Tom Monaghan is full of emotion about the reopening of retail following the recent lifting of Covid restrictions. “Last June, after having been closed for several months, reopening again was a high moment for me. There were a lot of tears shed, and this time will be no different.”

At 95, Mr Monaghan is almost certainly Ireland’s oldest shopkeeper, and he has witnessed many changes to the retail landscape since he and his late wife Teresa opened the doors to their family business, Monaghans Cashmere, in 1960.

Despite living through at least three great recessions (and a World War) Monaghan found the last year challenging without the business he loves to keep him occupied. “Lockdown was very boring, but fortunately members of the family – my daughter and sons, who live very close – showed up every day to make sure I hadn’t fallen over on the stairs or something like that. They looked after me very well.”

The human connections are what he’s missed most. “There’s more to retailing than just taking money,” he says. “I have, in my years, formed the greatest association with my customers and unfortunately many of them are gone, but we now have four generations of customers coming in to us.

“I have customers whose grandparents used to come in and now their grandchildren are coming into Monaghans. I am always delighted to talk to them. The camaraderie is wonderful. We have long chats with people, especially the Americans. Most people love to chat. It’s not just about selling a sweater or a bag, we form associations that are lasting and they appreciate it and it’s still going on.

“I started out on Grafton Street on 1 October, 1960. We had the old Brown Thomas next door to us and you could equate that with one of the finest shops in the world and they did merchandise to match, but unfortunately that’s gone, but they did go across the road. They were wonderful neighbours and it was a wonderful street in those days. Unfortunately it’s not like that now, many of the good shops are gone from there, but hopefully it will improve.

“Years ago, before the family started bringing me to work, I would leave the house every morning at 7am and went to Clarendon Street mass and went to Bewleys for a cup of coffee and a scone and a chat about business. There was great camaraderie, we all knew each other. There was no rivalry, really and truly. I’d then open the shop, do the hoovering if I had to, and welcomed the customers in. The extraordinary thing is that when a lot of the customers come in, then we go out and have a coffee or a cup of tea and leave John or Maria and the staff behind. I’m like a bad footballer, I show up but I don’t do much,” he says with a smile.

“Like I said, there’s more to making money. You make connections and eventually you get to know them all. There’s a lot of personal stuff attached to business.”

When asked what he’s most looking forward to the replies without missing a beat “being above ground!”

Although anxious about the future of retail post-Covid, Monaghan knows the business is in safe hands, with his daughter Suzanne at the helm and many treasured members of staff who have been worked alongside him for several decades.

Celebrating 60 years in business last year was a meaningful milestone, particularly against the backdrop of the ever-changing nature of retail, but Monaghan has always placed people and quality products at the heart of his brand.

“In the beginning very few people knew about cashmere, but the Americans loved it and we had an Irish company doing it here by the name of Glen Abbey. They made a great product but they went out of business, so we had to go elsewhere. We don’t go to China, we go to Scotland, where we work with about three or four companies there and there’s great connections there. There is cashmere coming from other parts of the world being sold by other stores, but it wouldn’t be at the races with the quality we produce,” he says.

“Very few people in Ireland knew about cashmere until we introduced it. It breathes. It’s warm in the winter and cool in the summer. It’s incredible. The sweaters are the big thing for both ladies and men. Cashmere is expensive but it does last. You could have one of our sweaters for 25 years.”

While much of the population embraced tracksuits as their new working from home attire, Monaghan isn’t on board. “It’s extraordinary,” he says. “Maybe if they’re made from cashmere!”

Still dapper in his mid-nineties, the retailer is a great advocate for the power of a good suit. “I think it’s really important to have a decent suit. It’s important to make an effort. It’s really very easy. In lots of stores they have the staff in open necked shirts, but I don’t think it’s the proper way to dress, but that’s their choice. I think we should be making the same effort people make for the office.”

His advice for new business owners starting out today is simple: Work hard. “You have to put in the hours. When I started, I remember a woman who had been in business a long time told me ‘look at the mop, you’ll have to spend five years at this before you can call a penny your own.’

“My wife was also a wonderful support for me and in the early days she’d ask how was my day and if I was in bad form, she’d encourage me and say ‘tomorrow will be better’ and she was right. It took a lot of patience and time.”

In a year where many reconsidered their career options, Monaghan is resolute in his decision to keep going. “I couldn’t retire because the worst months of my life were when I was at home doing nothing looking at four walls.” When asked what he’s most looking forward to the replies without missing a beat “being above ground!”