Concrete Bridge across River Barrow

Foundations for what was the then longest reinforced concrete bridge in Ireland were laid in June 1917. It was part of the work on the Athy Wolfhill railway line which had been authorised by the British government under the 1871 Defence of the Realm Act to relieve wartime scarcity of fuel. Work had started on extending the railway line to the Wolfhill coalmines from months previously. Men from Dublin and Belfast were brought to Athy to join the local workers with the promise of 30 shillings per week and free bed for a 60 hour week. The Dubliners soon went on strike, seeking a wage increase of 8 shillings per week and a reduction in the working hours. The Athy men did not join the strike which was eventually settled when the workmen agreed to terms of 5 shillings and 6 pence per day, with some reduction in the work hours. By September 1917 with so many local men, encouraged by the generous separation allowances, having enlisted in the British Army, the local Urban District Council petitioned the chief engineer on the railway project to release 200 men for a short period to help farmers during the harvest. The bridge across the River Barrow was nearing completion in January 1918 but as the entire railway line extension project neared completion on 14th February 1918 the workers went on strike again. Up to 200 men marched through Athy in what was an unsuccessful attempt to get the Athy workers to join the strike. Following the intervention of Denis Kilbride M.P. and his colleague P.J. Meehan of Portlaoise the strike was called off in order to allow the Board of Trade to decide on the workers’ demands. The work continued in time for the Athy Wolfhill line to be opened on 24th September 1918. Operated by the Great Southern and Western Railway Company, the Wolfhill line was in constant use for only a few months as the 10 mile long railway line gave access to the coal pits at Gracefield and Modubeagh. With the end of the Great War the anthracite from the Wolfhill pits and from the Deerpark colliery in Castlecomer, which latter coalmine was served by a newly built railway line from Kilkenny became less commercial to mine. The Castlecomer railway line which opened approximately one year after the Wolfhill line, was the last substantial standard gauge branch line to be built in Ireland. Both railway lines were in charge of the English Board of Works until 1921 when British Government control of the Irish railways ended. In 1924 the Irish Free State government required the different Irish railway companies to amalgamate and the Great Southern and Western railway company which operated the Dublin Waterford line and its various branches became the largest partner in the newly formed Great Southern railway. The railway line to Wolfhill was taken out of use on 12th July 1930, while rail services to Ballylinan continued until 1st April 1963. With the opening of the cement factory in Mullery’s field in 1936 a small branch line was opened to serve the factory which was supplied with material from its sister factory in Drogheda. This branch line closed a few years ago on a date which I would like any of my readers to confirm. Last week the new bridge over the River Barrow as part of the outer relief road began to take shape. Two massive steel girders were moved into place on the south side of the old railway bridge 104 years after the workmen of 1919 had completed their work. It created an enormous amount of interest, with photographs and videos appearing on Facebook and elsewhere recording what is a local historic event. It made me think back to the Planning Appeal hearing in March 2005 to consider objections to Kildare County Council’s plan to erect a bridge across the River Barrow at the rear of the Courthouse as part of the inner relief road project. I engaged with the Planning Inspector and the County Council’s expert witnesses for more than a week during the hearing as I presented a case for the outer relief road, rather than the inner relief road planned by the Council. The County Council inner relief road proposal was to many people in Athy, but not to all, a hopeless attempt to solve the increasingly difficult traffic problems in the town. The outer relief road was the preferred option of the majority of people in Athy, but the County Council would not listen to the local people and with the assistance of a slim majority on the Urban District Council insisted on pressing ahead with a road which would have left all traffic including huge HGV’s travelling through the centre of our town. An Bord Pleanala accepted the strength of the arguments regarding the preference for the outer relief road and for the first time in planning history rejected a local authority’s road plan. It has taken almost 50 years to get the relief road in place and with it comes an opportunity for local businesses to make Athy’s town centre an attractive place to visit and to shop. Writing of bridges reminds me that it is almost 30 years since the issue of a pedestrian bridge from Woodstock across the Barrow to its east side was first raised. Since then the Athy schools on the east side have increased to include all the schools, primary and secondary, in the town. There is an urgent pressing need for a pedestrian bridge to be put in place. Can we look forward to having this essential structure put in place before too long.

