History is everywhere around us and local history is to be found amongst the gravestones and slabs of the town cemeteries. For instance I have often wondered how the name Gray’s Lane came to be applied to the laneway which leads to Spring Lodge. The answer invariably pointed to a previous owner of the farm which lies at the end of the land but it was somewhat satisfying to find amongst the gravestones of St. Michael’s more information on Mr. Gray.
James Alexander of Spring Lodge died on 2nd October, 1871 aged 47 years leaving his widow Euphemia who as the widow of the late Robert Gray of Corrie, Edinburgh had married Alexander. Euphemia, having survived two husbands, herself died at Spring Lodge on 23rd January, 1878 at the young age of 38 years. Her daughter Augusta married R. Gray and both lived at Spring Lodge where Mrs. Gray died in 1905 and her husband in 1915 aged 76 years. Over 80 years later the laneway to Spring Lodge is known by some as Gray’s Lane while to others it is still called “The Gullet”.
Not too far away from Alexander’s grave in St. Michael’s Cemetery is that of John Alexander Hannon of Ardreigh House who according to his tombstone “entered higher service” on 3rd April, 1923, joining his sons Ian and Leslie who had died in the Great War. His wife Martha died on 22nd March, 1934. It would seem that even in the early 1920’s St. John’s Cemetery where the Hannons of previous generations were buried could not accommodate any more burials.
The Scottish Presbyterian settlers who arrived in South Kildare after the Great Famine must have included a young Robert Anderson who died at Castlemitchell on 5th February, 1884 aged 47 years. I wonder what was the story of his son David who died a year later in Winnipeg, America aged 27 years and whose death is commemorated on the Anderson gravestone in St. Michael’s Cemetery.
I was puzzled by the tombstone for the Carey family which shows that John died on 8th July, 1925 aged 75 years having an address at St. Dominic’s Park, Athy. As the present St. Dominic’s Park did not exist then I am wondering where the St. Dominic’s Park listed on the tombstone was located. Luke Carroll of Purcellstown erected a monument to his mother who died in 1825 and his 19 year old daughter who died in 1819. I have never previously come across a reference to Purcellstown in this area.
A poignant reminder of the short lives allowed to those who went before us is found on the Roberts’ gravestone where in it is recorded the passing of Jane Cobbe “who died in the bloom of her womanhood on 6th January, 1875 at 28 years”. Erected by her husband John Roberts it also recorded the death of “our dear little girl Lizzie who died on 23rd August, 1873 aged 4 years and Stanley who died an infant on 26th August, 1873.” John Roberts was himself to die in October 1880 aged 39 years.
A man whose name I have come across several times is recorded in stone in St. Michael’s Cemetery. Joseph Coleman Reynolds, Dental Surgeon of 21 Leinster Street died on 13th October, 1951 at the comparatively young age of 50 years, just a few years after his son Joseph Michael had died aged 21 years. I am sure there are many who remember the young man whose brother Ken was one of the Social Club Players of the 1950’s.
Ever true to the Gaelic language for which she did so much to encourage was Bridget Darby who died on 26th March, 1958. In one of the very few headstones on which Gaelic script is chiselled there appears her name with that of her mother and three married sisters, Mary Foley, Mary Masterson and Margaret McDonald. Bridget and her mother lived at Leinster Street and while head mistress of Churchtown National School and a Town Councillor she did much to encourage the development of Irish in Athy.
Dr. James Deegan died on 5th July, 1915 aged 55 years and was followed four years later by his wife Margaret. I wonder does anybody remember where Dr. Deegan lived and what of his daughter Teresa Josephine who died on 3rd January, 1972.
An interesting memorial can be found to Elizabeth Delaney who died in 1855. The interest arises from her husband Joseph’s position in life which he notes on her gravestone with undoubted pride as “an officer of Inland Revenue”.
A mother’s sad memorial to her son notes the death of Reverend Laurence Doyle CC, Athy on 1st August, 1902 at 34 years of age. Mrs. Doyle who lived at Annamoe, Co. Wicklow erected the memorial following her son’s tragic death. Strangely it rests alongside the grave of his namesake and fellow curate Rev. Mark Doyle who died on 16th January, 1900 at the age of 31 years. He had spent four years as a curate in Athy and his memory was commemorated by the people of Athy and neighbourhood. What a tragic coincidence that two curates in their early 30’s should die within two years of each other while serving in Athy Parish. Just a few steps away is the grave of another local priest, also called Doyle who died in 1892 aged 64 years. Fr. James Doyle had been Parish Priest of Athy for 13 years having spent the previous 17 years as a curate in the town.
