The owners of newly opened Grennan’s XL Killeigh, Carol and Willie Grennan, are pictured with daughter Aoibhe at the shop’s opening.

Local delight as village shop reopens in Killeigh

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Community members from Killeigh joins its owners to mark the opening of Grennan’s XL Killeigh.

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The front of the Grennan’s XL Killeigh store, which opened this week to reignite its building’s long-standing history of hosting a local shop.

Kevin O'Neill

Published: Thu 30 Jul 2026, 5:10 PM

Just over two years after the closure of Killeigh's last shop, the former Gorman's premises has re-opened – much to the delight of the residents of the Offaly village.

On Wednesday morning last, the doors swung open to the village's newest addition, Grennan's XL Killeigh, which is now owned by Willie and Carol Grennan (also of local pub 'Grennan's on the Green').

And following its 9am opening, the local community flocked to the new store, which offers groceries, a deli, off-licence, confectionery and ice-creams, and an ATM.

Speaking to the Offaly Independent, owner Willie Grennan said he hopes the shop will be 'a great addition' to the local community.

“The reaction this morning (last Wednesday) has been brilliant. Young and old has been coming to the shop, and it's great to see. For too long, Killeigh was lacking this facility, and the shop will be a positive and much-needed boost for the village,” Willie said.

On the day, Willie and his wife was joined for the opening by their daughter, Aoibhe, and it proved an emotional day for the family as they remembered their son and brother, Tiernan, who passed away two years ago, aged 20.

“Tiernan was with us when we opened 'Grennan's on the Green', so we know he is with us today, as well. We miss him greatly and it's an emotional day for us, in many ways,” Willie said.

Willie also thanked Liz Gorman, the previous owner with her late husband Frank, for her help since he first expressed an interest in taking on the shop. He also praised the assistance of Enda Scully (Scully's XL Foodstore Daingean) and Barry Egerton (XL Business Development Manager).

He said that a huge amount of work went into redeveloping the premises. Willie, himself, did a lot of the painting work, and he thanked WOC Building & Dry Lining, Tony Purcell (Toro Security & Electrical Ltd), Ollie Gorman (Trend Setting Civils), and Brendan Lynam, who all contributed to the fit-out and installation processes.

The premises had previously operated as a shop for almost 100 years until its closure in 2024. Gorman's shop was run by Liz and Frank Gorman for over 33 years and was the hub of the village. Now, said Willie, one of ten staff at the newly opened shop is a granddaughter of Liz and Frank Gorman.