Love Is The Drugs

The Roche gang MON17JULY23

s much as we’re used to flying by the seat of our pantaloons here at GG HQ, getting this year’s Top Of The Shops winners crowned proved to be a Kafkaesque farce.

Firstly, as you may have noticed, there are two champs for this year’s competition, with over 1,000 votes being split pretty much evenly between two previous title holders, Fiona Roche agus David Dodd.

That many votes meant quite a few recounts, just to be sure, to be sure. Which meant trawling back through not only the mothership site comments but also the various social media posts, emails and texts.

Plus the occasional nod on the streets.

And then there was the little matter of getting these two very busy drug dealers pinned down on the same day. Fiona’s gone to a wedding. David’s having a Brazilian.

Throw in the fact that we also wanted Niamh O’Leary from AIB Greystones to swing by – given that they very kindly sponsor the competition every year – and bejiggers, it would have been easier to get The Beatles back together.

So today, awards in hand, we walked to AIB. No Niamh. Then we walked down to David Dodd’s. BOOM! Happy campers! Then to Fiona Roche’s. BORRADH! Super-happy campers!

To add another layer of fun, after today’s happy snaps, we drove a friend to a 7pm hospital appointment at the other end of the M50, and that took us FIVE FRICKIN’ HOURS!

So, now, at 10pm, we’re finally able to reveal our winners, in all their smiling, giddy glory. Hall-a-FECKING-LUJAH!

Congrats to both Dave and to Fiona, and to their wonderful teams. Next year, we’re going to pull a name out of a hat.