Popular chipper owner Rocco always supported community

ROCCO Macari has been remembered as a caring family man and generous businessowner after passing away in his Italian hometown earlier this month at age 82.

The father-of-five established a series of successful chippers in Tallaght village, Old Bawn and Castletymon which he later passed on to his children.

Rocco began working in chippers in Dublin owned by his relatives when he moved to Ireland from his hometown of Casalattico, which is in the centre of Italy, when he was 17.

He worked in the Borza in Tallaght, which was owned by his cousin, before striking out on his own and purchasing and running chippers on Parnell Street and Parkgate Street.

Rocco also ran a chipper in Ballsbridge, called Embassy Grill, and he eventually passed his businesses on to his siblings, Sammy, Elvira, Concetta, Luigi and Joanna.

In 1972, he set up Macari’s in Tallaght village and then later established chippers in Castletymon and Old Bawn, which he passed on to his children.

“My dad semi-retired back to Italy in 1981 but kept coming back and forward,” said Rocco’s son, Francesco, who runs Macari’s in Tallaght village.

“Back then, for a lot of the Italian community, it was a thing to come back home and retire to Italy.

“In Italy, as a young man, he was always involved in the farm, and he always wanted to go back to that.

“So, in 1982, he went back and forward, did the shops here and then went back to the farm – he had the best of both worlds.”

Francesco added: “He was very good as a businessman. He always knew how to run a shop and when to buy or not buy a shop.

“He didn’t have a lot of school, but he was very street smart, and he knew when he had a good deal.”

Rocco outside Macari’s in Tallaght village back in the day

Rocco was a popular man in the Tallaght area and was always eager to sponsor and support local sports clubs, and also happily engaged with the community.

“Daddy always got involved with St Anne’s, Thomas Davis’s and Tallaght Town,” said Francesco.

“For all his years in Ireland, he still had broken English, but Dad would have conversations with anyone in the shop, he was just that type of person.”

While Rocco has left a legacy among the community of Tallaght, his most lasting impact has been felt by his family, who were at the forefront of everything he did.

“Dad basically gave me and my brothers and sister – the same way he did with his own brothers and sisters – a great start in life,” explained Francesco.

“And any occasion we had in the family, he’d be on the first plane over.”

The funeral of Rocco Macari, beloved husband of Pace and father of Mario, Maria, Francesco, Giuseppe, and Giovanni, was held in Italy last week.

A Juventus cap was placed in his casket in recognition of his love of football and his avid support for the club.

“You don’t realise what you’ve got till it’s gone,” reflected Francesco. “We all miss him so much, and we all loved him so much.”

A month’s mind Mass in memory of Rocco will take place in St Mary’s Priory in Tallaght village on Monday, July 10, at 11am.

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