New operators have just taken over the former, legendary chipper Mattie Kielys: Italian husband and wife duo Fabio and Fiorella Delicata have acquired the compact take-away close to Parnell Place and the bus station, which closed to huge regret in 2007.

It has been unused since, and now is back in the frying business, in a deal negotiated by agent Kevin Silke.

It continues a Carrigaline link to retired owner Mattie Kiely, as the new owners the Delicatas have run a Carrigaline chipper, the Magic Chef, for the past five years and are 20 years in Ireland.

They aim to keep the name Kielys, do traditional fish and chips and had a low key opening in recent days. And, says Fiorella, they are looking forward to tomorrow’s fish-fest for Good Friday.

Also in further new arrivals on Maylor Street, following the closure of the popular Banna Thai restaurant for family health reasons, the c 2,000 sq ft Maylor Street unit at No 15 has found a new tenant. It’s let to another family-run venture, Warren Allen Coffee, based in West Cork, but now expanding.

Warren Allen has been a trading name in Bandon for nine years, where it quite recently added a successful barista coffee/cafe business on Main Street to its on-going and on-line giftware and home wares enterprise.

The gift business is run by Jacinta Kennedy, who’s a third generation retailer in the Megan family; they’ve had shops in Bandon and, before that, in Youghal.

It’s next door to Elverys Sports, previously Mahers Sports, and faces a side entrance to Debenhams and the Merchants Quay Shopping Centre

Now, a new and equally entrepreneurial generation of the family business, Sean Kennedy with barista training, is taking the 2,000 sq ft unit at No 15 Maylor Street on a growth path: appropriately, before Banna Thai No 15 was home to horticulture specialists, the Rice-family owned Munster Seeds, and before that was a sweet wholesale business, associated with the Cudmore family.

Mr Kennedy is to run it seven-days a week, 7AM-7PM, employing 15 doing food, coffees (beans from Coffee Culture roasters in Dublin) and take-outs.

“I’d been looking for some time for a place in the city centre, and it was very difficult, I’d looked at four or five other locations but this was my preference. There was lots of competition: there’s a huge demand for cafes,” he said.

He’s currently fitting out No 15, and will trade initially at least from ground floor only, with the first floor for training and storage at present.

The investor-owned property, is also close to the revamped and very successful Hickeys store, near Debenhams, Brown Thomas and Idaho Cafe, and has been let to Warren Allen Coffee on a new, ten-year lease negotiated by Lia Dennehy of Savills, at a rent believed to be close to €38,000 pa.

Ireland’s love affair with the Supreme Bean seems set to run a while yet.

DETAILS: Savills 021-4271371