"Johnny Eagle owned and worked in the first ever tattoo studio in Dublin, and indeed the whole of Ireland. Johnny began tattooing not long after returning to Ireland after the Second World War. He opened his first studio on Frenchman’s Lane, before moving to an upstairs space just across from the O’Connell monument. The infamous Capel Street Studio opened its doors in the 70s, and Johnny’s last studio, The Mint, enjoyed a 15 year stint on Henry Place before closing its doors in the early 2000s."
This is just a small personal bucket list item that I wanted to get marked off. My dad got two bird tattoos (one swallow and one sparrow on each hand) and, while he told me they were done by Johnny Eagle, I never knew which parlour he actually got them done in. But now, since both people in question have passed away, the 100% honest source still remains a mystery!
With some tips from friends I manged to scope out Johnny's shop on the top of Capel Street. Funnily enough, Capel Street is one of the streets in Dublin I frequent the most, but I never ventured as far as the northern part of it. It was finally nice to see where dad more than likely got his tattoos done, as well as seeing one of Ireland's first tattoo parlours still (partially) standing!
Johnny also had a shop called The Mint just off Henry Street (turn the corner at Lush) which is derelict, but still displays the original shopfront.
