O'Hara's Bakery

[Christopher]

Does anyone have information about O'Hara's Bakery? When did the business open and when did it close? Did it close around 1998 or earlier? The information below came from street directories. I presume it was a long established family business but was the original O'Hara a Belfast man or someone who had started a business elsewhere and came to Belfast around the time many of the large manufacturing businesses were being established in the city? 

In 1960 the business was a Limited company at 41-45, Shankill Road and had a number of branches. In 1987 under the Limited Liability section there's the following information   O'Hara's Bakeries, Ltd., 182-188, Cambrai Street, Belfast. Directors: Albert O'Hara (he was also the company secretary), Victor O'Hara and William A. O'Hara

[Maypole]

Hi Christopher,
Don't know the background to the setting up of the O'Hara Bakery Chain.  But there was a branch at Cliftonville Circus, at the top of Westland Road.  My mother, who did her messages daily in those far off days, always came home with something from the Bakery.  Favourites were treacle scones, of course potato and soda bread, and a selection of the marvellous pastries and small cakes.  For many, many years after I moved to England, Belfast friends would send me an O'Hara fruit loaf for Christmas.  There was none to beat it. 
In our supermarkets over here in England you can buy Paul Rankin's various breads and a fruit loaf from Irwin's.  But the mention of O'Hara's made me quite hungry for an Irish afternoon tea with all the trimmings.  Do they still provide such a thing in the cafes in Belfast?  Will look out for them on my next trip over.
Maypole

[harrydunn]

O'Haras was a well known bakery on the Shankill Rd they had a shop between Bellevue St and Mountjoy St, their bakery was was at the Shankill Rd end of Cambria St, I will try and dig up some more info on it.

[harrydunn]

W.J.O'Hara a master baker who worked for Stewarts opened a bakery shop at 255 Shankill Rd on 1st May 1914. O'hara and his wife had eleven children as the business thrived they opened a few more shops but the bakery behind the first shop was not big enough so they moved to premises in Mc Teir St untill the redevolpment about the late 1960s they then moved to Cambria St, they closed their bakery in 1998.

[Christopher]

The more I read about the history of small family businesses plus their development and growth until they reach a stage when they're taken over by a larger concern or are forced to close due to being unable to compete the more I feel that business and commerce has lost its way. It's sad to see more and more large, well known, businesses which started out in a small way a hundred years ago, or in some cases a couple of hundred years ago, calling in receivers. The larger the concern that closes the more people lose their jobs and the greater the impact on the local community.

[forever_a_shankill_girl]

I don't remember O'Haras being Mountjoy St and Bellevue St....I can only ever remember it being facing West Kirk church. Our Dr's surgery (Dr Acheson) was next door to it when I was very young..and Moore's pork shop was it's other side.

Nothing could beat an O'Hara's bap with loads of butter on it. 

[109er]

O`Hara`s made the best BABS ever

[nella]

I remember a bakery between Bellveue st and Mountjoy st called Parks ,their Honeycomb loaf was to die for.  nella,

[carbolicsoap]

O`haras crusty belfast bap with corned beef and brown sauce.Yum Yum.

They also made very nice meat and potato pies.

This thread is making me hungry.

[melv]

I seem to remember a O'Hara bakery further down the shankill across from dover street,   i used to visit my aunt there she would always give me money for a Paris bun dipped in chocolate

[forever_a_shankill_girl]

I remember a bakery between Bellveue st and Mountjoy st called Parks ,their Honeycomb loaf was to die for.  nella,

Yes Nella you're right....that was Park's bakery. I think they closed about 10/11yrs ago.

[tboy]

o,harras had the bap monopely from the shankill back across north belfast.

[Jeannie]

There was an O'Hara's Bakery in Portland Avenue Glengormley.  Best baps ever, treacle scones, wheaten bread and their Christmas Fruit Loaf has never been beaten in my eyes.  In fact dont think there was ever anything I didn't like out of O'Hara's.

[Christopher]

There was an O'Hara's Bakery in Portland Avenue Glengormley.  Best baps ever, treacle scones, wheaten bread and their Christmas Fruit Loaf has never been beaten in my eyes.  In fact dont think there was ever anything I didn't like out of O'Hara's.

Is Portland Avenue the first left turn off the road going up to Carnmoney Village

[Jeannie]

Is Portland Avenue the first left turn off the road going up to Carnmoney Village

Yep first left on the Carnmoney Road, just past the Square, is Portland Avenue.  O'Hara's was near the end on the RHS. Don't know what is there now tho.  Haven't been in Glengormley in years.  There used to be a great Cafe there too, cant recall its name just now tho.