NIGHTS out in Enniskillen will never be the same again, with the institution that was the Muck Truck confirming it has packed up for the last time.
Having fed the punters of the county town every single weekend for over 30 years, often hundreds on a single night, earlier this month the famous fast food van made the sad announcement on social media that it was shutting up shop.
Commenting on how “all great things never last”, the announcement was accompanied by a photo slideshow of its loyal staff and customers from down through the years.
The post prompted a mix of sadness and happy nostalgia among the local public, with many declaring a night out on the town was never complete without a trip to the popular little chip van and a feed of its cheesy curry or stuffing and gravy chips.
Speaking to the Herald, owner Josie McAlonan said the decision to close was bittersweet, but the time had come to move on.
The Muck Truck was first opened by Josie’s husband Stephen back in 1989. Sadly Stephen, who was originally from Boho, passed away in February this year after many years of illness.
During those years Josie had kept the show on the road – or, rather, the truck on the street – with the help of long-serving and well-known employee Bernie, whose real name is actually Mohammad Yaqub.
Josie said while Stephen’s sad passing had played a part in her decision, there were many other factors too.
The first, she said, was her age. At 57 years old, and with a day job that she will be continuing in, she said she had always intended to call it a day at 60, but a recent arthritis diagnosis pushed things forward a little.
Then there was the Enniskillen Public Realm scheme.
“Whenever the town was all down up there it left it more complicated. Before we could just rock up at 9 o’clock, but once they did the Diamond up I had to go up at 5.30 and put out my cones. It made it a very long night then,” she said, adding the Muck Truck had been opened until after 3am every night.
Covid also played its part, with business down even since the reopening.
Then at the beginning of July, when both she and Bernie realised they had booked to go away on the same weekend as each other, the Muck Truck closed for the first weekend ever – aside from the pandemic – which was around the time Josie made the decision to sell the van.
Things moved very quickly from there, with Josie finding a buyer much faster than she expected.
She added that she sadly couldn’t sell it as a going concern as the business required a licence that could not be transferred.
Paying tribute to her customers and loyal staff through the years, Josie, who is from Fintona, said she was looking forward to her new found freedom, with plans for every weekend for the rest of the summer.
She added, however, “The people have always been lovely down the years, so I will miss the craic.”
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