Florists shut up shop but the Big Fella will still get his blooms
FOR the past 12 years, sisters Mary and Terry Hewitt have arranged monthly floral bouquets for the grave of Michael Collins in Glasnevin Cemetery. The monthly bouquet comes from a French admirer of the assassinated IRA leader. "It's been a business that's been very good to us over the years. Our customers have always been very good to us. "We received a lot of thank-you notes and we've kept many of them. She took the trouble to ask us to look after the flowers for the grave for so long and we owe it to her to continue what she does," said Mary, who learned her trade at well-known florists, Marie James on Dublin's Dawson Street. "She struck a chord with us. The sisters have made many loyal customers over the years. But it is Veronique Crombe -- a lecturer and guide at the French National Museum who orders the monthly arrangements from Paris -- who will remain their sole customer. It gave me a real buzz working alongside flowers and to see the power they are able to have in so many different situations and the meanings behind them. Florists shut up shop but the Big Fella will still get his blooms |