Anna Edith Duthie

Anna Breakey was 24 years old when she came to live and work in Athy 74 years ago. She was a native of Ballybay, Co. Monaghan, the third of four children born to farmer James Breakey and his wife Edith. Anna would spend all but the last three years of her life in the south Kildare town. She arrived in Athy three years after the ending of World War II to work in Shaws Department store in Duke Street and lived over the store with the other female assistants until she married in 1953. She had met local man, Albert Duthie, whose late father, William Thomas Duthie, had taken over the watchmaking and jewellery business of William O’Connor in 1905. That business, located at 30 Leinster Street, would continue to operate under the name W.T. Duthie & Son until Anna Duthie, formerly Anna Breakey, retired in 2013. One of my many treasured memories of Athy in the 1950s was the nodding Santa Claus figure high up in Albert Duthie’s shop window in the weeks prior to Christmas. As youngsters my friends and I approached the window in the darkening gloom of winter evenings to bask in the simple belief that anything we asked for would somehow magically appear on Christmas morning. As we grew older and innocent beliefs disappeared, the nodding Santa Claus still attracted our attention, but now as a reminder of the forthcoming Christmas festivities and the school holidays which we looked forward to with eager anticipation. I left Athy in January 1961, spending years in several different towns including Monaghan town, not too far away from Ballybay. I found Monaghan folk to be friendly and helpful and on my return to Athy 21 years later I found Mrs. Anna Duthie displaying the same qualities. During the 1960s and the 1970s I returned to Athy on a regular basis and got to know Anna’s husband Albert. I shared with him an appreciation of all that is good in Athy and Albert shared with me his efforts to highlight the story of his native town. He did this by frequently photographing events and buildings in Athy and also by commissioning the town’s coat of arms which he used on various items sold in his shop. Albert sadly passed away in 1979 at 54 years of age and Anna who had celebrated with him their silver wedding jubilee a year previously would spend the next 45 years without her loving partner. Anna Duthie, like her late husband Albert, always exhibited a great interest in and appreciation of all things Athy. She was a wonderful help to me in relation to unravelling the history of the Presbyterian Church in Athy and always displayed a willingness to share with me information on different aspects of Athy’s story in which generations of the Duthie family once played a prominent part. Anna was particularly helpful in the making of arrangements which saw the first performance of John MacKenna’s Oratorio ‘Still and Distant Voices’ in the Presbyterian Church in the early 1990s. This work which remembered and commemorated the young Athy men who died in World War I was perhaps one of the first times that this long-forgotten aspect of Athy’s history was brought to the public’s attention. Following her husband’s untimely passing Anna Duthie continued the business at 30 Leinster Street. Duthie’s, as it was known by the local people, was an important part of the commercial streetscape of Athy, presided over by the ever friendly and kind lady behind the counter. Anna Duthie continued in business until she retired in 2013 at 89 years of age. I believe that the Duthie family name first appeared in Athy when William Thomas Duthie’s parents arrived here from Perthshire, Scotland with other Scottish families in the early 1850s. It was William Thomas Duthie’s brother James who partnered with Harry Large of Rheban to establish the firm of Duthie Larges. That firm, once a substantial employer in Athy, is no more and the final Duthie link with Athy has now been severed with the sad passing of Anna Edith Duthie. Last Tuesday family and friends gathered in the Presbyterian Church on the Dublin Road for Anna’s funeral service conducted by Rev. Stephen Rea. Anna’s son Alistair and daughter Heather spoke fondly of their mother and father reminding us of a happy family life and Anna’s passion for nature, especially flowers. Anna Duthie and her husband Albert will be remembered with fondness, especially by the older generations in Athy until as John Ellerton wrote ‘The day you gave us, Lord, is ended’.

Rev. Nicholas Ashe and Athy in time of Rebellion 1798

In August 1782, the Irish antiquarian Austin Cooper, following a visit to Athy, wrote “Athy is a small town situated on the River Barrow over which there is a bridge of arches with a small square castle adjoining on the east side. Here is a market house, church and county Courthouse, nothing remarkable in elegance of building. On the north west side of the town is a plain horse barracks and near it another castle”. Two hundred and forty years later all that remains of the buildings mentioned by Cooper is a much altered town hall (then the courthouse) Whites Castle and Woodstock Castle. Also gone are the many small private schools which were a common feature of Irish towns in the 18th and early 19th centuries. One such school was that of Nicholas Ashe where we find a mention in 1791 of one of his pupils, Thomas Lefroy, who would become the Lord Chief Justice of Ireland. Nicholas Ashe was a Church of England Minister who served as Sovereign of Athy following his election to that position in 1797. I am uncertain as to whether Ashe was a member of Athy Borough Council in 1792 when a measure of relief for Irish Catholics from some elements of the penal laws was proposed in the Irish Parliament. Those measures which eventually culminated in the Catholic Relief Act of 1793 were supported by the Duke of Leinster which prompted the Protestant members of Athy Borough Council to instruct their two parliamentary representatives to oppose the relief Bill. Rev. Nicholas Ashe appears from all accounts to have been a man of peace who found himself the subject of harsh treatment by the local yeomanry. Local yeomanry corps were formed after 1796 with membership confined almost exclusively to Protestants. Athy had two yeomanry units, the infantry and the cavalry. The Athy cavalry was formed in 1796 and was officered by Thomas Fitzgerald, a Catholic from Geraldine House, Athy although the corps was largely comprised of local Protestant gentry. The cavalry unit was disbanded in 1798 following the arrest of Thomas Fitzgerald and a humiliating standing down ceremony in Emily Square. This was done during Nicholas Ashe’s time as the town Sovereign. Some months earlier in January 1798 Ashe had written to the Duke of Leinster expressing his concerns at a possible rebel outbreak following claims of an ammunition plot. He expressed the hope that Athy would not be proclaimed and reported how he had liberated boat men arrested and detained by the local army commander. He wrote “Athy proved it’s loyalty last year by entertaining 1100 men over night and giving them money and provisions to assist them on their march to Bantry”. In that same letter Ashe recounted some of the acts of terrorism by members of the 9th Dragoons who were stationed in the local calvary barracks and also by the Cork Loyal Militia who had recently arrived in the town. A few weeks later Ashe forwarded a further letter to the Duke of Leinster expressing shame that while standing alone “against a most virulent party I suffer more than I can express”. In his attempts as town Sovereign not to have Athy proclaimed he had directed that all shops were to shut at 9.00pm. However a Mr. Willock who he claimed “pretended great loyalty to the King and aversion to papists kept his shop open in defiance”. He expressed annoyance at Willock’s action and that of his co religionist Carey – “two Protestants I never saw in church”. Ashe having discovered that Willock sold without licence had him committed to the local jail whereupon Willock hung out his hat with a paper on it which read “Willock was put in jail for his loyalty”. Ashe was extremely upset at what he described as the atrocities committed by the soldiers and having complained about their behaviour found himself “a victim to their malice”. The Duke of Leinster passed on Ashe’s complaint to Sir Ralph Abercromby, Commandeering Chief of the army, who promised to send another regiment into County Kildare. In the meantime Nicholas Ashe complained that his school was destroyed but despite this he continued to seek a peaceful resolution to the ongoing conflict between the authorities and the Irish rebels. Because he was successful in securing the surrender of a large number of pikes in the Athy area the local army commander felt that Ashe must have had links with the rebels and so quartered sixty soldiers with him. As a result the Reverend gentleman was so impoverished that the Duke of Leinster claimed “Ashe was obliged to do his duty as the magistrate in the streets in his slippers”. The brutal and systematic suppression of the people of Athy during 1798 was not confined to one religious group. Reverend Nicholas Ashe, Anglican churchman, first citizen of Athy in 1798 and a man of peace was victimised by local loyalists because of his attempts to advance what he described in his letters as “truth and humanity”. FRANK TAAFFE

