Buy Local & Support Local Businesses

Superheroes don’t always wear capes. They teach us how to feel pride, be honest, and take care of ourselves. They teach us respect and work ethic. How to ride bikes and cars. They are our everyday life superheroes. They are our dads!!

We wanted to show appreciation for dads in Dun Laoghaire and give you ideas for a present for the upcoming Father’s Day. We all strive to be the best parents we could be, so dads just like moms deserve recognition and a little treat for the amazing job they are doing in molding the future of our community.

As always, we prepared some fantastic suggestions from local and Irish brands, so let’s check them out together.

DIFFNEY Men’s Clothes

A nice shirt, or pants, could be a perfect present for dads. That’s why we had a great pleasure to talk to Niall, a manager of Diffney Men’s Clothes store located in Bloomfield Shopping Centre. The brand itself is in business for more than seventy years (three generations) and it’s owned by a Dublin family. It has branches throughout Dublin and Dun Laoghaire is one of them. Niall is in the trade for more than thirty years and he always loved working with people and a friendly banter and that’s what motivates him to work.

Diffney is proud of their exceptional customer service. They always try to sell the right thing to the right person. They are also carries of some of the most prestigious international brands like Bugatti, Tommy Hilfiger, GANT, but also a high quality Irish brand Andre.

Niall Byrne, Manager at Diffney Dun Laoghaire

Something special for Father’s Day from DIFFNEY

For Father’s Day Niall recommends polo shirts or shorts as a safe bet for a present. With the summer and warm weather coming up, we are sure they’d appreciate those gifts.

Diffney shop always strives to have keenly priced clothes and here’s what you can buy in their shop:

T-shirts: Barbour, GANT, Giordano, Remus Uomo, Thomas Maine

Knitwear: 6th Sense, Barbour, Benetti, Bugatti, GANT, Thomas Maine

Shorts: Bugatti

Shirts: 6th Sense, Andre, Barbour, Bugatti, Eterna, GANT, Giordano, Marnelli, R2, Remus Uomo

Trousers: Bugatti, Gardeur, Remus Uomo, Sunwill

Outwear: Barbour, Bugatti, GANT, Milestone, Remus Uomo

Footwear: Bugatti, GANT, Tommy Hilfiger

How to Buy From DIFFNEY

To buy clothes from Diffney you can stop by their shop in Bloomfield Shopping Centre. You can also order the clothes online over their website. But we agree with Niall that nothing beats in-person customer service, so the shop it is. 🙂

Here’s where you can find DIFFNEY shop:

Bloomfield Shopping Centre, George’s Street Lower, Dún Laoghaire

01 284 6122

Website

Google Reviews DIFFNEY Dun Laoghaire

Eason

Love for books knows no gender, so they are another great option for the Father’s Day gift. We spoke to Colin, a manager at the Eason’s branch in Dun Laoghaire. This beloved Irish brand has a long tradition and today it is the main distributor of books, newspapers, and magazines in Ireland. Colin is with the company for sixteen years and in Dun Laoghaire for the last five. As he said he is obsessed with books and when a manager position opened in Eason, he decided to pursue it.

Besides books, Eason offers other types of products like stationery and gift-related products. Having these products allowed them to stay operational in a limited capacity during the lockdowns. Before Colin came to Dun Laoghaire he was a manager in three other stores, but he told us that Dun Laoghaire is special because the sense of community is very strong and it grew even bigger since the lockdown. There’s a lot more goodwill towards the local stores and a sense of locality. As Colin said, Dun Laoghaire has got that in spades. Colin is grateful to be able to work in our town.

Colin Hand, Manager at Eason Dun Laoghaire

Something special for Father’s Day from Eason

There are many good titles in the Eason at the moment. Colin suggests stopping by the shop for advice and book recommendations depending on the genre and taste. That will ensure you are getting the right book for the right person.

Eason has a great selection of non-fiction, history, crime fiction this year.

In addition to that Eason prepared Father’s Day gifts with a great selection of mugs, cards, photo frames, and gift sets for dads and granddads.

It would be also interesting to check out their selection of games: Family Games or Adult Puzzle for gift inspiration.

How to Buy From Eason

You can purchase Eason’s products in person in their shop on the Marine Road. You can also order online over their website or use their click and collect service.

Here’s where you can find Eason shop:

Unit 1, Pavillion 2, Marine Rd, Dún Laoghaire

01 202 0017

Website

Google Reviews Eason Dun Laoghaire

IT Star

Another amazing gift for dads could be something of the gadget selection from IT Star in Dun Laoghaire. We were delighted to talk to the manager Anastasija and find out more about the business. IT Star is a relatively new business. It was founded in 2019. Anastasija simply likes gadgets and technology. She likes fixing them, but also new products. Her love for the technology in combination with a good customer service make IT Star a great local choice. She likes showing people how to use their gadgets. She notices that this approach makes her customers more happy then just simply selling the products to them.

IT Star is a local business, so meeting expectations of the local customers is a high priority and to achieve that their focus is not just on how good is a product, but also how useful it is for the potential customer. Selling the right product for the right people is very important so when you stop by the IT Star to buy a gadget, they’ll ask you what do you need the gadget for, or if you are buying for someone, who you are buying for. Do you need it for business or personal use for example? And then based on that they’d be able to recommend the most suitable types and brands of their products.

You can also expect to have a good customer service during the whole buying process.

Anastasija Liadova, Manager IT Star Dun Laoghaire

Something special for Father’s Day from IT Star

For Father’s Day Anastasija recommends AirPods, Apple’s Wireless Earphones suitable for dads who are into outdoor sports or to listen to music or podcasts while they are going to work.

IT Star offers a range of desktops and laptops (Windows and Apple), smartphones (Android and Apple), iPads, and smartwatches.