Well liked in Athy was Dr. Edward Ferris to whom a memorial was erected “by his numerous admirers” following his death on 25th March, 1877 aged 65 years. Ferris was described as an able physician whose death caused the poor to lose “a King and a generous friend.”
Tom Flood, former Captain in the Dublin Brigade of the IRA 1917 and Commandant in the National Army 1922 died 8th October 1950 aged 50 years. At the time of his untimely death he was a town Councillor and publican in Leinster Street. Not too far from the old IRA grave lies Captain Robert Glynn Dedrickson, late Kingsown 3rd Hussars 9th Cavalry 1914-1915 who died on 30th June, 1945. His wife Frances died in 1973. Was he a native of this area or does anyone know of his involvement in World War 1?
I finish off this journey through St. Michael’s Cemetery at the grave of Myles Hickey of Emily Square who died on 15th April, 1894 aged 64 years. His wife Ann died aged 78 years on 23rd April, 1909. I wonder were Myles and Ann the parents of Tim Hickey, the butcher whom I remember carrying on business in Emily Square up to the early 1960’s.
Thursday, January 28, 1999
Thursday, January 21, 1999
Jack MacKenna and the Graney Ambush
We witnessed possibly the last old IRA funeral in the locality when we buried Jack MacKenna last weekend in Colestown Cemetery, Castledermot. Many times over the years the rural peace of South Kildare has been shattered by gun salutes accorded as a mark of respect to deceased members of the Defence Forces or deceased members of the old IRA. Throughout the 1950’s and later the gun salutes came courtesy of the old Enfield rifles which had seen service since the days of the first World War. But as I watched last week I saw that the guns raised and pointed to the sky were Steyr automatic rifles. The art of war has advanced and the weapons of destruction it spawned in it’s wake are sometimes raised as in Colestown Cemetery to honour the fighting men of a past generation.
I had interviewed Jack MacKenna a few years ago, ever mindful of his son’s warning that his father never let truth get in the way of a good story. The warning may well have been appropriate as Jack reminisced on unimportant tales and events culled from a busy life. However it was a different matter when he came to tell the story of the men and women who sacrificed their freedoms and sometimes their lives during the struggle for Irish independence.
Jack told me the story of those men and women as if he had a mission to rescue from obscurity those forgotten heroes who had once walked the streets of Athy and the villages of South Kildare. Time can be a great healer but can also be an avaricious shredder of reputations erasing from folk memory the people and events of times past.
When Jack revealed to me the hidden past of nearly 80 years ago he did so out of a sense of duty. It was important to him that future generations could understand and appreciate what made the young men of his day put their lives and livelihoods at risk. His own involvement in the National struggle was acknowledged by himself as of a peripheral nature. As a young boy in Athy he was a member of Fianna Eireann but in later years his contribution was recognised by the award of an old IRA medal and pension. In that regard he was luckier than another Athy man, now long dead, who was unable to achieve similar recognition although he had served over 12 months in Ballykinlar Prison Camp. Strange the ways of the then old IRA Pension Board and sad to think that someone who had done so much should have been denied what was his right.
The Volley’s fired last weekend over the coffined remains of Jack MacKenna echoed across a countryside which had once resonated to the sound of ambush fire during the Irish Civil War. The date was 24th October, 1922 and the fratricidal war which gripped the Irish countryside was to have three more young martyrs before the evening shadows had lengthened over the Graney countryside. On that occasion Irregular troops ambushed Free State troops as they returned in a crossley tender to Baltinglass following a planned trip to Athy. There were eight soldiers in the tender. In charge was Comdt. Kenny with Lieutenant Edward Nolan and the rest of the party consisted of five soldiers and a driver. They had originally left Baltinglass at about 12 noon to travel to Athy but ran out of petrol between Castledermot and the South Kildare market town. They abandoned their original trip and having refueled decided to return to Baltinglass. They spent upwards of 2½ hours on the roadway between Athy and Castledermot and their presence was undoubtedly noted by some members of the Anti Treaty Movement. When the Free State troops began their journey back to Baltinglass upwards of 20 Irregular troops were already in position in and around Graney Cross waiting to ambush the unsuspecting soldiers. When the crossley tender reached Castledermot it stopped at the Post Office where the eight men spent about five minutes. Close to 4 o’clock in the afternoon the motor lorry approached Graney Cross and as it took the bend a volley of shots rang out from a nearby cottage. The lorry crashed into the nearby ditch turning over on it’s side while the attackers pressed home their deadly advantage. It was all over in a few minutes and when the attackers left the scene taking with them the arms and ammunition of the Free State troops they left behind three dead and five seriously injured soldiers of the fledging Irish state. Those killed in the ambush were James Murphy of Baltinglass, Edward Byrne of Hacketstown and Patrick Allison of Carlow.
