25/10/2026
Happy 4th Birthday
❤️🖤 Centre Perks - ❤️🖤
Here's a little something AI and myself created to celebrate our 4th Birthday.
❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️
It started when the world stood still,
When doors were closed by COVID's will,
When indoor seats were not allowed,
And coffee had to be served outside to the crowd.
Outdoor dining, that was the rule,
The world had changed, strange and cruel,
But on the grounds of the Regional Sports Centre,
Fergal saw a door where others saw a winter.
Beside the hockey pitch, the skate park's clatter,
Beside the playground, the tennis club chatter,
Where kids would play and teams would meet,
He thought - "They'll need somewhere warm, somewhere neat."
An idea born because of COVID days,
When only outside was allowed to stay,
A little cabin, a little spark,
Coffee for Athlone in the cold and dark.
Four years ago, that spark took hold,
Four years of stories, new and old,
Centre Perks, the name above the door,
2022 to 2026 - and plenty more.
Fergal the owner, who had the eye,
Who saw a coffee shop when others walked by,
Who built it when the world was on its knees,
And turned restrictions into memories.
And Rachel, his partner, his manager, his heart,
The one who turned the shop into art,
Who keeps it running, day by day,
Fergal's idea, Rachel's way.
And then the family that makes it sing,
The brilliant staff behind everything -
Helen - first smile through the window,
Emma - latte art like a rainbow,
Áine - keeping every order right,
Jack - the early morning light.
MJ with the banter, never done,
Grace who keeps going till work is won,
Mary with a welcome warm and true,
Adam - last to leave, first for you.
Eve and Cathy, side by side,
Niamh with stories far and wide,
Becky on the till with a laugh so loud,
You can hear it right across the crowd.
And the wonderful customers, one and all,
Who answered Fergal's outdoor call,
When COVID said "you must stay apart,"
You came together, heart to heart.
Four years since outdoor was all we knew,
Four years of coffee, friends, and you,
On the Sports Centre grounds, still here,
Centre Perks - Four Years, and many more, Athlone, dear.
Thank you so much everyone ❤️
❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️