Quakers and the Quaker Meeting House in Athy

This year we celebrate the centenary of the establishment of the civic guards later named the Garda Siochana. The new Irish police force was founded following the disbandment of the Royal Irish Constabulary and in its early years by and large followed the RIC organisational structure. Like the RIC the early civic guards were armed. On the 17th of August 1922 the last RIC men left Dublin Castle to be replaced by civic guards. The first recruits to the civic guards were paid three pounds and three shillings per week and even as they entered the service they were regarded with suspicion by the anti treaty side. Indeed Austin Stack, the former minister for home affairs stated that the setting up of the force was not calculated to promote order but rather suspicion, discontent and disorder. Recruits to the civic guards had to have specific height and chest measurements and most significantly had to have a reference from a clergy man. This latter requirement must have continued for some years as my father, a farmers son from north County Longford when he joined the gardai in 1925 did so on foot of a reference given by his Parish priest, Fr. . By 1924 they were 6,300 members of the force which by virtue of the Garda Siochana (temporary provisions) Act 1923 were now officially called “Garda Siochana”. When the first contingent of the newly appointed civic guards arrived in Athy was until recent times uncertain. The late Sergeant John Shaw who joined the civic guards on the 17th of August 1922 wrote to me from Portarlington in September 1980. In that letter he wrote that on the 15th of August 1922 civic guards were sent to Portarlington, Monasterevin, Rathanagan and as far as he knew Athy in order to protect the railway lines and the canal routes to Dublin. He also referenced an incident in Athy on the 26th of August of that year when armed civil guards disarmed C.I.D. men in the town. Another piece of information he passed on to me in that letter was that Sergeant Duggan, who was then the local Sergeant charged three men in a special Court on the 23rd of September. The nature of the offence was not stated but it may have arisen as a result of an armed attack on the premises which was then occupied by the civic guards. I also have a copy letter written by the same Sergeant William Duggan in 1950 which confirms that the civic guards took up duty in Athy on the 15th of August 1922 but he also explains that prior to that a party of 16 armed civic guards were stationed at a protection post in Bert. This I assume resulted from ongoing land disputes in the area resulting from evictions on the versicle estate. Sergeant Duggan’s letter names the 16 men as Michael O’Connor, Peter Curley, Thomas Concannon, Joseph Walton, John Kelly, Joseph McNamara, John Ryan, Michael Summers, Patrick Fitzgerald, John O’Neill, James Dwyer, John Hanley, Peter Tracey, Thomas Kirwan, Michael Hassett and Sergeant William Duggan. The police records once retained at divisional level at An Garda Siochana showed that the first Sergeant in Athy was Coriolanus Lillis who was replaced by Sergeant Ed. O’Loughlin on the 1st of May 1924 who in turn was replaced by Sergeant William Duggan (the letter writer) on the 1st of August 1924. When the civic guards first arrived in Athy they were accommodated in the Town Hall before transferring to the old RIC barracks off in Barrack Lane after it was vacated by the free state army. When the barracks was attacked and damaged during the civil war the police men moved to a hotel in Leinster Street. Sergeant Duggan claimed that it was the Leinster Arms Hotel. However I have a note of being informed many years ago that the hotel in question was the Hibernian Hotel which is now Bradbury’s premises. This year the centenary of the founding of An Garda Siochana is being marked by various events throughout the country. Athy’s Art Centre will be the venue for a lecture on the history of An Garda Siochana with particular reference to Athy as part of a history lecture series which starts on Tuesday, 20th September. Details of that lecture will be published later. The first lecture on the 20th of September will be given by Nessa O’Mara Cardiff on the Barrowhouse ambush in which James Connor and William Lacey lost their lives. This lecture and all the future lectures are free and will be held in the Arts Centre at Woodstock Street.