There is little doubt that the Irregulars who carried out the ambush were from the locality and that the ambush was planned after the Free State troops were first seen immobilised on the Athy/Castledermot road sometime between 12noon and 1.00pm. The ambushers had upwards of 2½ hours to put their men in place. Seventy-seven years later it is reasonable to assume that everyone involved on the day is now dead but equally certain is my belief that the full story of the Graney ambush remains to be told even if it can only be done from second hand sources.
At the outset I expressed belief that Jack MacKenna’s would be the last of the old IRA funerals in these parts. As a representative of an almost forgotten generation Jack got a great send off from his family, friends and neighbours. He had spent his working life on the railway in Athy and his involvement in public life saw him as a member of Kildare County Council and as a Councillor on Athy Urban District Council. He was of a generation which never shared in the economic boom which marks our own time. Their lot was best exemplified by the economic war of the 1930’s and the hungry ‘40’s and the ‘50’s.
As the mourners left the rain soaked graveyard of Colestown last week I glanced up the same road where 77 years earlier three young men had passed on their way to an unexpected and violent death. Those young soldiers and the old IRA man we had just buried were now united in death having shared in their own way in the development of the Irish Republic.
We owe it to the Jack MacKenna’s, the Patrick Allison’s, the James Murphy’s and the Edward Byrne’s of our past to ensure that their part in our history is never overlooked.
I had interviewed Jack MacKenna a few years ago, ever mindful of his son’s warning that his father never let truth get in the way of a good story. The warning may well have been appropriate as Jack reminisced on unimportant tales and events culled from a busy life. However it was a different matter when he came to tell the story of the men and women who sacrificed their freedoms and sometimes their lives during the struggle for Irish independence.
Jack told me the story of those men and women as if he had a mission to rescue from obscurity those forgotten heroes who had once walked the streets of Athy and the villages of South Kildare. Time can be a great healer but can also be an avaricious shredder of reputations erasing from folk memory the people and events of times past.
When Jack revealed to me the hidden past of nearly 80 years ago he did so out of a sense of duty. It was important to him that future generations could understand and appreciate what made the young men of his day put their lives and livelihoods at risk. His own involvement in the National struggle was acknowledged by himself as of a peripheral nature. As a young boy in Athy he was a member of Fianna Eireann but in later years his contribution was recognised by the award of an old IRA medal and pension. In that regard he was luckier than another Athy man, now long dead, who was unable to achieve similar recognition although he had served over 12 months in Ballykinlar Prison Camp. Strange the ways of the then old IRA Pension Board and sad to think that someone who had done so much should have been denied what was his right.
The Volley’s fired last weekend over the coffined remains of Jack MacKenna echoed across a countryside which had once resonated to the sound of ambush fire during the Irish Civil War. The date was 24th October, 1922 and the fratricidal war which gripped the Irish countryside was to have three more young martyrs before the evening shadows had lengthened over the Graney countryside. On that occasion Irregular troops ambushed Free State troops as they returned in a crossley tender to Baltinglass following a planned trip to Athy. There were eight soldiers in the tender. In charge was Comdt. Kenny with Lieutenant Edward Nolan and the rest of the party consisted of five soldiers and a driver. They had originally left Baltinglass at about 12 noon to travel to Athy but ran out of petrol between Castledermot and the South Kildare market town. They abandoned their original trip and having refueled decided to return to Baltinglass. They spent upwards of 2½ hours on the roadway between Athy and Castledermot and their presence was undoubtedly noted by some members of the Anti Treaty Movement. When the Free State troops began their journey back to Baltinglass upwards of 20 Irregular troops were already in position in and around Graney Cross waiting to ambush the unsuspecting soldiers. When the crossley tender reached Castledermot it stopped at the Post Office where the eight men spent about five minutes. Close to 4 o’clock in the afternoon the motor lorry approached Graney Cross and as it took the bend a volley of shots rang out from a nearby cottage. The lorry crashed into the nearby ditch turning over on it’s side while the attackers pressed home their deadly advantage. It was all over in a few minutes and when the attackers left the scene taking with them the arms and ammunition of the Free State troops they left behind three dead and five seriously injured soldiers of the fledging Irish state. Those killed in the ambush were James Murphy of Baltinglass, Edward Byrne of Hacketstown and Patrick Allison of Carlow.
There is little doubt that the Irregulars who carried out the ambush were from the locality and that the ambush was planned after the Free State troops were first seen immobilised on the Athy/Castledermot road sometime between 12noon and 1.00pm. The ambushers had upwards of 2½ hours to put their men in place. Seventy-seven years later it is reasonable to assume that everyone involved on the day is now dead but equally certain is my belief that the full story of the Graney ambush remains to be told even if it can only be done from second hand sources.
