George “Georgie” Bridges was a Wexford Town businessman, scout leader, and community figure. He owned a toy store in Selskar for 60 years and was a long-time member of the Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland.
Bridges was born in 1921 in the Selskar area of Wexford Town. Both his parents were business owners. His mother, Mary Elizabeth, ran the family shop, and his father, Joe, operated a hair salon that was billed in the 1930s as a “high-class salon.” He also ran one of Wexford’s first industrial delivery services. The family owned a fruit and ice-cream business described as the first in Wexford to sell a range of fruit.
Early career
Bridges joined the Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland at age 13. He later recalled enjoying a fortnight’s camping in Dunmore East for just £1 and stated that scouting became a huge part of his life.
At age 17, he began working as an apprentice at Liptons. After several jobs, he responded to a recruitment campaign and took a boat to England during the Second World War. He worked at the Rolls-Royce factory in Wolverhampton, which produced components for military aircraft, and volunteered with a fire service dealing with incendiary bombs. During his time in England, he observed preparations for the D-day landings.
Toymaster
Bridges took over the family business when his father died in 1945.
He initially travelled by bus to Dublin to replenish stock and later became the Irish agent for Hornby model railways and Meccano construction sets, two of the most popular toy brands of the time.
In 1950, he introduced fishing tackle to the shop, helping to establish a local fishing club. A keen angler himself, he served as chairman of the Wexford Sea Angling Club for 28 years, and his shop became a well-known meeting place for fishermen.
Bridges built the Toymaster store in Selskar into a Wexford institution. His annual weeks-to-Christmas advertising campaigns became a local hallmark, sometimes starting in the middle of summer. For many years he took on the role of Santa Claus, delivering toys to families across the countryside on Christmas Eve. His Christmas shop attracted thousands of children each year, and it was not unusual for him to be working until 6 a.m. on Christmas Day.
In the 1960s, Bridges was involved with the North End Development Association. He described the northern end of Wexford Town at that time as “a dead end.” The association sought to bring life to the area through housing rather than large commercial outlets. Bridges stated that they “weren’t thinking of big commercial outlets at the time. We were anxious that life would come into the town with the housing of people.”
Bridges was involved with the Young Christian Workers and served as spokesman for a Good Friday campaign, appealing to shops and businesses in Wexford to close between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Good Friday.
He took part in the Wexford Festival Opera fringe and was successful in window display competitions, winning first prize on many occasions. In a 2008 recording, he said that the event owed its success to enthusiastic community involvement.
Retirement
Bridges retired from the toy business in November 1993 after 60 years of service. The move ended almost 73 years of toy-selling by the Bridges family in Selskar.
Bridges held positions including scout leader, unit leader, and regional chairman covering the Diocese of Ferns. The scouts’ original base was at the old court house near the bridge. After the building was condemned, Bridges and others worked tirelessly to secure a new premises on Clifford Street.
In 1995, Bridges received the “Silver Medal of Merit of the Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland.” Chief Scout Joe Lawlor presented the award at a reception hosted by the mayor of Wexford. Bridges said scouting was one of the greatest youth movements in the world and deserved more financial support from the government, adding that he considered the honour a tribute to the unit and to all who helped it survive.
In 2012, friends and colleagues honoured Bridges with a long-service achievement award.
Death
Bridges died at Wexford General Hospital on 15 December 2014 at the age of 93, following injuries sustained in a car crash on a road near Murrintown the previous evening. He was survived by his wife, Patricia, his son, Joseph, his daughter, Annemarie, and his extended family. Local media described him as a “pillar of the community,” stating that Wexford was “a poorer place” after his death. A 28-year-old woman later pleaded guilty to careless driving causing his death.
Bridges’ former Toymaster premises went through various incarnations before being demolished in October 2015 to make way for a new retail unit. The building sat vacant for several years before it was occupied by Scurri, a delivery management and e-commerce technology company.