WE FEEL A bit sorry for whoever is running the Twitter account for Michael Guineys today.

The store has spent a large part of today so far responding to numerous tweets and comments to explain that it is definitely not closing down.

The confusion has arisen in some reports this morning because there are three separate shops on Dublin’s Talbot Street all with the name Guiney in the name (plus another one on North Earl St, just metres away).

The shop that has been closed down is Guineys & Co at 79-80 Talbot Street, which was the sister shop to Clerys on nearby O’Connell Street. The store was set up by Kerry businessman Denis Guiney, who bought Clerys in 1941.

After years of financial difficulties, Clerys was bought by a US private equity firm last night, just hours after it went into receivership. However there was less good news for Guineys & Co, which was not sold and was instead put into liquidation with the loss of 10 jobs.

The shutters are already down on Guineys & Co this morning and there is a notice on the door telling customers that the shop has closed down.

The completely separate company Michael Guineys (still with us?), which has branches around the country, was set up by the same family, and has two branches on Talbot Street, is definitely not closing.

So just to be clear: This Guineys store on Talbot Street, which became something of a Dublin institution, has closed:

Guineys & Co this morning. (Photos: Paul Hyland/TheJournal.ie)

However the Michael Guiney shops on Talbot Street all remain open. So there’s this one at number 83:

And this one at number 93:

(Images: Google Maps)

And let’s not forget this one on the adjacent North Earl Street, right beside O’Connell Street:

(Image: Sam Boal/Photocall Ireland)

Read: Clerys taken over, saving 350 jobs – but Guineys is to close >