At the outset I expressed belief that Jack MacKenna’s would be the last of the old IRA funerals in these parts. As a representative of an almost forgotten generation Jack got a great send off from his family, friends and neighbours. He had spent his working life on the railway in Athy and his involvement in public life saw him as a member of Kildare County Council and as a Councillor on Athy Urban District Council. He was of a generation which never shared in the economic boom which marks our own time. Their lot was best exemplified by the economic war of the 1930’s and the hungry ‘40’s and the ‘50’s.
As the mourners left the rain soaked graveyard of Colestown last week I glanced up the same road where 77 years earlier three young men had passed on their way to an unexpected and violent death. Those young soldiers and the old IRA man we had just buried were now united in death having shared in their own way in the development of the Irish Republic.
We owe it to the Jack MacKenna’s, the Patrick Allison’s, the James Murphy’s and the Edward Byrne’s of our past to ensure that their part in our history is never overlooked.
Thursday, January 14, 1999
Athy in Maps
The Ordnance Survey which was to give the most complete and accurate mapping of Irish towns and countryside commenced in 1825. A map of Co. Kildare on a scale of 6 inches to 1 mile was published in 1837. While not sufficiently large scaled to allow comparison with the earlier manuscript town maps of Athy, the county maps which were revised in 1870 and 1908 were nevertheless a welcome addition to Athy cartography.
In 1839 the Ordnance Survey produced its first town map of Athy. The manuscript map on a scale of 20 inches to 1 mile was not published, a matter of much regret now that Ordnance Survey officials are unable to locate the original map.
The first printed town map of Athy was published by the Ordnance Survey in 1872 on a scale of 125 inches to 1 mile. This enlarged scale was never again to be used, but the detailed information it offers makes it an invaluable source document for any person interested in the town’s past. Revised town maps were published in 1908 and 1974 on a scale of 25 inches to 1 mile. Another cartographical source is the valuation Offices on whose behalf maps were prepared in connection with their valuation work in Athy.
In the absence of the 1839 Manuscript Town Map of Athy we can turn to the name books compiled by those engaged in the Ordnance Survey work to obtain valuable contemporary information regarding the streets and lanes of the town. The entries made by the field workers give the approximate location of the smaller laneways in addition to which comments on the general standard of housing in each street or lane is given. The following extract from the name books gives a good insight into the social conditions of Athy in 1837 :-
Ophaly Street Clean street occupied by merchants and small dealers.
Mount Hawkins Poor cabins, occupied by journeymen, shoemakers, labourers and paupers.
Convent Lane Only one or two cabins in this lane.
Chapel Hill Only a few houses occupied by shoemakers and labourers.
Chapel Lane Occupied by shoemakers and labourers.
Duncan’s Lane Off Ophaly Street opposite Butler’s Lane. Few cabins occupied by shoemakers.
Butler’s Lane Row of very poor cabins occupied by labourers.
Reeve’s Lane Off south side of Leinster Street and near its east end, few poor cabins.
Mathew’s Lane Few poor cabins.
Devoy’s Lane Off south side of Leinster Street and near its each end, few poor cabins.
Boher a boy Few poor cabins on east end of town.
Green Alley Few poor cabins.
Tea Lane Few poor cabins occupied by labourers and paupers.
St. John’s Lane Mostly poor houses occupied by mechanics and labourers.
When the 1872 Ordnance Survey Map of Athy was prepared many new laneways were added. Some of these have since disappeared including -
Barker’s Row - formerly Duncan’s Lane
Janeville Lane - off Barker’s Row
Carr’s Court - off Mount Hawkins
Kelly’s Lane - off Mount Hawkins
Merins Lane - off Mount Hawkins
Keating’s Lane - off Chapel Hill
Higginsons Lane - off Woodstock Street
Nelson Street - southern end of lane running parallel with Woodstock Street
Woodstock Lane - northern end of the same lane
Cooper’s Lane - off Turnpike Road as that part of the Castlecomer Road leading from Augustus Bridge was called.
Even as late as the 1908 Ordnance Survey Revision, further lanes were included on the town map. The following is a list of these lanes built after 1872 which are no longer in existence.
Connolly’s Lane - off Meeting Lane, 30 yards from Emily Square
Garden Lane - off Meeting Lane, opposite present Dispensary
New Row - off Mount Hawkins, about half way between Chapel Lane and Merin’s Lane which it replaced
New Gardens - off Nelson Street between Shrewleen Lane and Higginson’s Lane
James’s Lane - in the vicinity of Cooper’s Lane
Porter’s Row - off Mount Hawkins, nearest lane to, and parallel with Kirwan’s Lane.