How to Buy From IT Star

You can buy gadgets from IT Star in their shop at Dun Laoghaire shopping centre or order products online over their website.

Here’s where you can find IT Star shop:

Unit 208&209 Dun Laoghaire Shopping Centre, Dún Laoghaire

01 558 9306

Website

Google Reviews IT Star Dun Laoghaire

Neighbourhood Wine

A nice bottle of wine could be a nice surprise for dads. It could shared with family or friends to make any celebration more enjoyable.

A new shop in our town that offers a great selection of wines is Neighbourhood Wine. We spoke to Killian, a local store manager to learn more about this exciting new business. Neighbourhood Wine was founded by Dublin’s well-known wine experts Master of Wine Mick O’Connell, and wine importer Shane Murphy last year in November and they set up the shop in Dun Laoghaire just a month ago.

Killian himself is in the wine industry for five years. As many college students he started working in a restaurant, but he was offered an opportunity to do wine courses, and from then on his love for wines only grew and he continued to invest in the courses and wine diploma. So he is not just a seller, he is a wine expert.

He thinks Dun Laoghaire is a fantastic community. As he said, he loves it here. Dun Laoghaire has a lot to offer, it’s like a hidden gem in Dublin. Since they opened the shop the locals were very supportive and encouraging, which is all their team could ask for. People here are looking out for the local businesses which is often not the case.

Neighbourhood Wine is focusing on organic products and those produced by younger winemakers. They are also unique as they sell vinyl and glasses that could be combined with wine to make an interesting and different offer.

Killian Horan, Manager at Neighbourhod Wine Dun Laoghaire

Something special for Father’s Day from Neighbourhood Wine

Killian is aware that each men is different and they all have their own taste, but in general Irish dads absolutely love Rioja wine and Neighbourhood Wine has several excellent choices of this wine that they will put on an offer for the Father’s Day. Rioja Reserva is an absolute classic among wines in Ireland, and the shop offers another excellent producer of Rioja wines, Alegre Valganon.

It’s worth checking out their box sets: Rioja’n’Roll – 6 pack, mixed wine box, Best-seller – 6 pack of Lopez de Haro Rioja Reserva, and Greatest Hits 12 pack – 6 bottles Red, 6 bottles White

This is so cool, and we love it!

How to Buy From Neighbourhood Wine

The best option is to buy products in the shop on the York Road. You can also purchase wine and other products online. If you join their mailing list, you’d be able to get information about special offers via your email.

Here’s where you can find Neighbourhood Wine:

York Rd, Dun Laoghaire

01 567 2768

Website

Google Reviews Neighbourhood Wine

The Cycle Hub

It might be that cycling is one of our favorite activities growing up because for many of us it was our dad that thought us how to ride! We welcome another new business to our town, The Cycle Hub shop and their owner Marion who was kind enough to tell us more about her business. This new entrant to our town is a perfect match to the theme of our campaign.

Marion is in the cycling industry for thirty years. At first, her brother set up a cycling holiday company in UCD, but after some time Marion and her husband took over the business. The pandemic severely impacted their tours, but it has also given them an opportunity to think about their assets and other business options. With that in mind they knew they needed a new place for their tour business. They were drawn to Dun Laoghaire as they knew our town well, so they decided to establish a shop here that would offer the tours in combination with bike and coffee shop. They opened the shop at the Harbour square (opposite the Dart station), and Marion told us they absolutely love the location and space.

Marion hopes that her business would be able to offer a unique cycling experience. Over the decades they accumulated so much knowledge in so many areas of the business that we have no doubt that will be the case. Obviously, they have a lot of experience in the tourism industry, but also one of the stuff members was a nine-time national cycling champion, he’s a level 3 cycling Ireland coach. There are just a handful of these in the country. They also have amazing mechanics with years of experience in the industry. All of this allows them to provide a wide range of services around cycling, not just retail side of it. You can get advice on buying or fixing a bike, cycling clothes, gear, coaching and more.

Marion Gaskin, Owners at The Cycle Hub Dun Laoghaire

Something special for Father’s Day from The Cycle Hub

As the Cycle Hub just opened they still don’t have all their products in Dun Laoghaire, but at the moment they can offer a fantastic range of cycling clothing that they have an exclusive rights on in Ireland.

Marion recommended socks from this brand as she was reliably told that they are a very good quality. Gorgeous and comfy.

Their offer consists of:

Bikes: City Bikes, Road Bikes, E-Bikes, Motor Bikes

Clothing: Men’s, Women’s, General Clothing, Accessories

Repairs, Coaching, Bike Fits, Bike Rental, Tours

How to Buy From The Cycle Hub

To buy products from the Cycle Hub stop by their shop on the Harbour square. Although they have website, e-commerce is not available at the moment.

Here’s where you can find The Cycle Hub:

Harbour Square, Unit 4, Crofton Rd, Dún Laoghaire

012600749

Website

Google Reviews The Cycle Hub

Ready to Buy a Special Gift For Your Dad?

What a fantastic selection of the present for dads, isn’t it? It was great that we had some well established brands but also Irish businesses who decided to open their new shops in our town recently. We appreciate them for that. It would be great if we could support them all. Show some love to your dad or granddad and consider buying a present from local businesses.

Thank you for supporting our Dun Laoghaire business community!

Please note that all participants in the above photos kindly met at their business location by appointment in a socially distanced manner and temporarily removed their face masks to pose for the photos for this feature.

For a list of all the retail outlets in our town please see our Dún Laoghaire Town business directory.

Would you like us to include your business in future Love Dún Laoghaire features?

We would be delighted to, please send an email to [email protected] with details of your location in Dún Laoghaire and we will be in touch. 

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