipper in Cork? You wouldn’t think it based on the coverage

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    Mute Nemethon
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    Oct 6th 2024, 9:22 PM

    @Dermot Blaine: Lennox’s is was an institution that’s what the big fuss is about 73 years in business famous Hollywood stars have gone there

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    Mute Rory Burns
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    Oct 6th 2024, 6:40 PM

    Free chips for everyone tonight so !

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    Mute smatrix mantra
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    Oct 6th 2024, 7:24 PM

    May some healthier food spring from this..

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    Mute Buster Lawless
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    Oct 6th 2024, 6:04 PM

    An Irish institution gone, yet again the government ruining everything.

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    Mute yourname
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    Oct 6th 2024, 7:57 PM

    @Buster Lawless: what did the government do?

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    Mute Nemethon
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    Oct 6th 2024, 8:33 PM

    @yourname: 9% vat rate but ultimately Lennox’s isn’t closing due to that the owners are shoving on hard to get staff paperwork is becoming a chore probably HSA and HACCP paperwork then increase in minimum wage doesn’t help the bottom line.

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    Mute John Kenny
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    Oct 6th 2024, 6:04 PM

    I’ll have a breast of chicken without the bra

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    Mute Kevin O'Brien
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    Oct 7th 2024, 8:04 AM

    I get the faux incredulity regarding a local fast food joint closing in modern ireland and the intense hysteria caused by such news. My advice to you, go eat a potato pie…

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    Mute Padraig O'Brien
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    Oct 7th 2024, 12:25 PM

    They’ve had their chips from the look of it!

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