The maps of Athy dating back to 1756 have faithfully recorded over the centuries the effects a rising population has had on the Anglo Norman town. The extensive ribbon development on the west side of the River Barrow and the more centralised development of East Athy which were a feature of the 18th century, gradually gave way to the uncontrolled and claustrophobic infill development of the 19th century. If laneways and small cabins were the extent of Athy’s development in that era, the 20th century gave hope for a better environment with the systematic eradication of the slums of Athy. Today’s map of Athy carries few reminders of the miserable slums of Victorian times. Addresses ending in Drive and Park which the latest Ordnance Survey Sheets show, tell a story of better days for Athy and its people.
Athy in Maps (2)
The Ordnance Survey which was to give the most complete and accurate mapping of Irish towns and countryside commenced in 1825. A map of Co. Kildare on a scale of 6 inches to 1 mile was published in 1837. While not sufficiently large scaled to allow comparison with the earlier manuscript town maps of Athy, the county maps which were revised in 1870 and 1908 were nevertheless a welcome addition to Athy cartography.
In 1839 the Ordnance Survey produced its first town map of Athy. The manuscript map on a scale of 20 inches to 1 mile was not published, a matter of much regret now that Ordnance Survey officials are unable to locate the original map.
The first printed town map of Athy was published by the Ordnance Survey in 1872 on a scale of 125 inches to 1 mile. This enlarged scale was never again to be used, but the detailed information it offers makes it an invaluable source document for any person interested in the town’s past. Revised town maps were published in 1908 and 1974 on a scale of 25 inches to 1 mile. Another cartographical source is the valuation Offices on whose behalf maps were prepared in connection with their valuation work in Athy.
In the absence of the 1839 Manuscript Town Map of Athy we can turn to the name books compiled by those engaged in the Ordnance Survey work to obtain valuable contemporary information regarding the streets and lanes of the town. The entries made by the field workers give the approximate location of the smaller laneways in addition to which comments on the general standard of housing in each street or lane is given. The following extract from the name books gives a good insight into the social conditions of Athy in 1837 :-
Ophaly Street Clean street occupied by merchants and small dealers.
Mount Hawkins Poor cabins, occupied by journeymen, shoemakers, labourers and paupers.
Convent Lane Only one or two cabins in this lane.
Chapel Hill Only a few houses occupied by shoemakers and labourers.
Chapel Lane Occupied by shoemakers and labourers.
Duncan’s Lane Off Ophaly Street opposite Butler’s Lane. Few cabins occupied by shoemakers.
Butler’s Lane Row of very poor cabins occupied by labourers.
Reeve’s Lane Off south side of Leinster Street and near its east end, few poor cabins.
Mathew’s Lane Few poor cabins.
Devoy’s Lane Off south side of Leinster Street and near its each end, few poor cabins.
Boher a boy Few poor cabins on east end of town.
Green Alley Few poor cabins.
Tea Lane Few poor cabins occupied by labourers and paupers.
St. John’s Lane Mostly poor houses occupied by mechanics and labourers.
When the 1872 Ordnance Survey Map of Athy was prepared many new laneways were added. Some of these have since disappeared including -
Barker’s Row - formerly Duncan’s Lane
Janeville Lane - off Barker’s Row
Carr’s Court - off Mount Hawkins
Kelly’s Lane - off Mount Hawkins
Merins Lane - off Mount Hawkins
Keating’s Lane - off Chapel Hill
Higginsons Lane - off Woodstock Street
Nelson Street - southern end of lane running parallel with Woodstock Street
Woodstock Lane - northern end of the same lane
Cooper’s Lane - off Turnpike Road as that part of the Castlecomer Road leading from Augustus Bridge was called.
Even as late as the 1908 Ordnance Survey Revision, further lanes were included on the town map. The following is a list of these lanes built after 1872 which are no longer in existence.
Connolly’s Lane - off Meeting Lane, 30 yards from Emily Square
Garden Lane - off Meeting Lane, opposite present Dispensary
New Row - off Mount Hawkins, about half way between Chapel Lane and Merin’s Lane which it replaced
New Gardens - off Nelson Street between Shrewleen Lane and Higginson’s Lane
James’s Lane - in the vicinity of Cooper’s Lane
Porter’s Row - off Mount Hawkins, nearest lane to, and parallel with Kirwan’s Lane.
