Gerald decides to exit stage left…

“I have learned something from everyone I have ever met…” said Gerald McKenna, as his cheerful voice trailed off in contemplative thought of fond memories.

Having spent many decades serving customers, making friends, and watching young people transform into hard-working local folk from behind the counter at his much-loved family-owned shop in the heart of Drumquin, the 66-year-old is working through his last full week in charge of a local convenience store that he loved dearly.

It is a change that Gerald best described as ‘bittersweet’ – however, the popular Drumquin man feels in his heart that now is simply ‘the right time’ to embrace a retirement well-deserved.

Not only has the father-of-three recently become a grandfather for the very first time – describing the beautiful baby boy, Bradán, as a ‘blessing’ during these uncertain times – but he is also ready to delve into his ongoing passion for acting, theatre and dramatics with fervoured attention.

Born on January 4, 1955 to parents Micky and Eileen McKenna, Gerald is a brother of John, Benny, Laura, Vera, Margaret, Danny, Mary, Michaeline, Helena, Seamus and Annie, and is proud to still live in the same steadfast, cosy house that he spent his childhood and adolescent years.

As a young boy, he attended the primary school a mere stone’s throw away from this homestead, and later, Gerald became a pupil of Omagh CBS before gaining employment in an Omagh shoe factory.

Such was the desire for adventures new, Gerald eventually left his cherished hills of Drumquin for the winding roads of Cork, where he recalls selling Irish life insurance while bamboozling around the jagged laneways in his little Honda 50… with hair that fell and flailed below his shoulders.

“No wonder no-one wanted to buy any insurance from me!” he laughed.

He further recounts evenings spent working at a grand hotel which towered above Cork’s Crosshaven landscapes, serving the wealthy and prosperous.

The village, situated on lower Cork harbour, also fames itself for being home to ‘the world’s oldest yacht club’ – “or so they told me…!” Gerald interjected humourously – and, at times, he even found himself mingling with the prosperous yacht owners.

“The locals used to ask me what part of Scotland I was from,” Gerald joked.

However, one day he received a concerning call from his mother: His dad had fallen sick, and she asked him if he could return home to tend to the family shop while Micky underwent an operation to restore his health.

Established in 1950, the store – referred to then as ‘McKenna’s Shop’ – began life in the front room of Gerald’s parent’s house.

It achieved local popularity quickly, and as such, the McKennas purchased three nearby houses to expand the business, which sold groceries, cut glass, coal, eggs and paint to local people.

For the full story, pick up a copy of Thursday’s Ulster Herald, in stores now.