Phelans Pharmacy celebrates 36 years in Carrigaline

Carrigaline has grown from a small village to the thriving town we know and love over the last 36 years, but a constant presence has been Phelan’s Pharmacy on the Main Street. Since first opening their doors in 1988, Phelan’s has been a trusted part of the Carrigaline community. 

Starting out as a single, family-run shop opened by a young Conor and Denise Phelan, it has grown into the thriving Phelan’s Pharmacy group with shops all over Cork city and beyond, but Main Street Carrigaline continues to be the beating heart of the business, and where customers know they’ll be welcomed with a smile, receive sound medical advice, and dedicated service from a committed pharmacy team that goes far beyond the counter.

From day one, Phelan’s has been shaped by its people, and none more so than Rosarie O’Leary. Joining Conor and Denise at the front counter in Carrigaline at just eighteen years old, Rosarie was Phelans’ first employee and now serves as Managing Director of the Phelans Pharmacy group. Her decades of dedication and leadership have been instrumental in the shop and company’s continued success, a testament to her deep commitment to both Phelan’s and the people of Carrigaline.

Denise & Conor Phelan

Innovation has always been a hallmark of Phelan’s. In the early 1990s, they introduced Cork’s City’s first late-night pharmacy service, ensuring customers had access to medicines whenever they needed it most. They were the first pharmacy in Ireland to start displaying the green cross that are now ubiquitous with pharmacies everywhere, having spotted the idea after a holiday in France. Phelans were even one of the very first pharmacies to openly display condoms on the shop shelves, a very controversial move in the early 1990s. 

More recently, Phelans have specialised in mobility, incontinence and independent living aids with Lifelong Mobility, to support their customer’s healthcare needs at every stage of life.

Over the years the business has expanded to multiple locations across Cork and Dublin, but through all this time Carrigaline and the team there have remained at the heart of everything.

This summer, Phelans Carrigaline store completed a major transformation, the first refresh in over 20 years. The newly redesigned space is more welcoming, functional, and accessible. Highlights include a much larger first aid and sports care area, a greatly expanded dispensary designed to meet the future needs of Carrigaline’s growing population and process prescriptions more quickly, and a dedicated grab-and-go Lifelong Mobility area. 

While the store may have a fresh new look, the same friendly faces are here to welcome you. Main Street, Carrigaline is where the journey began, and it remains the heart of everything Phelan stands for.

Phelan's admin staff

Cosmetics 

Phelan’s has always been known within Carrigaline for their extensive range of luxury cosmetics from international brands including Lancome, Clarins and Nuxe. Nurtured under the dedicated stewardship of Margret Kelly for many years, Gina Greer is now the friendly face of the cosmetics department at Phelan’s Carrigaline, welcoming her loyal customers every day with expert cosmetics and skincare advice, and is always up for a chat on all things perfume and skincare. Gina regularly hosts in-store events and masterclasses with product experts from leading brands.

Mobility

In 2010, Phelan’s extended their range of healthcare products when they began offering mobility and independent living aids alongside their existing pharmacy items. This growth was inspired by Denise’s personal experience when caring for her father, who had Parkinson’s disease. Faced with limited access to and choice of quality medical equipment, that experience never left Denise, and inspired her to return to college later in life to train and qualify as an Occupational Therapist. 

This knowledge has allowed her to better understand this vital area of community healthcare and her customers' diverse and changing needs, leading to the establishment of Lifelong Mobility - a carefully curated range of mobility and independent living aids at Phelans Pharmacy.

As part of the recent shop refit, Phelans Carrigaline now features a dedicated grab-and-go Lifelong Mobility area, a small area within the pharmacy designed to support older adults and those living with mobility challenges. This area features thoughtfully selected essential daily living aids, such as walking sticks, pressure cushions, arthritis-friendly tools, and incontinence products, offering a supportive starting point for anyone in need of everyday independent living essentials. 

For those in need of a wider selection or expert advice, the Phelans Kinsale Road Roundabout shop has an in-store occupational therapist available Monday-Saturday to give expert advice on the full Lifelong Mobility range. And for those who can’t visit in-store, the full mobility, incontinence and independent living range can also be found online at www.phelans.ie, with fast nationwide delivery available.

Meet Fergal O'Donoghue

Fergal is the new Supervising Pharmacist at Phelan’s Carrigaline.

Friendly, knowledgeable, and approachable, Fergal brings a wealth of clinical experience to his role while continuing the tradition of personal service that defines the Phelan’s name.

Whether it’s supporting a new prescription, offering advice on over-the-counter solutions, or simply taking a moment to listen, Fergal is committed to making pharmacy care accessible, compassionate, and reassuring.

“Carrigaline is a close-knit community. People come to us not just for medication, but for guidance. Sometimes a quick conversation at the counter can make all the difference in someone’s day,” he says.

Fergal and the team are always here to help. No question is too small. Feel free to pop in and say hello.

Fergal O'Donoghue

 You’re invited to the Phelan’s Pharmacy Relaunch!

To celebrate the new look of the Carrigaline store, Phelan’s Pharmacy is hosting a special Store Relaunch Event on Friday, 12 September.

The team at Phelan's Pharmacy.