The maps of Athy dating back to 1756 have faithfully recorded over the centuries the effects a rising population has had on the Anglo Norman town. The extensive ribbon development on the west side of the River Barrow and the more centralised development of East Athy which were a feature of the 18th century, gradually gave way to the uncontrolled and claustrophobic infill development of the 19th century. If laneways and small cabins were the extent of Athy’s development in that era, the 20th century gave hope for a better environment with the systematic eradication of the slums of Athy. Today’s map of Athy carries few reminders of the miserable slums of Victorian times. Addresses ending in Drive and Park which the latest Ordnance Survey Sheets show, tell a story of better days for Athy and its people.
In 1839 the Ordnance Survey produced its first town map of Athy. The manuscript map on a scale of 20 inches to 1 mile was not published, a matter of much regret now that Ordnance Survey officials are unable to locate the original map.
The first printed town map of Athy was published by the Ordnance Survey in 1872 on a scale of 125 inches to 1 mile. This enlarged scale was never again to be used, but the detailed information it offers makes it an invaluable source document for any person interested in the town’s past. Revised town maps were published in 1908 and 1974 on a scale of 25 inches to 1 mile. Another cartographical source is the valuation Offices on whose behalf maps were prepared in connection with their valuation work in Athy.
In the absence of the 1839 Manuscript Town Map of Athy we can turn to the name books compiled by those engaged in the Ordnance Survey work to obtain valuable contemporary information regarding the streets and lanes of the town. The entries made by the field workers give the approximate location of the smaller laneways in addition to which comments on the general standard of housing in each street or lane is given. The following extract from the name books gives a good insight into the social conditions of Athy in 1837 :-
Ophaly Street Clean street occupied by merchants and small dealers.
Mount Hawkins Poor cabins, occupied by journeymen, shoemakers, labourers and paupers.
Convent Lane Only one or two cabins in this lane.
Chapel Hill Only a few houses occupied by shoemakers and labourers.
Chapel Lane Occupied by shoemakers and labourers.
Duncan’s Lane Off Ophaly Street opposite Butler’s Lane. Few cabins occupied by shoemakers.
Butler’s Lane Row of very poor cabins occupied by labourers.
Reeve’s Lane Off south side of Leinster Street and near its east end, few poor cabins.
Mathew’s Lane Few poor cabins.
Devoy’s Lane Off south side of Leinster Street and near its each end, few poor cabins.
Boher a boy Few poor cabins on east end of town.
Green Alley Few poor cabins.
Tea Lane Few poor cabins occupied by labourers and paupers.
St. John’s Lane Mostly poor houses occupied by mechanics and labourers.
When the 1872 Ordnance Survey Map of Athy was prepared many new laneways were added. Some of these have since disappeared including -
Barker’s Row - formerly Duncan’s Lane
Janeville Lane - off Barker’s Row
Carr’s Court - off Mount Hawkins
Kelly’s Lane - off Mount Hawkins
Merins Lane - off Mount Hawkins
Keating’s Lane - off Chapel Hill
Higginsons Lane - off Woodstock Street
Nelson Street - southern end of lane running parallel with Woodstock Street
Woodstock Lane - northern end of the same lane
Cooper’s Lane - off Turnpike Road as that part of the Castlecomer Road leading from Augustus Bridge was called.
Even as late as the 1908 Ordnance Survey Revision, further lanes were included on the town map. The following is a list of these lanes built after 1872 which are no longer in existence.
Connolly’s Lane - off Meeting Lane, 30 yards from Emily Square
Garden Lane - off Meeting Lane, opposite present Dispensary
New Row - off Mount Hawkins, about half way between Chapel Lane and Merin’s Lane which it replaced
New Gardens - off Nelson Street between Shrewleen Lane and Higginson’s Lane
James’s Lane - in the vicinity of Cooper’s Lane
Porter’s Row - off Mount Hawkins, nearest lane to, and parallel with Kirwan’s Lane.
The maps of Athy dating back to 1756 have faithfully recorded over the centuries the effects a rising population has had on the Anglo Norman town. The extensive ribbon development on the west side of the River Barrow and the more centralised development of East Athy which were a feature of the 18th century, gradually gave way to the uncontrolled and claustrophobic infill development of the 19th century. If laneways and small cabins were the extent of Athy’s development in that era, the 20th century gave hope for a better environment with the systematic eradication of the slums of Athy. Today’s map of Athy carries few reminders of the miserable slums of Victorian times. Addresses ending in Drive and Park which the latest Ordnance Survey Sheets show, tell a story of better days for Athy and its people.
Thursday, January 7, 1999
Athy in Maps (1)
Contrary to popular belief, which owes much to the mistaken claims of previous writers on Athy, our town was noted by PTOLEMY the Greek Astronomer. The reason for this is easily understandable when one appreciates the enormity of the task facing the second century astronomer in recognising a 12th Century settlement.
