The Grafton Barber
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| Private | |
| Industry | Barbershop |
| Founded | 1994 |
| Founders |
|
| Headquarters | Dublin, Ireland |
Number of locations | Approximately 60 shops in Ireland and 1 in Newry, Northern Ireland |
Key people | Hugh McAllister; Conor McAllister |
| Services | Hairdressing and barbering |
| Website | www |
The Grafton Barber is an Irish chain of barbershops founded by brothers Hugh and Conor McAllister. The chain has around sixty shops in Ireland as of 2025,[1] along with one in Newry in Northern Ireland.[2] Its flagship shop is at 51 Grafton Street in Dublin.
History
Hugh and Conor McAllister established The Grafton Barber in 1994.[3] They bought their first shop, on Grafton Street, from Eddie McEvoy, a barber who had worked on the street since the 1960s. McEvoy stayed on with the business and was still cutting hair at the shop at the age of 89.[4] The brothers' father, Hugh McAllister Sr., had worked as a barber in Belfast from 1961, a date the company uses in its branding.[5]
Conor McAllister also worked as a hair stylist on film and television productions from 1994, among them Braveheart, Michael Collins, Saving Private Ryan and Space Truckers.[6] In a 2010 interview he said Dennis Hopper had given him his "big break".[7]
The chain grew to 22 shops by 2015, and the brothers announced plans that year for a barber training school near the Gaiety Theatre. Clients have included President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins, Gabriel Byrne, Colin Farrell and Saoirse Ronan.[3] In March 2015 the company's website was briefly defaced by hackers claiming to support Islamic State, part of a string of attacks on unrelated organisations.[8] Later that year the company was among the Leinster winners at the Ulster Bank Business Achievers Awards.[9]
When barbers were allowed to reopen on 29 June 2020 after Ireland's first COVID-19 lockdown, several Grafton Barber shops in Dublin opened at one minute past midnight. Around 50 to 60 people queued outside some branches, and staff at the Grafton Street shop worked until nearly 4 a.m.[10][11][12]
The chain began opening barbershops inside Dunnes Stores outlets in 2021, starting at The Square in Tallaght. It had 48 shops at the time.[13]
Book
The brothers wrote The Grafton Barber Essential Guide to Grooming & Etiquette with the journalist Caitlin McBride. Black & White Publishing released the book in 2018, with a foreword by James Nesbitt.[14][15][16]
Community initiatives
An autism-friendly barbershop and sensory room opened at the chain's Walkinstown branch in south Dublin in April 2025. Amanda Masterson, who owns the branch, led the project.[17] Later that year the company worked with the Marie Keating Foundation on a testicular cancer awareness campaign fronted by the actor Simon Delaney.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 O'Hanlon, Alison (4 November 2025). "Actor Simon Delaney helps launch a cracking new Men's Health Campaign urging men "Don't be Nuts, Check the facts."". Dublin Gazette. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
- ↑ "The Grafton Barber". Buttercrane Shopping Centre. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 McQuillan, Deirdre (19 July 2015). "The groom boom: barbers are back in fashion". The Irish Times. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
- ↑ O'Leary, Kim (21 April 2023). "Dublin's oldest barber celebrates milestone 89th birthday and has 'no plans' to retire". Dublin Live. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
- ↑ "Our History". The Grafton Barber. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
- ↑ "Conor McAllister". Screen Ireland. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
- ↑ Sweeney, Ken (31 May 2010). "Hopper gave me my big break, says barber to stars". Irish Independent. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
- ↑ "The Grafton Barber is now an 'Islamic State' target, apparently". TheJournal.ie. March 2015. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
- ↑ "Eight Leinster companies celebrate Ulster Bank Business Achievers Awards". Irish Independent. 21 October 2015. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
- ↑ O'Connor, Rachael (29 June 2020). "Long queues form as barbers reopen with midnight launch". The Irish Post. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
- ↑ "Barbers and hairdressers say it's 'Christmas on steroids' - some even organised midnight openings". TheJournal.ie. 29 June 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
- ↑ "Coronavirus: Hairdressers reopen and gatherings of up to 50 people now allowed in Ireland". Sky News. 29 June 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
- ↑ "The Grafton Barber teams up with Dunnes to open new outlet". Professional Beauty Ireland. 12 October 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
- ↑ "The Grafton Barber". Black & White Publishing. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
- ↑ Byrne, Katie (1 December 2018). "Barber shop duet: Conor and Hugh McAllister's clients include Hollywood star and presidents - now they're putting pen to paper". Irish Independent. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
- ↑ "Grafton Barber – Grooming & Etiquette For Gentlemen & Their Sons". The Ray D'Arcy Show. RTÉ Radio 1. 21 November 2018. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
- ↑ Dunne, Alex (11 April 2025). "Grafton Barber opening autism-friendly barber shop and sensory room in south Dublin". Dublin Live. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
External links
This article "The Grafton Barber" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical. Articles taken from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be accessed on Wikipedia's Draft Namespace.