We thought we knew most, if not every, building in the village. After all there are only just over 70
buildings, so how hard can it be to work out what’s what.
Then last week over a casual conversation in the village shop we discovered that there was a person
in the village who makes staircases.
How did we miss that we wondered?
What happened?
Last week himself potters out, as is his want, to buy the morning paper and then on up to "the site" to
find out what’s going on.
In the shop there’s the regular chat as Nikki asks how the build is going? It makes for a good
conversation because most people in the village are up to date with the works. It should really be
the other way round as we get updates from them as to what is happening on site.
Anyway back to the conversation last week. Yer Man says "oh fine".
The conversation moves on to the renovation of the upstairs of the shop, which Colm, Nikki’s husband, is carrying out. She says that theirs is going okish… "Sure why not come up and see what Colm is doing with our build."
Being a friendly chap, and a man who wants to feel part of the village, he says yes. I know readers, he is an amicable guy, and so up the stairs he goes.
Nikki and Colm have done an amazing job on the renovation of upstairs, according to the "Ballyferriter Dermot Bannon", the renovation is on course to be a super home for them. A conversation then takes place in which we discover the staircase manufacturer...
Himself “Oh who did your stairs”?
Nikki “Sean in the village”
Himself “eh Sean? Where is he? Because we need a stair building”?
Nikki says “oh he is over the other side. Head down the road towards the golf club and before you
get there take right. (surprisingly we know which road she means) Then go along a little bit past a
clump of trees and behind those there’ll be a workshop. Sure, isn’t he home before you know and saying to me, guess what there’s a place in the village that could make our stairs!
Off we head in search of the Ballyferriter Staircase Manufacturer. Down the road to the golf club,
turn right and find the clump of trees. We turn into the yard and we know it is sort of occupied
because there is a guy sitting in a white van by the front. He sees us and nods, as he eats his
sandwich – lunch we think.
We pull up and I walk over and say “we’ve heard that you make staircases, is that true”? Oh yes say
he, hang on a minute and I’ll call Sean. He calls Sean and tells us the main man will be here in five
minutes. We hop back into the car, no cushy waiting room here and within 5 minutes a larger white
van comes screeching into the yard as if the gardaí are chasing him.
"Sure come in" says he and into a very large workshop with all the manufacturing equipment you would need to build a staircase. And to confirm this view there is a beautiful wooden staircase in the middle of the floor.
"Oh that’s mine" says he, "I’ve been working on that for seven years so I might get around to finishing it soon."
We have a very fruitful discussion with Sean. Turns out Sean will make anything as long as it is in
wood and he specialises in stairs. We mention to him that we are considering a iron or steel balustrade depicting a local or Celtic symbol but are unsure where’d we go for that.
"Oh" says knows and tells us about the steel works at the other side of Dingle. Another possible gem of local knowledge more on this later.
We find out, again, through a chance conversation with locals that we don’t need to travel afar for
what we need.
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| And this is the entrance hall in development, at the end of which the staircase will rise. |
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