99 not out for popular
Arva newsagent

Ice creams are, without doubt, a quintessential part of our summer.

For the dedicated owners of Lynch’s Newsagents in the Co Cavan town of Arva, the popular frozen dessert has become far more than just a seasonal passing fad.

In truth, the ice-cold delicacy has garnered the type of reputation which recently saw it being crowned the top 99 in the country.

“It’s all about maintaining the taste,” said a jubilant Noel Lynch, when reacting to the shop’s promotion via The Irish Times’ 99 Ice cream finder app.

Noel, who runs the long established shop with his father John, said the popularity of their ice-cream was a craft the family remained especially proud of.

National publicity, added Noel, evidenced by its recent profile in The Irish Times allied to the town’s hugely successful 3 Province Festival had done little to dent that belief.

“Ice creams have been selling here for 35 years or so. It’s definitely something which our customers seem to keep coming back to,” he said.

“There has been a definite lift in trade too which has been great to see.”

Aside from the tried and trusted 99’, Lynch’s of Arva also carry a string of other appetising flavours ranging from strawberry to chocolate and even mint varieties.

When it comes to dishing out compliments however, Noel is quick to praise the input of his father’s own meticulous attention to detail.

“John would be the connoisseur,” Noel assuredly put it.

“He does a lot of the tasting and maintenance side of things with the support of his grandchildren Ben and Amy.”

But like most other time-honoured delicacies of its type, Noel was giving nothing away as to the reasons behind their new found ice-cream fame.

“That’s it you see,” interjected a witty sounding Noel. “When you have a secret like ours, the last thing you do is give it away.”