The Oldest Italian Fish & Chip Shop in Dublin City, Ireland 1972

A visit to Di Mascio’s on Marlborough Street, the oldest fish and chip shop in Dublin.

Di Mascio’s opened in the 1920s shortly after Gino Di Mascio’s father arrived in Ireland from the Frosinone province in Italy. At the time of this report in 1972, the shop was then run by Gino and Harry Di Mascio.

Gino married Maria Pelosi, whose family are related to the Pasiti family who were the first of the great Irish-Italian ice-cream makers. All of these families originally came from the same set of villages in Italy. Gino and Maria Di Mascio explain how their family got involved in selling fish and chips in Ireland. Maria comments that

There are no fish and chip shops anywhere in Italy.

This episode of ‘Lifestyle’ was broadcast on 6 January 1972 and looked at three Italian families living and working in Ireland.

The billing in the ‘RTÉ Guide’ (31 December 1971) describes the series ‘Lifestyle’ as one which,

...reflects and explores some of the current changes in our way of life.