Cream of the crop: Athlone’s Des nears fifty years on the road serving the community

By Rebekah O'Reilly

Athlone’s most beloved ice cream man, Des Carroll will be celebrating 50 years serving the residents of Athlone in January next.

Des has brought his own special sense of magic and kindness to the children of Athlone since January 1976. His wife, Mary, who worked part time for many years in McFarland's, Glasson Golf Club and in a number of local offices, has been by his side through it all.

Now semi-retired, Des spoke to the Westmeath Independent to reflect on his life’s work, which has seen him serve generations of local families.

“I’ll never let go of my van, it’s my passion. I don't want to retire,” Des said. “I love getting out and talking to people, and seeing the kids so excited when they see the van.

“The parents that bought from me as children, their children now have kids of their own, so that’s three generations. It makes me so happy.”

More than a name

Des tried out a few different names throughout the years, from Mr Whippy to Vanilla Man, before settling on Carroll’s almost 20 years ago.

Regardless of the name, it was the man inside the van that continued to attract such a loyal customer base in the town.

“It all comes back to customer service,” Mary said. “You meet so many lovely people, and they remember you for your kindness.”

From communions to weddings to corporate events, Des and his wife Mary have done it all.

“The weddings started with our niece Amanda,” Mary said. “I didn’t want her to have the van at her wedding, but she insisted!”

Des added: “For some families, I’ve been at every birthday, communion and confirmation. The best advertisement is word of mouth.”

Despite competition, Des is always the top pick for local children.

“I was at a wedding in Malta a few years ago, and I didn’t go back to work until the following Monday. The kids couldn’t believe it when I came back. They said ‘Des, you're alive!’.

“They had gotten their mammy to follow a funeral out the Ballymahon Road to see if it was me! Imagine that... Kids are very witty like that. They do miss you when you’re not around.”

Business in his blood

Growing up in the small village of Mount Cashel in Roscommon, Des’s parents ran the local shop, often opening from 8am to 11pm each day.

It was here that he first learned what it meant to serve your community with such dedication. “We first moved into our home in the 70’s, and my mother didn’t used to visit very often, but when she did – she'd say I have to get back because such a person comes in for his cigarettes, or someone usually gets their bread at this time.

“It was a small town, and there were two shops, but both did good business. My parents were very dedicated to their customers, and I suppose it did play a role in my outlook.”

Career Twist

Having originally trained as a mechanic in Lanesboro, Des first dove into the wonderful world of ice cream when he moved to London in 1974.

“My parents didn’t want me to go. They thought I’d be working on building sites, but I never went near one!” he said.

He instead found himself working as a delivery driver for Tony Bros, an ice cream company, for over a year before joining a friend from Cavan, who had three ice creams vans on the road.

“At that time, it was all scooped ice cream, not the whipped stuff that we have now,” he said.

“I remember one night, I came back to the depot at 9.30pm, and we were supposed to come back at 8pm. They had given us a map with all of the stops we had to make.

“The boss was asking me where I had been, and he said ‘you’ve taken more money than the fellas in the big vans’, so I was in the good books then!”

Des had the opportunity to purchase one of the three ice cream vans which had belonged to the company and to work for himself.

It gave him the opportunity to return from London, which he did in November, 1975, aged 30, with his ice cream van, an old run-about car, and an American-style Chevy Impala.

“Mary drove the car, I drove the truck, and a friend of ours drove the ice cream van. We couldn’t stay in London any longer,” Des said, noting that Mary missed her family at home too much.

Mary added: “He’d always joke I had the phone box on a 99-year lease! We were there for 9 months, and I was on the phone every single day.”

Returning home: A new chapter in Athlone

It was on January 8, 1976, Des brought his new van out for its first rodeo, and it was a total washout.

“That must’ve been the wettest day on record. I drove into Sarsfield, and all the children were running into their mammies to tell them there was an ice cream man outside.

“They must’ve been saying ‘that’s only on the television’, but when they looked out the window, there I was!”

Over the years, Des built up an undeniable rapport with both the parents and the children alike, and became known for his generosity and kindness.

“If a child came up to me with a pile of coins, they thought they were rich, and I’d always give them an ice cream. If they didn’t have money, I used to give them these little Postman Pat sweets.

“I always remember the children’s names. Nothing makes a child feel more special than when you address them by their name,” he said.

"And if they came up to me with a pound, I knew they must’ve taken it from mammy’s purse, and I’d say ‘I can’t give you an ice-cream for that’ and I’d send them back home.

“Back then, an ice cream cost a sixpence, and a gallon was only something like 40 something pence!”

Des and Mary shared that the ice cream van also held a deeper personal meaning for them.

“Meeting the children is therapy, because it wasn't to be for us. We never had children,” Des said. “Our nieces and nephews are like our kids, in a way. They still give Mary a Mother's Day card every year, they're that close to us.

“They were always around, and they often came along in the van when I was doing events or shows - like the Showgrounds at the Ballinasloe Fair or company days for Ericsson and The Sheraton.

“The van gave me a chance to bring joy to a lot of children, and that made me really happy too.”