In the early twenty-noughties, internet-cafes offered pay-by-the-minute public-access computers, internet phone-calls, printing, scanning, binding, laminating and sometimes postcards and even coffee. They were an absolutely lifeline for tourists who needed internet access. At one stage, stage the city had about 10-15 of them.
Slowly they closed as more people got smartphones and just didn't need a computer any more - and staff with the skills needed to work in a job business like this got harder to find.
Chat&Net, located at the bottom of Eyre Street, opposite the Hole in the Wall, hung on bravely. They slowly reducing opening hours from something like 18x7, to Tuesday - Friday 11am to 5pm.
But eventually sometime in September / October 2025, the opening hours was replaced with one that simply said "Sorry, we are closed", the website updated to say
"The business is closed! We would like to thank our loyal customers for their support over the years."
and in November 2025, the shop started to be cleared out.
Address: 3 Eyre Street
Phone: 087 366 7772
Email: chat.and.net@hotmail.com
|
|
Nov 2025 |
|
| June 2025 |
|
| January 2020 |
|
| December 2018 |
