I've been a butcher for 33 years this year. I work in the pork section of the shop. That's my area - all the girls are in that side. The Craughan family have had the shop for forty years now, and the division in shop has been there since Paddy O'Connell's time.

Our part was always known as 'The Pork Shop'.We were happy to keep it that way. Don't knock a good thing I suppose!

I enjoy what I do. I wouldn't be doing it if I didn't. Getting up in the morning and coming into the shop is a hobby for me at this stage.
The day passes so quickly. The boys come in at around 8.30 am, and we're open until half five in the evening.

We're coming into barbecue season now as well, which will make things even more hectic! But it makes my day knowing that people are going home from the shop happy with the food and the service they've gotten.

Over the years you get to know people and faces. The shop has become
synonymous with friendly service. You get to know what people like, what they'll be looking for when they come into the shop. You don't get that in too many places these days.

People can miss out on that when they just go to supermarket for their meat. We specialise in different products - we do our own marinades, cook all our own deli meats and we cure our own Limerick ham.

We've won national awards five years in succession for some of our meats, which is nice, but challenging too. My brother Paul is a partner
with me in the shop, and that helps a lot.We got on very
well - he's six years younger than myself and is constantly coming up with fresh ideas, and puts in an awful lot of effort. Paul and I are a good team, we support each other in every way.

Our parents had the shop before us. It's very much a family business. There's new things coming on line all the time. You only get out what you put into it.

We're the oldest butcher shop in Limerick, but you have to keep looking for fresh ideas and new products. The new pedestrianised
streets are wonderful. There's a lot more flow of people around the city now. You can see just by looking down Thomas Street and Bedford Row how popular the pedestrianised areas are.

That brings more life to the city in itself - seeing all the new cafes and shops like Laura Ashley coming to the city is terrific.
I'm not a fan of gardening. I leave that to my husband. I like oil painting and reading in my spare time.

I live in Parteen with my husband Ger.We've been married for the last 27 years, and have two sons - Philip, who's 25, and Thomas, who's 22.We
lived in Parteen for 12 years.

It's a lovely area - you've such easy access to the city. It's something we can take for granted in Limerick. I couldn't manage living in Dublin and commuting to work for hours on end.

A lot of the old butcher shops are closing down. In the last seven or eight years about 12 butchers around the city have closed down. A lot of
butchers are retiring, and there aren't too many of the
younger generation are picking up the trade.

It isn't a very glamorous job. But we're hoping to continue our success and keep things going.