The Cope, or the Templecrone Agricultural Co-operative Society , is a co-operative retail

Retail

Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...

 chain indigenous to The Rosses

The Rosses

The Rosses is a geographical and social region in the west of County Donegal, Ireland, centred around the town of Dungloe, which acts as the educational, shopping and civil centre for the area...

 area of County Donegal

County Donegal

County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...

 in Ireland

Republic of Ireland

Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

. Founded in 1906, it has a number of normal supermarkets as well as a full department store, a builders merchants and an agricultural division.

The name comes from the inability of one of the founder shareholders to say Co-Op - as he could pronounce Cope, the name The Cope was adopted. For the same reason, some people use the term to refer to the group in the U.K. named The Co-operative Group

The Co-operative Group

The Co-operative Group Ltd. is a United Kingdom consumer cooperative with a diverse range of business interests. It is co-operatively run and owned by its members. It is the largest organisation of this type in the world, with over 5.5 million members, who all have a say in how the business is...

.

Outside of Donegal, the name is perhaps best known for being the semi-official nickname of a local politician Pat the Cope Gallagher, who is a former Minister of State

Minister of State (Ireland)

A Minister of State in Ireland is of non-Cabinet rank, attached to one or more Departments of State of the Government of Ireland....

. His family were connected to the foundation of the co-operative.

The founder of the chain, Patrick Gallagher

Paddy "the Cope" Gallagher

Paddy The Cope Gallagher was the founder of The Cope, . He was born in Templecrone, Donegal, Ireland. At an early age he began work as a hired boy working as a farm labourer first in Donegal and then as a potato picker in Scotland...

 (grandfather of the above, and known as Paddy "the Cope"), featured on a 48c Irish stamp released on 16 January 2006, depicted in front of the group's first Dungloe

Dungloe

Dungloe is a Gaeltacht town in County Donegal, Ireland. It is the main town in the Rosses and the largest in the Donegal Gaeltacht...

 store.

The supermarket section of its flagship Dungloe department store was destroyed in fire in April 2006, although a reduced supermarket service was resumed within two weeks from elsewhere on the site. Construction of a new supermarket began in January 2007, and has since been completed. Initially co-branded as a Vivo store, it is now operated as a Eurospar.

The Cope has branches in the town of Dungloe

Dungloe

Dungloe is a Gaeltacht town in County Donegal, Ireland. It is the main town in the Rosses and the largest in the Donegal Gaeltacht...

, as well as Annagry

Annagry

Anagaire is a Gaeltacht village in the Rosses area of County Donegal, Ireland. It has a population of around 249.-Name:The Irish and official name for Annagry is Anagaire, which in turn derives from Áth na gCoire....

, and Kincasslagh

Kincasslagh

Cionn Caslach or Ceann Caslach is a small Gaeltacht seaside village in the Rosses area of County Donegal, Ireland...

 villages. They formerly had branches in Burtonport

Burtonport

Ailt an Chorráin or Ailt a' Chorráin is a Gaeltacht fishing village about 7 km northwest of Dungloe in County Donegal, Ireland....

 and Narin, but they have been closed; with the former branch in Lettermacaward

Lettermacaward

Leitir Mhic an Bhaird or Leitir Mhic a' Bhaird is a Gaeltacht village in the Rosses region of County Donegal, Ireland. The village, known colloquially as Leitir , is between the larger towns of Glenties and Dungloe.-Amenities:The village has two shops, 'Clerkins', a family run service station, and...

 now operated privately.

External links

• Donegal Co-op damage in fire rte.ie
  Rte.ie
  RTÉ.ie is the brand name and home of RTÉ's online activities, located at the URL http://rte.ie. The site began publishing on 26 May 1996. According to RTÉ, it operates on an entirely commercial basis, receiving none of the licence fee which funds much of RTÉ's activity. The site, it says, is funded...