McElhinney's

McElhinney's

Type	Department store
Founded	1971
Founder	John McElhinney
Headquarters	Ballybofey , County Donegal
Number of locations	One
Key people	John McElhinney
Owner	John McElhinney
Website	www.mcelhinneys.com

McElhinney's is a 3-storey fifteen-department store located in Ballybofey, County Donegal. It is the largest department store in Ireland outside Dublin. ^[1] It has been named National Retail Store of the Year and Best Superstore at the Retail Excellence Ireland Awards, among other awards for Outstanding Customer Service, Occasionwear, Bridal and more. ^[2] Alongside Finn Park, MacCumhaill Park and a few hotels, McElhinney's is one of Ballybofey's more recognisable landmarks. ^[3]

There is another store with the same name in Meath but there is no connection between that and McElhinney's of Ballybofey. ^{[1] [4]}

History

McElhinney's was founded by John McElhinney in 1968. John McElhinney spent his time driving around Donegal selling his wares from the back of a van. Then he set up a small shop in Glenfin Street, Ballybofey, where he operated from for 8 years before opening the current Department Store on Lower Main Street. ^[1] The current business has faced adversity throughout the years, including surviving both a flood in 1985, and firebomb attack in 1987. ^[5]

In 1977, the store began to sell Wedding Dresses. ^[6] The Bridal Rooms have been nominated and won multiple awards including; Best Bridal Retailer 2016 by Xposé Frockadvisor Awards, ^[7] Bridalwear Supplier of the Year 2016 by Weddings Online Awards, ^[8] and Wedding Boutique of the Year (Borders) at The Irish Wedding Awards 2017, ^[9] among many others.

References

1. Byrne, Andrea (7 December 2007). "Outside the Pale ... but not beyond it". Irish Independent. Independent News & Media. Retrieved 7 December 2007. I actually found it rather strange (in a good way) to have staff members greet me in a very genuine manner. It was so different to the reception you'd find in Dublin. Despite the sheer magnitude of the store, they have managed to hold on to that endearing rural, smalltown vibe.
2. "McElhinney's named Retail Store of the Year". Donegal Democrat. 8 November 2011. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
3. "Have they fallen through a Gap?". Donegal Democrat. 1 September 2008. Archived from the original on 18 February 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2008. Stretching from the outskirts of Sligo all signs on the main routes towards the north of the county give great prominence to Lifford but very little to the county’s largest town Letterkenny and virtually none to either Ballybofey or Stranorlar. It's as if they have all fallen through the Gap or perhaps they assume that everybody knows just how to get to Finn and Mac Cumhaill Parks, the three top class hotels or indeed, McElhinneys.
4. "McElhinney's closes after 70 years". RTÉ News. RTÉ. 20 July 2010. Retrieved 20 July 2010. McElhinney's Menswear also in Athboy is not affected by the closure and is still trading, so too is McElhinney's of Ballybofey.
5. "Mc Elhinneys 40 years on | Donegal Diaspora". www.donegaldiaspora.ie. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
6. "Outside the Pale ... but not beyond it". Independent.ie. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
7. Now, Donegal. "McElhinneys scoops top prize". Donegal Now. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
8. Mahon, Pamela (16 February 2016). "Winners of the weddingsonline Awards 2016 announced!". weddingsonline. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
9. "::: The Irish Wedding Awards :::". weloveweddings.info. Retrieved 5 June 2019.