OVER 100 YEARS OF EYE CARE

Crowleys Opticians has a long and rich history of eye care at our historic home at 26 Grand Parade in the heart of Cork city. There’s been an opticians at this site since before the foundation of the Irish state. British opticians Harris Rundel opened in December 1916 and served the optical needs of the people of Cork until the early 1970s.

In that time the team at Rundels – lead by the enigmatic Mr Brook – brought many innovative eye care solutions to the city and was a well-respected part of the local business community.

The store witnessed the “Burning of Cork” in 1920, and MANY All-Ireland football and hurling triumphs. As well as witnessing the birth of the new Cork city centre that we know and love today.

The late P.J. Crowley, who had worked for Rundels, took over the store in the early 1970s and thus Crowleys Opticians was established. PJ’s son Conor joined him in the family business in the mid-1970s and Crowleys became a household name for great quality eyecare throughout Cork City and beyond.

In 2006, Crowleys brought its service to the people of east Cork and Carrigaline in particular as we opened in the town’s high street. This store has proven to be very popular and continues to grow from strength to strength. Conor’s daughter and PJ’s granddaughter Alison continues the family tradition and now manages our Carrigaline store.

In recent years, Crowleys has gone from strength to strength. In 2018 both the flagship Grand Parade and Carrigaline stores have been extensively refitted and rebranded to reflect our high street, fashionable appeal. We’re still focused on the fundamentals though, with state-of-the-art testing rooms and a new kids corner installed in each store too.

During the refurbishment process, our builders discovered the original brickwork arch buried under layers of plaster. This brickwork dates back hundreds of years and is now a feature of our Grand Parade store. Look out for it as you come in on the right-hand side. We like it so much we’ve recreated it in all our stores!

In late 2019 Crowleys proudly opened it’s first store outside of Cork – in fact, outside of Munster! Our new cutting edge store on the high street in Newbridge, Kildare is a joy. Fitted to the highest level (including a brick arch!) and managed by a passionate expert team of professionals living locally, we’re very excited about the future of this store. It’s dedicated kids upstairs area and sensory room have already proven to be a big success.

While 2020 brought a pandemic, it also brought lots of growth for the Crowleys team. Never ones to waste an opportunity, we used the lockdown and slower-than-usual summer months to expand our Grand Parade Store, tripling its capacity and updating its look and flow.

2020 also brought our newest store! In December we opened in the wonderful market town of Ballincollig, west of Cork city. Once again our signature brick arch is in pride of place in a large, cool, contemporary space prominently located on the high street next to a busy crossroads. Boasting three testing room and a generous family area, our Ballincollig store delivers an optical experience difficult to better.

Our new stores continue to grow, as does our team and array of services. We proudly become on of the first opticians in Ireland to offer myopia management lenses for children with acute myopia at a young age – a real commitment to our focus on family eye care.

Our efforts to grow our business and bring great eye care to our customers is recognized when we are named finalists in the SME category of the Cork Company of the Year awards. A huge honour! 

Crowley’s Opticians has fully qualified Optometrists carrying out comprehensive eye examinations on a daily basis. We have invested heavily in the most up-to-date, advanced eye care technology, including the most recent digital retinal photography, to ensure the BEST optical care for our customers. Our modern facilities have full disability access.

CROWLEYS CUSTOMER SERVICE

Crowleys Opticians is dedicated to providing every customer a full after care service to ensure continued satisfaction.

All staff at Crowley’s are committed to providing the best eye care for you and your family, tailored to suit your individual needs. Our extensive eyewear range ensures every customer looks good and feels great no matter what their budget may be.  Our experienced floor staff will work with you individually to get to know your unique vision care needs, so you always leave us looking and seeing your very best.

CROWLEYS PORTRAIT SERIES

For the last number of years, we’ve been delighted to work with our customers and the communities we live and work in to create the Crowleys Portrait Series.

 Rather than cram our shop windows with brand photos sent to us by large multinational frame producers, we’ve had way more fun inviting our friends and customers to act as our shop window models. That’s why you’ll see people just like you in our windows, modeling our fashionable frames. We hope you enjoy the series!