History of Bookie shops.

[John m]

Inchicore was the Bookies fav Spot 3000 men in the Works 700 in Spa Road building Busses 400 in Rowantrees near the Prison .Kilmartins had 45 shops ,PJ Maher had 2 Cecil Fines had one .Hannigans had one later joined by Second ever Paddy Power ,Mecca ,Two Ladbrokes Trackways .Three Pubs with in Shop Bookies .More like Vegas than dead end little estate .

Also Famous as the Dead Center of Dublin not Glasnevin ! Graveyards we had loads .Bullys Acre at lights in Kilmainhan ,Nuns had a Graveyard on Suir Road houses built on it now at back of Highbrasil .Goldenbridge first Catholic Graveyard in Ireland .Nuns had a Plot in Goldenbridge for themselves and Dead Orphand .Priests had a Plot in the Obolates Church .Prods had a Plot beside the Bank use to be a church another Graveyard on Inchicore road where the Church Spire is still standing and a graveyard in Bluebell .

 Bookies and Graveyards .There is a Novel in there somewhere .Two certainties losing to the Bookies and Death .

Kilmartins had 5 shops not 45 in Inchicore !

[Belker]

--Extel the PA system used at the time gave off/results  ....

Extel, now that's a term I haven't heard in many years, I will revert....

[Belker]

.... one later joined by Second ever Paddy Power ,Mecca ,Two Ladbrokes Trackways ....

You John M speak of 'Mecca' formaly known as 'City Tote' before they merged with "Never a Quarrel Joe" Coral, whom eventually mergered with Law Breakers, as if you know what you talking about ?

Mecca never had a presence in Ireland !


Prove me Wrong ??

[Rat Catcher]

--Extel the PA system used at the time gave off/results  ....

Extel, now that's a term I haven't heard in many years, I will revert....

Those were the days.... men were men and men gathered in those dark, dirty, smoke filled mysterious wonders with blacked out windows and gathered round a speaker through which some burd relayed such exciting information as betting shows and stumbled through repeating course commentaries. One of my fondest memories was when the favourite was announced as the winner of a particular race in the UK prompting many men to join the payout queue... then after a few minutes had passed she says "correction to the result at..." provoking immediate, in some cases rather ill-tempered, disgruntlement. No explanation as to how or why she got it wrong! Another one was a somewhat inexperienced board marker's interpretation of being told through the speaker that there were no non-runners in a race at Navan. Navan (race time) they all go 7s was the message, the young lad's response was to chalk up a non-existent opening show with all seven runners priced at 7/1.... still managed to back a loser, albeit at a great price but a price the bookie probably wouldn't have stood over anyway as it was clearly an error... all good fun though!

Then came SIS audio followed by TV... it was all down hill from there... bright lighting, toilets, coffee/water machines, pretty burds behind the counter, etc...

[Rat Catcher]

I think there was a Mecca in Coolock Village, Ken... round the corner from Tom Floods... later became Stanley?

I remember when working in an Hotel up above in Dublin the burd on reception asked me if we had a room facing Mecca... Told her there was a Ladbrooks that way....

[John m]

.... one later joined by Second ever Paddy Power ,Mecca ,Two Ladbrokes Trackways ....

You John M speak of 'Mecca' formaly known as 'City Tote' before they merged with "Never a Quarrel Joe" Coral, whom eventually mergered with Law Breakers, as if you know what you talking about ?

Mecca never had a presence in Ireland !


Prove me Wrong ??

Mecca had a shop in Dame Arch in Dublin Bought from Jim Walsh . I think Gerry Woodlock held the Licence for them ?Sure they had one in Inchicore across from the Horse and Jockey Pub .

[Punter]

Correct Rat--Fran cant remember surname --sold a shop on James st to them and then was their agent circa 1984/6--offered me decent cash for shops I had but on advice I refused regrettably --
Joe Jennings was on prowl then and took shop on Dorset St he had "dial a crash" Brian Carty as an advisor --always doomed !
Declan Fearon was head of Ladbrokes after selling out only to reopen in Ballyfermot, Windy Arbour etc
Savages in Swords controled the town with 3 shops --folded when Ladbrokes gave him 000000Ss
Lots of colorful characters then --

[John m]

Was that Lennons on Jamses Street ? Across from Hospital ?He driving a taxi now same with Duffy in Clondalkin driving a Taxi .

[markmiwurdz]

Was that a Mecca or Stanley near Phibsborough crossroads with the NCR years ago?

[Punter]

Mecca I think ,on left heading for river --the four corners had a betting shop -Terry Rodgers, Steve Donohue  and Coral I think ---all did well ex Mountjoy !
Mecca became Hills then Stanley--then Boyle

[John m]

Was the Mecca shop not originally Peggy Crinions ?Terry Rogers had a fleet of Taxis he won off lads then he would rent them back to them so they could earn more money to lose ?

[Rat Catcher]

Correct Rat--Fran cant remember surname --sold a shop on James st to them and then was their agent circa 1984/6--offered me decent cash for shops I had but on advice I refused regrettably --
Joe Jennings was on prowl then and took shop on Dorset St he had "dial a crash" Brian Carty as an advisor --always doomed !
Declan Fearon was head of Ladbrokes after selling out only to reopen in Ballyfermot, Windy Arbour etc
Savages in Swords controled the town with 3 shops --folded when Ladbrokes gave him 000000Ss
Lots of colorful characters then --

Swords is still known as the town of Tinkers, Taylors, Lambs and Savages. Legend has it that Savage agreed to sell JCs supermarket to Dunnes Stores for a multiple of the turnover then stacked the place with cost price gargle for Christmas... Ben/Margaret allegedly read the small print and pulled out but they still put a drapery store on the front of JCs.

[Belker]

.... one later joined by Second ever Paddy Power ,Mecca ,Two Ladbrokes Trackways ....

You John M speak of 'Mecca' formaly known as 'City Tote' before they merged with "Never a Quarrel Joe" Coral, whom eventually mergered with Law Breakers, as if you know what you talking about ?

Mecca never had a presence in Ireland !


Prove me Wrong ??

Mecca had a shop in Dame Arch in Dublin Bought from Jim Walsh . I think Gerry Woodlock held the Licence for them ?Sure they had one in Inchicore across from the Horse and Jockey Pub .

I stand corrected, I never remember Mecca having a presence in Ireland but as so many others do then I will accept that I was incorrect.

[Belker]

...... I'd be interested in what you think about PP closing 28 shops. Is it simply that people are just happier gambling online these days?

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/2025/10/15/almost-120-jobs-at-risk-as-paddy-power-closes-28-outlets-in-republic/

It would seem that Ladbrokes have gone the same way !
"More than 200 jobs at risk at Ladbrokes".

https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2026/0331/1566089-ladbrokes-jobs/


By 2010 the bookie game had all changed due to the online take-over, bookies who had paid huge money fer premises and licences or refurbishment costs were now looking at empty shops, But the bigger problem was the staff, most bookies who bought premises and licences also took on the staff and with "their Time kept on" they would be due very large redundany settlements if they were left go, so in most cases it was actually cheaper to keep the shops open and running at a small profit/loss than to pay staff redundancy.

Almost 20 odd years on now from the online take-over and a lot of the bookie staff would have retired or moved on and the bookies don't hire staff anymore, they close shops gleefully when they cannot staff them.

There are a few exceptions and there is still a handful of bookie shops that still do well, but unlikely you will find a customer in there under Fifty years old, so the Clock is Ticking on them too !