By Dan Walsh at Wexford
There is massive shock in social circles in Wexford town with the devastating news that Wexford’s iconic late night and music venue – The Centenary Stores on Charlotte Street – is closed.
First opened in 1988 by the late Michael Tierney ‘The Stores’ as it was affectionately called was one of the South East’s best known nightclubs.
The Centenary Stores was one of several high-profile properties taken over by an investment company back in 2022, and sadly the once-booming business has been in decline in recent times.
Many of the staff have been employed at ‘The Stores’ for over 20 years and there is a lot of uncertainty in the air. One employee told WexfordLocal.com; “We still don’t know what’s going to happen to the staff?”
Paying tribute to Michael Tierney on his sad passing, the Mayor of Wexford Cllr Maura Bell said; “Michael Tierney was a massive employer. He will never be forgotten in Wexford, and he shouldn’t be.”
Having established The Centenary Stores in 1988, for many Michael and Adrienne changed the landscape for hospitality in Wexford town and brought it into the modern era.
“I think ‘The Stores’ was kind of the start of nightlife in Wexford really,” long-term colleague of Michael’s and publican Liam Sinnott said. “It got the ball rolling for modern day nightlife in that whole area. It opened in October of 1988.”
The closure of The Centenary Stores ends a glittering generation of nightlife in Wexford town and is a reflection on a changing society, but thankfully it leaves so many people with happy memories of great nights at ‘The Stores’ over about three decades!
WexfordLocal.com 