Duthie's Jewellers Athy

After 105 years the name W.T. Duthie may soon disappear from the local streetscape as the sale of the jeweller shop has been completed and new owners take possession. The Duthie family, like so many others, in decades past, lived over the shop in Athy’s Main Street. Were they I wonder the last family to do so? I called to 30 Leinster Street a few days ago after Heather Duthie phoned me to say that with her brother Alistair, she was clearing the premises of Duthie family items and shop records and equipment. I was interested in preserving as much as possible the artefacts identifiable with the Duthie family business which was first established by Willoughby O’Connor sometime in the 19th Century. Albert Duthie’s father William Thomas Duthie worked for O’Connor in the Leinster Street business and succeeded him when he died in 1903. The name W.T. Duthie was retained as the business name even after W.T. died in 1949 to be succeeded by his son Albert who had joined his father a few years previously after a five year apprenticeship in Dublin. I have previously written of Albert Duthie who passed away at a young age in 1979, describing him as a passionate promoter of Athy Town. I first got to know him well when I was living in Dublin in the 1970’s. I called on Albert on a few occasions while visiting Athy seeking help with various Athy related questions. He was always very helpful and extremely knowledgeable in relation to local matters. I know he promoted the town as much as he possibly could and to this end he had the Athy crest embossed on cups and other items sold in his shop. Older generations will remember with fondness the Santa Claus which appeared in the Duthie Shop window in the weeks before Christmas. The nodding Santa Claus was the acknowledged forerunner of the festive season and was cherished by the youngsters in the town. Following Albert’s death, his wife Anna, a native of Ballybay in County Monaghan continued in the business until finally the shop closed for the last time on the 31st July 2013. Heather Duthie and her brother Alistair have kindly donated many items from the iconic jewellers shop to the local Heritage Centre. Included amongst those items were account books kept by Albert in which he recorded watch and jewellery items left in for repair. Looking through some of those earlier books, I came across names once very familiar in Athy. Names such as Miss Dallon and Mr. Hickey of Emily Square, Miss Breen of Offaly Street and Miss Stynes of Leinster Street prompted reminders of persons we knew over half a century ago. Another interesting item donated was a watch rack hanging with watches which had been left in for repairs over the years but never collected. An unusual item I received on behalf of the Heritage Centre was a trout caught by Albert in the River Barrow which he had preserved and mounted for display in the shop. That fish was recognised by the Irish Specimen Fish Committee as a specimen river trout having weighed 5lbs ½ oz and was recorded in the Associations returns for 1963 as having been caught by A. A. Duthie on the 27th May 1963. An interesting note which Albert prepared as a member of Athy’s Angling Club during 1964 gave the following details of fish caught by club members. Tommy Gray of Kilmoroney caught a Pike weighing 10lbs while Patrick Brennan of Belview captured a Bream weighing 3lbs, 7oz. A trout of 3lbs, 1oz was caught by Patrick Conway of Ballyroe and George Chatfield of St. Joseph’s Terrace caught the largest perch weighed 1lb, 7oz. The final entry referred to the 1lb rudd which was caught by Nicholas Cahill of Pairc Bhride. Albert Duthie was a dedicated member of the Angling Club and acted as Secretary of the Club for many years. In one of the watch repair books, I found a postcard advertising “St. John’s Reliance Lever Watch” printed on behalf of C.H. St. John of 3 Duke Street who was described as a Watchmaker, Jeweller and Optician. The 1913 Irish Directory lists the local watchmakers and jewellers as W.T. Duthie, W.P. St. John and E. Higginson, the last two located in Duke Street. As Charles Henry St. John of Duke Street died in 1947 aged 73 years, I wonder if the Directory reference to Higginson is correct. The items generously donated by the Duthie family to the Heritage Centre will be retained for future use/display while the business records will be forwarded to the Kildare County Archives. The photograph shows W.T. Duthie, Albert’s father who put his name over the shop door after he took over from W. O’Connor in 1905.