Spiced Bean's love affair with coffee comes to a close

The Spiced Bean on Mary Street closes today after almost 28 years in business, and proprietors Aidan and Delia Mulligan are moving into retirement.

They opened the Spiced Bean in October 1996, and in the almost three decades built up a huge trade of locals, and their cafe became a meeting point and an escape from the hassles of everyday life.

Customers were guaranteed a friendly welcome to go with the variety of delicious foods, and quality coffee (along with quirky coffee-related quips chalked on the board by the front door).

Asked what the highlights of their years running the Spiced Bean were, Aidan and Delia agreed that it was the customers, and keeping the business open through good times and bad.

“It’s been managing to keep it going, really, there were a lot of tough times, you go through so much, it’s 28 years - there was Celtic Tiger days, Covid, but a lot of tough times, and the thing was to get through all that and to be still going.

“A lot of it is down to brilliant people, brilliant customers, we’ve had so many faithful, loyal customers, and we have our lovely neighbours here on Mary Street.

“We have a great customer base that would call in to us every day, we see the same people, it’s great, you know. One who’s retired now would come in here when it was getting tough at work, he would disappear for a while from work, and I think a lot of people were the same – call in to get away from the real world, and we’d have the chats.

“Somebody said to us recently they never realised there was an upstairs here – the upstairs was for the people who wanted to go somewhere quiet, but usually if you’re downstairs, there’s people in and out and we’re chatting and there’s plenty of buzz.”

Aidan and Delia expressed their gratitude to the staff members who worked with them over the years, to their suppliers, and to the many people who have been calling in today to wish them well in retirement.