The earliest maps of Ireland tended to be crude in terms of accuracy and the data they supplied. Until the production by Gerard Mercator of his 1564 map of Ireland, Athy had not been previously represented on any map. In Mercator’s work, Athy is shown sited slightly east of the river Barrow, another local inclusion being BALIA DUM (Ballyadams). In subsequent maps of Ireland, Athy was to be included sometimes as Athigh or Athey, indicating more a lack of familiarity with Irish placenames than any change in the official name of the town.
It is in the 18th century estate maps prepared for the Duke of Leinster that one finds the first town map of Athy. John Rocque, a French artist, came to Ireland in 1754 and from his lodgings at the Golden Heart opposite Crane Lane, Dame Street, Dublin issued a prospectus for maps of Dublin. His talents found immediate recognition and he was commissioned to prepare maps of the Duke of Leinster’s extensive estates. Rocque surveyed Athy east of the river Barrow and produced his manuscript map in 1756. Prepared on a scale of 16 perches to one inch, it gives us the earliest known layout of part of Athy. The French cartographer followed it up with a survey and a map of Athy west of the River Barrow in 1768. Produced on a scale of 4 perches to one inch, the later manuscript map offered a more detailed view of that part of the town than was available with the 1756 map of East Athy. The National Library has Rocques’ Maps on microfilm while Trinity College, Dublin has the original manuscript maps of the 1756 Survey. The whereabouts of the original 1768 maps is not known.
The manuscript town maps prepared by Rocque indicate that the major road patterns of today were well established by the middle of the 18th Century. However some of the minor roads such as Church Road and the Stanhope Place/Mount Hawkins Road were not then laid down. Street names in 1756 and 1768 included St. John’s Street (Duke Street), Market Street (Emily Square), Prestons Gate (Offaly Street), High Street (Leinster Street) and Cotters Lane (Stanhope Street).
The east side of the town was better developed than the west side, where extensive ribbon development had taken place on the approach roads from Stradbally and Castlecomer. Across the river was found, with one single exception, all the public buildings usually associated with an urban settlement - the Town Hall which also served as Courthouse and Market House, the town gaol and the Church of Ireland and Catholic Churches. The only public building not located on the east side of Athy was the cavalry barracks erected in Barrack Street early in the 18th century.
It is likely that the river Barrow divided Athy into an Irish town and an English town which was a social division quite common in towns of the 18th century. John Rocque, is giving Beggars End as the name of the locality on the Castlecomer Road, gives us a clue as to the existence there of the low standard housing associated with the Irish of the time. This, coupled with the concentration of the public buildings on the east side of Athy, indicates a social division between the two parts of Athy which may have been formally or informally recognised in the descriptions - Irish town, English town.
The next map of Athy was prepared in 1827 for the Duke of Leinster by Clarges Greene of Dominick Street, Dublin. On a scale of 80 feet to one inch the manuscript map shows with great detail and clarity the entire town on a single sheet measuring 56” x 82.5”. Changes in local street names since Rocque’s Surveys of 1756 and 1768 noted in Greene’s manuscript map included :-
St. John’s Street to Duke Street
High Street and Bore Buoy to Leinster Street
Prestons Gate to Ophaly Street (present Offaly Street)
Cotters Lane to Kildare Street (present Stanhope Street).
Other changes reflected in the 1827 map included the removal of the Turnpike Gate and the Turnpike House at the junction of Green Alley and Duke Street with the subsequent realignment and widening of Duke Street from Green Alley to a point approximately opposite St. John’s Lane. Another road widening project, although not completed in 1827, was also noted by Greene. The realignment of the former Cotters Lane, now renamed Kildare Street, was to be completed before 1837, following which it was renamed Stanhope Street.
The major development in Athy since Rocques days was of course, the construction of the Grand Canal. Clearly intended in its approach to Athy to cause the least disruption to the town’s layout, the Canal skirted the town requiring the demolition of few houses, except where it traversed the Castlecomer Road. With the construction of the Canal and its numerous ancillary stores, the as yet unnamed Shrewleen and Nelson Street were laid down. Another laneway opened up since the Rocque period and noted on Greene’s map was the future Stanhope Place and Mount Hawkins. In 1827, the unnamed laneway connected Kildare Road with the lane (present Convent View) leading from Leinster Street to Moneen Commons. Names given in Greene’s manuscript map for previously unnamed thoroughfares included William Street, Meeting Lane and Chapel Lane (taking in the present lane of that name and Stanhope Place). The original 1827 manuscript map of Athy prepared with obvious care and skill by Clarges Green, was purchased in 1974 by the National Library.
