I walked back 60 years of memory as I walked in the wooden door onto a wooden floor that just gives…read morea little underfoot, with the warm smell of leather and cardboard. I was gently greeted by the soft spoken mom and pop owners and, as they first opened their doors in 1903, these good people, who looked a tad world weary, but not footsore, are likely 3rd or 4th generation people of footwear purveyors. In 1903 there were lots of tanneries and local skills to make boots and shoes yet these days there's a leather shortage as a lot of leather comes into Western Europe from Ukraine, or now not so much, courtesy of a madman. In 1903 my great hero John Steinbeck was just entering his first year of life, my grandparents hadn't married. Peter Pan was springing from the imagination of JM Barrie, who is accredited with making Wendy a girl's name. The world as ever was in flux. So the O Donnell's of Westport sold all sorts of shoes and boots from their corner shop beside the bridge for 119 years before I walked in to spend a few hundred euro. I got exactly what I wanted, British Loake leather, laced hand - made shoes. Strong, sturdy, beautiful, foot - friendly, forgiving soft leather that eventually moulds to accommodate the shape of each foot. As I left the shoe shop the world was still in flux. I doubt I'll ever return as I'm just passing trade but we need to support and preserve these local independents around us.