Retiring barber praises Waterford community for friendships and support

Last weekend marked the end of an era for one of Dungarvan’s finest barbers, Liam Walsh, who put down the clippers for the last time to begin his retirement.

Hailing originally from Portlaw, Liam had gone to work in Kilkenny, Cork and Clonmel, never straying too far from home, and he then settled into Dungarvan's Boston Barbers in 2011 and took over the Dungarvan franchise. 

Speaking with Liam on his last day in Boston Barbers, he told the Waterford News & Star that he was proud to have made some great friends over the years. One of those friends is Richard Purcell, who was Liam's very first customer. 

"It was 13 years ago when Richard walked into the shop on the first morning I was here, and he made the effort today to come in on my last day and be my last customer," said Liam. "We've become good friends, and we're still friends to this day," he added. 

Despite not being a Dungarvan native, Liam's ability to make friends and chat away to customers had him as part of the community. Another one of Liam's great friends, Buddy Power, who sadly passed away last year, "would've stopped into the shop each day, talking." Liam described his friend's death as "a very tough time". 

"We've had lots of sad times," said Liam, but overall, he said those sad times are always supported by members of the community in Dungarvan that has "embraced" him, and with that comes other celebrations bringing happier times to remember. 

"I got so friendly with customers, I've been at their weddings and their children's christenings and I love coming into work," said Liam. 

He explained that every day, while he had his regular customers and great friendships, no two days are the same: "My eldest customer is 95 years old and in the same day he came into me, I gave a little fella, only 10 months old, his first haircut.

"Between that and the friendships I've made, that's really been the highlight for me," he said.

 Liam said that he hopes the community continues to support the barber shop as was done in his time there, and he now hopes to spend more time with his family. 

Just like many other sectors, barbering is high in demand over the weekends and holiday periods. Now, Liam said is the right time for him to take that step back: "It's quite often I could be here seven days a week and the older I'm getting, I found it hard going." 

"My daughter, Lorna, will be home next month after five years in Australia, so that's something I'm really looking forward to. I'm also going to enjoy going to watch my son Darryl's matches on weekends," Liam added.

Liam thanked his wife, Collette, and children Lorna and Darryl for their continued support over the years, and extended his gratitude to his "amazing" past and present staff members over the years, along with the friendships he's made within the Dungarvan community that have been so "heartwarming".

Liam said that he will "never forget it".