Early years of Garda Siochana in Athy

This year we celebrate the centenary of the establishment of the Civic Guards later named the Garda Siochana. The new Irish police force was founded following the disbandment of the Royal Irish Constabulary and in it’s early years by and large followed the RIC organisational structure. Like the R.I.C. the early Civic Guards were armed. On the 17th of August 1922 the last R.I.C. men left Dublin Castle to be replaced by the newly appointed Irish police men. The first recruits to the Civic Guards were paid three pounds and three shillings per week and even as they entered the service they were regarded with suspicion by the anti treaty side. Indeed Austin Stack, the former Minister for Home Affairs stated that the setting up of the force was not calculated to promote order but rather suspicion, discontent and disorder. Recruits to the Civic Guards had to have specific height and chest measurements and most significantly had to have a reference from a clergy man. This latter requirement must have continued for some years as my father, a farmers son from north County Longford when he joined the gardai in 1925 did so on foot of a reference given by his Parish priest, Fr. E. Mahon. By 1924 they were 6,300 members of the force which by virtue of the Garda Siochana (Temporary Provisions) Act 1923 were now officially called “Garda Siochana”. When the first contingent of the newly appointed Civic Guards arrived in Athy is still uncertain. The late Sergeant John Shaw who joined the force on the 17th of August 1922 wrote to me from Portarlington in September 1980. In that letter he wrote that on the 15th of August 1922 Civic Guards were sent to Portarlington, Monasterevin, Rathanagan and as far as he knew Athy in order to protect the railway lines and the canal routes to Dublin. He also referenced an incident in Athy on the 26th of August of that year when armed Civic Guards disarmed C.I.D. men in the town. Another piece of information he passed on to me in that letter was that Sergeant Duggan, whom he claimed was then the Athy Sergeant charged three men in a special Court on the 23rd of September. The nature of the offence was not stated but it may have arisen as a result of an armed attack on the premises which was then occupied by the Civic Guards. I also have a copy letter written by the same Sergeant William Duggan in 1950 which confirms that the Civic Guards took up duty in Athy on the 15th of August 1922 but he also explains that prior to that a party of 16 armed Civic Guards were stationed at a protection post in Bert. This I assume was because of ongoing land disputes in the area resulting from evictions on the Verschoyle estate. Sergeant Duggan’s letter names the 16 men as Michael O’Connor, Peter Curley, Thomas Concannon, Joseph Walton, John Kelly, Joseph McNamara, John Ryan, Michael Somers, Patrick Fitzgerald, John O’Neill, James Dwyer, John Hanley, Peter Tracey, Thomas Kirwan, Michael Hassett and himself. The police records once retained at divisional level in the An Garda Siochana showed that the first Sergeant in Athy was Cornelius Lillis who was replaced by Sergeant Ed. O’Loughlin on the 1st of May 1924 and who in turn was replaced by Sergeant William Duggan (the letter writer) on the 1st of August 1924. Sergeant Lillis was accompanied by Civic Guards John Hanley, John Kelly, Patrick Fitzgerald and Joseph McNamara. The records retained by the Garda Siochana, particularly relating to its early years are not as complete as one might expect. The records from which I gleaned the information relating to Sergeant Lillis and his successors were compiled in 1930. When the civic guards first arrived in Athy I understand they were accommodated in the Town Hall before transferring to the old RIC barracks off in Barrack Lane after it was vacated by the Free State army. It has been claimed that the policemen left the old R.I.C. barracks after it had been attacked by anti-treaty forces. I have been unable to verify this although I have an unverified note of an I.R.A. active service unit being caught up in crossfire in August 1922 during an attack on the police barracks in Athy. The police men later moved to a hotel in Leinster Street. Sergeant Duggan claimed that it was the Leinster Arms Hotel. However I have a note of being informed many years ago that the hotel in question was the Hibernian Hotel which is now Bradbury’s premises. This year the centenary of the founding of An Garda Siochana is being marked by various events throughout the country. Athy’s Art Centre will be the venue for a lecture on the history of An Garda Siochana with particular reference to Athy as part of a history lecture series which starts on Tuesday, 20th September at 8pm. Details of the Garda Siochana lecture will be published later. The first lecture on the 20th of September will be given by Nessa O’Mara Cardiff on the Barrowhouse ambush in which James Connor and William Lacey lost their lifes. This lecture and all the future lectures are free and will be held in the Arts Centre at Woodstock Street. FRANK TAAFFE

Grave Memorials in St. Michael's Cemetery Athy

It’s almost 40 years ago when with the assistance of FAS, the Industrial Training Authority, I organised a project intended to record all the headstones and grave memorials in the original St. Michael’s Cemetery. Regretfully it was a project which was not completed until many years later. The mammoth task of recording and mapping all the memorials in St. Michael’s Cemetery was eventually done by Michael Donovan, who is one of the unsung heroes of Athy and South Kildare. Michael has devoted many years of his life to recording cemetery memorials, not only in and around the immediate environs of Athy, but also further afield. To date he has completed 42 graveyard surveys, the results of which will be handed over to Kildare County Council to be made available to the general public. For many years tombstone inscriptions were an untapped source of Irish genealogy. They were largely unnoticed, except by those looking for obituary details. The work of copying tombstone inscriptions requires patience and attention to detail and Michael Donovan has spent years in recording memorial inscriptions and by doing so preserving for future generations details of families whose names are no longer familiar to us. He has also photographed the memorials and to date for the 42 cemeteries surveyed he has amassed a collection of almost 6,000 photographs. These, together with the mapping and numbering of graves in the cemetery surveys, ensure the ready identification of the location of every memorial. Grave memorials are an important part of a community’s heritage. They record lives from the past and the various types of monuments or memorials represent in many cases Irish folk art which has survived over the years. A headstone is the only piece of sculpture that most people will ever commission. In Victorian times cemeteries for the rich were gardens of stone, while the buried poor were seldom marked or noted. The local iron foundries provided metal crosses, many of which can still be seen in St. Michael’s Cemetery. The most common iron memorial comprised a cross within a circle with space for a painted inscription. Unfortunately these memorials tend to lose their painted inscription after some years. St. Mary’s Cemetery, where the remains of Workhouse inmates were laid, had quite a number of metal crosses, all of which regrettably were in recent years removed from the graves they marked. In St. Michael’s Cemetery and St. John’s Cemetery, which Michael has also surveyed, there are many fine examples of altar tombs and chest tombs. In St. John’s Cemetery he discovered a small gravestone, previously unrecorded, marking the grave of William Watson who died in 1637. Tankardstown graveyard, which surrounds the original Tankardstown Parish Church, has two 17th century memorials. Throughout St. Michael’s Cemetery can be found many elaborate monuments, mostly the work of 19th century carvers and stone masons. The practice of erecting headstone memorials did not develop until the latter part of the 18th century. Before that many graves were not marked, or if they were it was by footstones, so called as they were small plain stones placed at the bottom of graves. The Shackleton Museum holds two medieval grave slabs, believed to be of the 14th century, which were removed from St. Michael’s Cemetery for safekeeping some years ago. Monumental inscriptions to be found in St. Michael’s cemetery are generally of the genealogical epitaph type where family relationships and dates of birth are outlined. Michael has also recorded interesting supplementary details, generally quotations of a religious nature. One interesting grave memorial located within the medieval church, known locally as ‘the Crickeen’, reads:- ‘This venerable and justly loved Christian died in the 82nd year on 25th November 1849. She closed her edifying life by the fervent practice of those religious duties that ever marked her holy career. Her remains were accompanied to this earthly dwelling by an immense number of every class and creed of the entire neighbourhood which she so long adorned by her eminent and unostentatious virtue. She expired, consoled by her cherished text, from the 6th chap. 55th V of St. John. He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood had everlasting life and I will raise him up on the last day.’ In addition to his survey and recording work Michael Donovan, together with Clem Roche, have just completed recording the names of the 3,891 inmates who died in Athy Workhouse or the Fever Hospital between 1871 and 1921. Theirs is a work of great importance, rivalled only by Michael’s extraordinary solitary work in mapping and recording so many cemetery memorials in and around this area. Michael Donovan’s plans for this year are to survey cemeteries in Ballybracken, Kileen Cormac, Kildangan, Timogue, Harristown and Crookstown.