The earliest maps of Ireland tended to be crude in terms of accuracy and the data they supplied. Until the production by Gerard Mercator of his 1564 map of Ireland, Athy had not been previously represented on any map. In Mercator’s work, Athy is shown sited slightly east of the river Barrow, another local inclusion being BALIA DUM (Ballyadams). In subsequent maps of Ireland, Athy was to be included sometimes as Athigh or Athey, indicating more a lack of familiarity with Irish placenames than any change in the official name of the town.
It is in the 18th century estate maps prepared for the Duke of Leinster that one finds the first town map of Athy. John Rocque, a French artist, came to Ireland in 1754 and from his lodgings at the Golden Heart opposite Crane Lane, Dame Street, Dublin issued a prospectus for maps of Dublin. His talents found immediate recognition and he was commissioned to prepare maps of the Duke of Leinster’s extensive estates. Rocque surveyed Athy east of the river Barrow and produced his manuscript map in 1756. Prepared on a scale of 16 perches to one inch, it gives us the earliest known layout of part of Athy. The French cartographer followed it up with a survey and a map of Athy west of the River Barrow in 1768. Produced on a scale of 4 perches to one inch, the later manuscript map offered a more detailed view of that part of the town than was available with the 1756 map of East Athy. The National Library has Rocques’ Maps on microfilm while Trinity College, Dublin has the original manuscript maps of the 1756 Survey. The whereabouts of the original 1768 maps is not known.
The manuscript town maps prepared by Rocque indicate that the major road patterns of today were well established by the middle of the 18th Century. However some of the minor roads such as Church Road and the Stanhope Place/Mount Hawkins Road were not then laid down. Street names in 1756 and 1768 included St. John’s Street (Duke Street), Market Street (Emily Square), Prestons Gate (Offaly Street), High Street (Leinster Street) and Cotters Lane (Stanhope Street).
The east side of the town was better developed than the west side, where extensive ribbon development had taken place on the approach roads from Stradbally and Castlecomer. Across the river was found, with one single exception, all the public buildings usually associated with an urban settlement - the Town Hall which also served as Courthouse and Market House, the town gaol and the Church of Ireland and Catholic Churches. The only public building not located on the east side of Athy was the cavalry barracks erected in Barrack Street early in the 18th century.
It is likely that the river Barrow divided Athy into an Irish town and an English town which was a social division quite common in towns of the 18th century. John Rocque, is giving Beggars End as the name of the locality on the Castlecomer Road, gives us a clue as to the existence there of the low standard housing associated with the Irish of the time. This, coupled with the concentration of the public buildings on the east side of Athy, indicates a social division between the two parts of Athy which may have been formally or informally recognised in the descriptions - Irish town, English town.
The next map of Athy was prepared in 1827 for the Duke of Leinster by Clarges Greene of Dominick Street, Dublin. On a scale of 80 feet to one inch the manuscript map shows with great detail and clarity the entire town on a single sheet measuring 56” x 82.5”. Changes in local street names since Rocque’s Surveys of 1756 and 1768 noted in Greene’s manuscript map included :-
St. John’s Street to Duke Street
High Street and Bore Buoy to Leinster Street
Prestons Gate to Ophaly Street (present Offaly Street)
Cotters Lane to Kildare Street (present Stanhope Street).
Other changes reflected in the 1827 map included the removal of the Turnpike Gate and the Turnpike House at the junction of Green Alley and Duke Street with the subsequent realignment and widening of Duke Street from Green Alley to a point approximately opposite St. John’s Lane. Another road widening project, although not completed in 1827, was also noted by Greene. The realignment of the former Cotters Lane, now renamed Kildare Street, was to be completed before 1837, following which it was renamed Stanhope Street.
The major development in Athy since Rocques days was of course, the construction of the Grand Canal. Clearly intended in its approach to Athy to cause the least disruption to the town’s layout, the Canal skirted the town requiring the demolition of few houses, except where it traversed the Castlecomer Road. With the construction of the Canal and its numerous ancillary stores, the as yet unnamed Shrewleen and Nelson Street were laid down. Another laneway opened up since the Rocque period and noted on Greene’s map was the future Stanhope Place and Mount Hawkins. In 1827, the unnamed laneway connected Kildare Road with the lane (present Convent View) leading from Leinster Street to Moneen Commons. Names given in Greene’s manuscript map for previously unnamed thoroughfares included William Street, Meeting Lane and Chapel Lane (taking in the present lane of that name and Stanhope Place). The original 1827 manuscript map of Athy prepared with obvious care and skill by Clarges Green, was purchased in 1974 by the National Library.
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