Update:
The Taoiseach has confirmed in the Dáil that shoe shops will be allowed to open to sell children's shoes.
The government is finalising changes to the regulations after requests from parents and specialists.
Bookings to measure and sell shoes will be appointment only.
Young children's feet are meant to be measured often and there had been calls for the shops to reopen due to concerns children are growing out of their shoes.
Earlier, WLR spoke to Seamus Campbell from Meaney's in Carrick-on-Suir, where he has been fitting shoes for over 20 years.
"Every grandmother from Ballyricken to Ballybofey would be able to tell you that a child's feet grow very fast and they must be fitted properly for the first few pairs of shoes at least," he said.
"We would claim that was not essential on the 1st of January would be essential on the 1st of April, and an ill-fitting shoe can cause chaffing, mean the feet grow in the wrong direction and hinder the growth."
He says they're doing the best given the circumstances, providing "educated guesses" to parents on the size of their child's feet, but need a change to the rules: "We're not the worst case in the world - we're not crying foul - we're just saying this might prevent a problem where problems are caused down the road with their feet."
Instead, the current situation is "driving things slightly underground", Campbell said.
"There's a black market developing in a lot of businesses at the moment, from hairdressing to retail. There are definitely independents and department stores flouting the regulations but we feel it's our duty to follow the guidelines."
