On this day in 1987: Tallaght calls for new supermarket after closure of H Williams
By Mark Keane
AFTER delayed plans for a new Tallaght Town Centre, locals were left in a dire situation in November 1987 when the H Williams supermarket chain in Tallaght Village closed.
To this day, people still talk about H Williams, which was visited weekly by many Tallaght residents who made the trip pushing Silver Cross prams - which came in handy for carrying the groceries home.
H Williams supermarket. Photo from RTE Archives
However, on this day 31 years ago, RTE visited Tallaght to speak with locals after the closure of H Williams - which left residents without a local supermarket.
While Dunnes Stores in Kilnamanagh was open at the time, it wasn't easily accessible for the many families living across estates in the wider Tallaght area.
A local resident speaks with RTE outside the old Tallaght Town Centre in the village. Photo from RTE Archives
At the time, the development of a new Tallaght Town Centre, which was to become The Square, was promised.
Empty field where Tallaght Town Centre was planned for. Photo from RTE Archives
However, the site for development at the time of this report remained a green field site.
As reported in this RTE news feature, locals were forced to use small shops for their main groceries, which were more expensive – with some only stocking essentials like bread, milk and butter.
Those without a car, had to walk up to two miles – if they knew a shortcut – to Dunnes Stores in Kilnamanagh or wait to get a bus “whenever it comes”.
Shoppers on their way to Dunnes Store in Kilnamanagh. Photo from RTE Archives
According to RTE reporter Brian O’Connell, the Dunnes Stores in Kilnamanagh was the biggest one in the country at that time and also boasted the biggest turnover in food sales.
Dunnes Stores in Kilnamanagh. Photo from RTE Archives
“A lot of people have to come [to Dunnes Stores], there’s nowhere else”, one shopper says in the report.
‘There’s nowhere else,’ said one local shopper. Photo from RTE Archives
To watch the full video, click here.
