My name is Geraldine and I’m a sales assistant in the Aran Sweater department in Blarney Woollen Mills.
How long have you been working here?
I started working at Blarney Woollen Mills 39 years ago. The Mill was much smaller at the time and Mr. Kelleher (he was the lovely gentlemen who founded the store) was still alive.
At first, I worked in the thatched cottage – which you can still see in the car park today – as a runner. It was my job to collect stock from the Mill and bring it back to the shop. Eventually I was trained as a sales assistant and I’ve been working in the Arans department ever since!
What is your favorite part of your job?
At Blarney, we get a huge variety of customers ranging from locals to people from all over the world. For example, this week alone we have had customers from the US, Indonesia, South America, China and Japan!
I feel as if I’ve never worked a day in my life. Coming in to work for me is such an enjoyable thing, I meet people from all over the world. I love to hear their stories about their connection to Ireland while assisting them with their shopping experience. It really makes my day to see someone leave having had a really enjoyable experience.
Could you tell me about your most memorable customer interactions?
Brian Dennehy (an actor who starred in Rambo: First Blood and Ratatouille) was in a long time ago. His ancestors were from Millstreet in County Cork and that’s how he came to be in Blarney. I also met Johnny Cash’s sister and his brother. They were doing a show in the Opera House soon after Johnny died. They were lovely, down-to-earth people.
Many years ago, I sold a lady an Aran sweater for her daughter. 25 years later her daughter came back to find me and I sold her a second aran! At Blarney the customer is the most important thing. Every now and then, people make a return trip to Blarney and say hello to me. I might come back from a day off and I will find lovely little notes that customers have left just for me! Our customer service is truly second-to-none and I think that is the reason why we have so many special moments with our customers.