Athy's Wallboard factory

One of my earliest memories is of walking with my older brothers to the huge fire which broke out at the Wallboard factory in April 1949. I was a month short of my seventh birthday when like so many other Athy folk we all gathered on the roadside at Barrowford to watch ricks of straw on fire. The Athy Fire Station master made the following entry in the station records; ‘I received a call to fire at Wallboard Factory on 14th April 1949. All members of the Brigade were present. When we arrived we discovered three ricks of straw on fire. We remained working until Saturday 16th May. The Curragh and Carlow Brigades were also there.’ A later entry for the month of May listed as fire members R. Webster, P. Delahunt, Thomas Fleming, Jas Fleming, J. Webster, P. Cowman and P. Doyle who attended a fire at Mrs. Quinn’s house in St. John’s Lane. The Wallboard Mills were located on a 17 acre site approximately one mile north of Athy. Irish Wallboard Co. Ltd. had been formed in 1939 to manufacture hardboard from straw but did not commence production until 1949. Two years later it began to use native timber as the basic raw material for the manufacture of the oil tempered hardboard which was marketed under the trade name ‘Lignatex’. The Irish company had become closely associated with the Bowater organisation in 1950. The timber used in the manufacturing process consisted of forest thinning, while steam power was generated by machine won turf supplied by Bord na Mona. Over 12,000 tons of turf was used each year while 3 or 4 weeks turf supply was always kept in reserve. A major expansion programme in 1957 increased the mill’s production capacity by almost 60% and a further expansion scheme, completed in 1966, trebled the capacity of the Wallboard factory in the space of fifteen years. A report in the Nationalist and Leinster Times of 15th January 1949 noted that while equipment installation work in the new factory was nearing completion two local men, Pat Doyle and Ed Hicks, spent some days at Clondalkin Paper Mills studying the working of the various machines in preparation for their duties at Athy’s new factory. I am uncertain as to whether the factory was in production when the fire started on 14th April 1949. Despite that early setback, with the use of timber rather than straw, and the expansion programmes initiated in 1957 the factory was able to produce 60 million square feet of board annually. Two thirds of the factory output was exported. A press report of the 1960s outlined the steps taken at the Wallboard factory to ensure the production of a high-quality product. The factory laboratory where samples from every part of the production process were tested was managed by Jim Flanagan, assisted by John Murphy, Terry Doyle and many others. Three quality controllers were constantly sampling during every stage of the manufacturing process. This was a responsibility of Pat Daly, John Murphy and Michael Ahern, while Kevin McNulty kept an eye on the quality of the turf and the finished board. In the chemical mixing department Arthur Kavanagh was employed in the preparation of approximately ten tons of aluminium sulphate solution each week. Another laboratory man was George Robinson who assisted the chief chemist Jim Flanagan in research and development. The first manager of the Wallboard factory was Richard Shackleton, while the initial production managers employed were Swedish, the fifth production manager was Andy Coughlan whom I understand was a former RAF flight engineer. With many other local factories the Wallboard staff participated in the annual parochial variety festivals which were initiated by the local curate, Fr. Joe Corbett. In 1964 the Wallboard Variety Show was reported in the local press as ‘a pleasant and colourful presentation which won loud applause from the audience.’ The performers included Ena, Joan and Frances Coughlan, Connie Stafford, M. Dooley, P. Dunleavy, N. Wright, M. Holohan, K. McNulty, T. Dooley, S. Fanning, P.J. Loughman, Tim Ryan, M. Rainsford, F. Ryan, S. Finnerty, B. Finnerty and B. Robinson. The laughter, songs and work stopped in December 1978 when the Wallboard factory closed down. Approximately 220 workers were made redundant when production of wallboard transferred to Sweden where it is today still carried on. When corresponding with my good friend Liam Kenny, doyen of Kildare local historians, I invariably refer to Athy as being in the deep south of the county. For a change this Eye comes from the deep south of the island of Ireland to where I have travelled to greet my latest grandchild, Hannah Rose, born just a few days ago in Cork city. Hannah was the name of her maternal great grandmother who was born and reared in Doneraile, Co. Cork. The circle has now been completed.

