Nolan, Andy
May 28, 2013The passing of Andy Nolan last week marked an end to a generation in the multi-award winning craft butcher shop business in Kilcullen.
There was a huge funeral attendance at his requiem mass and subsequent interment, reflecting the extraordinary degree of respect and affection in which he was held not just in the business arena, but in a wide section of the sporting world.
He began working at the age of 13 with his father James, in the business established by Andy's grandfather, and remained as an iconic figure there until very recently, a seven decades stint behind the counter. The shop was one of his great loves, along with his family. He was one of the old breed of craft butcher, highly knowledgeable about every aspect of his trade from the farm, through the abattoir, the boning and the manufacturing of his shop's products.
As a young man he developed interests which he followed passionately for the rest of his life.
One was music, another sports. Sport of all kind, but particularly he played football for the Kilcullen 'Rags' and also for the county, with distinction in both cases. He was also a notable athlete, winning many local and national titles in a range of distances. Tennis was another favourite sport, and he also loved hunting from an early age, maintaining his interest in all aspects of horses and the horse industry right through his life.
Andy's other great love was golf, and especially the Curragh Golf Club, where he played virtually
every weekend on Sunday mornings. A feature of those mornings was his habit of running around the perimeter of the club after the round, before joining his friends at the clubhouse for a drink and talk which could encompass local, national and international issues.
His pride in his work and business was to the level of requiring of himself and his staff nothing but the absolute best in product and customer service. His own recipes for sausages and puddings not only won many awards for Nolan's through the years, but garnered a loyal following for the products that grew impressively year on year for decades.
The reputation of Nolan's Butchers during Andy's time at the helm became national, and it is common
for customers on their way to and from Dublin from southernmost parts of the country and points in between to detour on the way to buy their meat. It was a matter of great pride to him and his family and the whole team at Nolan's when the business was awarded the title of the best Butcher Shop in Britain & Ireland last year: He was described widely as a man with the strongest of work ethics, with a sharp business acumen, and always generous with his advice to those who asked for it.
He was very proud of Kilcullen and to be a Kilcullen man. He was a vice-president of Kilcullen GAA, and
at his funeral there was an honour guard comprised of members of the club and of the staff of the business. It included Pat Lynch, a lifelong friend since the time they played football together.
Andy is survived by his wife Anne, sons Andrew and James, daughters Catherine, Elaine and Sally, his grandchildren, his sister Mary and brother Vincent. The oration at the requiem mass was given by James, who now runs the business, and who expressed appreciation for the time the family had had with Andy from when his illness was diagnosed some 15 months ago.
May he rest in peace.
Courtesy of The Kildare Nationalist
28th May 2013 Tweet