A look back over the past 1500 Eyes on the Past

It is close on 29 years ago that I penned my first Eye on the Past. This week the 1500th article is printed and I want to take the opportunity to reflect on past articles, the people and events that formed the subject of those articles and to acknowledge the help given to me by so many people over the years. The first article was a short piece of approximately 400 words in which I mentioned the publics growing interest in local history and the opening of what I referred to as “the new vastly improved library service in the Town Hall”. Subsequent articles grew in wordage to 800 words then 1,200 words and that latter figure was maintained until the Kildare Nationalist changed to tabloid form. Prior to my first article I had been researching the history of Athy and 29 years later that research is still ongoing and my long promised history of the town is still not ready for publication. As a “blow in” to Athy from just down the road in Castlecomer but having all my remembered youthful life experiences here in Athy it is understandable that my interest in history should be centred on Athy. It was an interest first encouraged by my teachers in the local Christian Brothers school, especially the late Bill Ryan who was a gentleman, a scholar and an encourager. While I was out of Athy for 22 years my interest in history saw me researching Athy’s past. That research opened up many unknown and some forgotten elements of the town’s story. Even while I had attended the local secondary school and studied history for my Leaving Certificate I had never encountered any significant references to Athy’s involvement in Irish national events. Nothing was ever related to me or my school mates of how the Great Famine affected the local people. We learned of the famine tragedies of the West and the South West of Ireland such as that reported in the United Irishmen newspaper of the 19th of February 1848 which quoting a correspondent of the Mayo Constitution claiming “we had been informed that within the last week upwards of 20 deaths have taken place from starvation in Ballintubbert”. We now know that our local workhouse was the last place of residence for hundreds of local men, women and children who died during the famine and whose remains were brought by cart across Lennons Bridge to be buried in paupers graves in St. Mary’s cemetery. As students we never learned of the young men from Athy who enlisted to fight overseas in World War or the great number of those men whose broken bodies disappeared into the blood-soaked soil of France and Flanders. I had never heard of John Vincent Holland whose act of bravery during that same war resulted in him being awarded the Victoria Cross. These were some of the towns past stories which had escaped the memory of later generations, and which were awaiting to be discovered, for without these stories and the many other stories of local events and local men and women our community’s shared past would be incomplete. In my first article I wrote “Eye on the Past will each week deal with a topic of interest from the history of South Kildare when we will delve into the rich vein of local history which remains to be discovered”. I didn’t know then what an overwhelming rich vein of history awaited to be discovered. I have been fortunate to be contacted personally, by phone, by letter and in more recent times via email by hundreds of persons interested in Athy’s history. Many have sought information of ancestors who once lived in the town or South Kildare while others had generously shared memories and knowledge of past events with me. Eithne Wall who first joined my office in 1982 has typed, with very few exceptions, the Eyes since 1992 and Noreen Day has provided the proof reading necessary to correct my mistakes. The availability of the Eyes on the Past on the internet has led to enquiries from many countries particularly America, Australia, New Zealand and as might be expected Great Britain. Those enquiries have brought home to me how generations of Athy folk can spread throughout the world and how information regarding the past of such a small town as Athy can be gleaned from sources throughout the globe. Our local history mirrors in many ways the national events of the time and we can get a better understanding of our country’s own history by knowing the history of the generations who have gone before us. I am pleased to acknowledge that today Athy people have a better understanding of their own history and this is reflected in a cultural reawakening which was not readily observable a few decades ago. We have a proud history whether it is recounting the men, women and events of the War of Independence or the story of those who went to war overseas during 1914/18. Part of that history is knowing that an international figure such as Polar Explorer Ernest Shackleton was born in nearby Kilkea and undoubtedly walked the same streets we walk today. But above all our towns history is the story of the local men and women, many of whom lived in the back streets and alleyways in Athy in houses which were demolished during the slum clearance programmes of the 1930’s. They were the workers in the brickyards and the foundries and the farm labourers who with their wives and children gave life to the Anglo Norman town founded over 800 years ago. I was privileged to have been able to share some of their stories even if at times I might have unintentionally offended someone’s delicate sensibilities. Yes, there had been a few occasions over the past 29 years when someone has objected to something I wrote or made a point of seeking a correction when none was justified. I remember one reader who sought to correct my research findings regarding the location of the Quaker Meeting House in Meeting Lane on the basis that her mother told her it was elsewhere. I couldn’t persuade her otherwise or indeed ameliorate the fury of the woman who felt I had insulted the former tenants of the soldiers houses in the Bleach by reciting the accommodation details as outlined in the War Office files of the 1920s. However it was not all conflict. The readers have been more than complimentary and I am ever grateful for the continued help afforded to me by so many with my research. A special thanks to one individual who has been writing to me for years with the most beautiful handwriting always drawing my attention to items or persons of interest. He has constantly provided me with additional information but always on the strict understanding that his name is never mentioned. I started off by stating my intention to reflect on past articles but my pen has galloped away without doing what I intended. I hope you have enjoyed the past 1,500 Eyes on the Past and here is hoping that time will be given to me to write some more Eyes and more importantly finish and publish my long promised history of Athy.

When Athy was the largest town in County Kildare

In 1841 Athy had the largest population of any town in County Kildare. With 4,980 persons living within the town boundaries, it exceeded the population of Naas by over 300. Newbridge was only a sizeable village with a population of 1,177 while nearby Portlaoise fell short of Athy’s population with 3,702 inhabitants. Ten years later Athy’s population had increased to 5,263 as a result of the workhouse numbers which masked an actual fall in the towns native population over the course of the Great Famine. Naas in the meantime had begun to match Athy in terms of population numbers with 5,184 inhabitants. Both towns were to show substantial population losses by 1911 when Athy was recorded with 3,535 inhabitants with Naas overtaking Athy as the largest town in the County with 3,842. In fact, the first time Naas showed a higher population figure than Athy was in 1871 with approximately 100 more residents than the South Kildare town. The ups and downs of urban population figures no doubt were reflected in the range and extent of local commercial activity. Here in Athy, we have witnessed even within the past two or three years several businesses which have changed hands or gone out of business. As I write this article, I can only recall two local business still operating in Athy as they were 100 years ago. Indeed, O’Brien’s of Emily Square was the name over the shop as early as two or three decades before the new century arrived, while Doyle’s of Woodstock Street opened many years later. Both pubs operated at a time when Athy with less than half the population it has today, was home to 44 public houses. One of their commercial colleagues at that time was A. Duncan & Son, Drapers and Outfitters of Duke Street which business was bought out by Sam Shaw in or about 1914 and which business is still the anchor tenant in Athy’s main shopping street. Many other firms now long forgotten once traded in our town. Who remembers James Reid & Son, Family Grocers and Publicans of Leinster Street or William Triston, Solicitor of Duke Street. Both carried on business in Athy in 1916 as did Henry Hannon & Sons, Millers of Duke Street and Columb Geraghty, Grocer and Publican of Market Square. Thomas Lumley merchant tailor worked in his workshop in Athy until he retired on the 23th July 1917. Amongst those who continued in business for some time after that were P.J. Corcoran, principal of the Athy Auctioneering Company and Daniel Toomey, Builder and Contractor. Many of today’s older generation will recall Glespens Carriage Builders who carried on business in 1917 and much later. In the 1950’s Glespens occupied premises in Duke Street but has anyone heard of John P. Glespen who in 1917 advertised himself as “Carriage Builder and Designer, Wheelwright, Harness Maker and Motor Car and Cycle Agent” with premises in Nelson Street and Offaly Street. Edward Vernal was plying his trade as a General Smith and Horseshoer in Leinster Street in 1907. The Vernal forge was located in St. John’s Lane immediately behind Mrs. Haslem’s house when I was attending the Christian Brothers School in the 1950’s John Blanchfield operated out of 26 Leinster Street as a pork butcher and sausage maker in 1916. Was he, I wonder, related to the saw milling Blanchfield family at the top end of Leinster Street. A business not previously known to me was that of the Miley Brothers who had the General Supply Store in Duke Street in 1916. Names still remembered today and found over business premises in Athy over 100 years ago include Duthies of Leinster Street. W.T. Duthie, Watchmaker, Jeweller and Optician had been in business for several years prior to 1917 and his son, Albert, would later take over the business. On the far side of Crom a Boo Bridge in 1917 was the Grocery Tea, Wine and Spirits Stores of Cantwell’s of Duke Street while George Dillon of 19 Leinster Street advertised Spiced Beef as a speciality to order. Michael Murphy carried on business in the Commercial House facing the Market Square as a Clothier, Hatter offering “ boots and shoes in great variety”. Around the corner in Stanhope Street was another Murphy, this time with the forename Patrick who ran a General Grocery and Provision Business. David Walsh, Family Grocer, Hardware, Seed and General Merchant “with a variety of Guns and Ammunition always in stock” had his premises at the corner of Chapel Lane and Leinster Street. Other businesses in Athy in the early years of the 20th century included Athy Gas Company, Hibernian Bank, Duthie Large Foundry and Iron Works, Leinster Arms Hotel, D&J Carbery Builders and Athy Tile and Brick Company. These firms are no longer in Athy and their absence reminds us that the ever changing needs of new generations require new and improved commercial outlets to serve their needs. 100 years ago the market town of Athy with a population of less that 4,000 boasted of 44 public houses. Today our main streets show a monopoly of hairdressing salons, betting shops, charity shops and fast food outlets. Times indeed are a changing.

Athy in the 1840s

The worst effects of the famine which had ravaged Ireland following the failure of the potato crop in 1845 had abated by the time 1853 arrived. William Byrne was then station master in Athy, a position he held for the previous four years and where he would remain for the next six years. Athy boasted many trades in 1853, including a Fack and Hook Maker, a trade practiced by Michael Cushian who found himself on the wrong side of the law on assault charges. Julia Bradley, dressmaker, was summoned by her mistress, Mrs. O’Neill, for leaving her indentures without fulfilling her term. She was ordered by the Court to return to her ‘master’, otherwise she would be jailed for the remainder of her apprenticeship. Also in trouble were the four paupers brought before the local petty sessions by the Master of the workhouse for refusing to work and disobeying the Master’s orders. They each got one month’s imprisonment with hard labour. Early in the year eight locals were summoned by order of the Town Commissioners for exhibiting turf for sale in a place other than that designated for such sales by the town fathers. Athy resident Mrs. Walsh was one of sixty passengers who drowned when the steamer, ‘Queen Victoria’, sank in Dublin Bay on Tuesday 15th February of that year. Forty passengers survived, including her husband. The Presbyterian families who had arrived the previous year from Perthshire Scotland to take up tenancies of the Duke of Leinster’s lands in the Athy area, gave public notice that their meeting house was a place of religious worship and registered for solemnising marriages. Controversy arose when the vacant position of Coroner for South Kildare prompted an advertisement to be inserted in the Leinster Express expressing ‘regret that the election of Coroner has endeavoured to be made a political and religious question’. The contest was between James Butler who although an Anglican had the support of the Roman Catholic voters and Dr. Carter, another Anglican, who was eventually appointed. Two years after the abolition of Athy Borough Council the newly elected Town Commissioners for Athy, numbering 21 in all, whose numbers included the Catholic Parish Priest Fr. John Lawler and the Anglican Rector, Rev. Frederick Trench, agreed to have a certain number of Catholics and Protestants as Town Commissioners and to have a Catholic and Protestant chairman on alternate years. Michael Lawler, who was Chairman of the Town Commissioners in 1853, wrote to the press in July 1858 stating that ‘we have never deviated from our original compact’. Michael Lawler was one of the 21 Town Commissioners who was sworn into office before Lord Downes and John Butler on 18th February 1842 at a ceremony held in Athy’s Courthouse which was then part of the Town Hall. During his long service as a Town Commissioner he was elected Chairman on three occasions, 1853, 1876 and 1890. Lawler who died on 20th October 1900 and was buried in Barrowhouse, started in business in Athy in and around 1840. He had a licenced premises in Leinster Street immediately adjoining Whites Castle which was subsequently purchased by Edward T. Mulhall in November 1900 for £500. Edward Mulhall was described in the press reports of the time as having worked in Lawlers licenced premises as ‘the foreman and manager’. Michael Lawler gave what the local press described as ‘a sumptuous entertainment to upwards of 60 persons on the advent of his inauguration to the chairmanship of the Town Commissioners. The dinner was given in a spacious room in Mr. Lawler’s private residence.’ Michael Lawler lived at Park House in Duke Street which was later acquired by McHugh’s chemist. Alexander Duncan, a local trader, in a speech to the dinner guests said ‘those gentlemen who had but lately seen the town, could not well appreciate the progress it had made in the last 20 years. If they were to know the sanitary conditions then and compare it with the present appearance, they would in the fullest acceptance of the word admit that Athy had progressed.’ Four months later an extraordinary meeting of Athy Dispensary Committee was held to consider the medical officers report regarding the filthy state of the town. It was an issue which Michael Lawler returned to the following October when he claimed ‘Athy is a different town to what it was 21 years ago. Then the streets were in ruts, the homes were falling, the best streets were interspersed with thatched houses ….. now we have a flourishing town ….. the houses and establishments second to none to any inland town in Ireland.’ Twenty years later an editorial in the Leinster Express under the heading ‘The water supply of Athy’ noted ‘we are now paying for our past neglect and for the carelessness of former generations ….. the water we have been consuming all our lives turns out to be polluted ….. our dwellings have been constructed without any regard to the health of the inhabitants ….. the sanitary conditions of the town are very bad.’ The editorial noted that a special meeting of the sanitary committee had been convened for that day to consider whether a pure water supply could be brought from a distance into the town by means of pipes. Thirty years were to elapse before a piped water supply was provided for the people of Athy. By comparison fifty-five years have passed since Athy’s outer relief road was first suggested in a consultants report presented to Athy U.D.C.

Shackleton Autumn School 2024

A small contingent from Athy was among the 2,500 people at the Royal Festival Hall, South Bank, London on 12th October last. The occasion was the premiere, at the London Film Festival, of the film ‘Endurance’, a documentary produced by National Geographic telling the story of the discovery of Shackleton’s ship ‘Endurance’ on the 5th March 2022, 100 years to the day Shackleton was buried in Grytiken Cemetery, South Georgia. It was a significant moment for those who have worked assiduously over the last 25 years to raise the profile of the Kildare-born explorer Ernest Shackleton both nationally and internationally. It is testament to their commitment and drive, coupled with the significant support from Kildare County Council that Athy will have a world class museum devoted to Shackleton opening towards the end of 2025. A little later than previous years, the Shackleton Autumn School will run in Athy on the weekend of 8th to 10th November. It is the 24th successive year in which the Autumn School has been hosted in the town. During covid the Autumn School was hosted online by its indefatigable organisers. ‘Virtually Shackleton’, as the online version was titled, was an enormous success, bringing the Shackleton story to a global audience online in 2020 and 2021. For those of us who couldn’t attend the event in London last month I am delighted to report that there will be a showing of the ‘Endurance’ documentary film, in The Abbey, Athy at 8pm on Sunday, 10th November. The screening will be followed by a question-and-answer session with the producer, Ruth Johnson, who is originally from Donegal. Admission is free and as it is expected there will be quite a demand for tickets bookings should be made through the Shackleton Museum’s website, www.shackletonmuseum.com. The film is only one of many events featured in the Shackleton Autumn School weekend from 8th to 10th November. There is a full lecture programme on Saturday and Sunday. Jan Chojecki, the grandson of John Quiller Rowett, who financed Shackleton’s last expedition, will be delivering a talk about the colour photography of Shackleton’s last expedition. Coupled with the lecture there will be a small exhibition devoted to these unique coloured photographs which will be well worth viewing. Philip Curtis of the Map House, London, a specialist dealer in rare and antiquarian maps, will be delivering a lecture on the mapping of Antarctica and I also understand that Philip will be hosting a workshop for Leaving Certificate Geography students of Ardscoil na Tríonóide on Friday morning in The Abbey. From the United States the distinguished historian and writer Buddy Levy will be telling the story of the disastrous voyage of the Arctic expedition ship ‘Karluk’. The story is one he has told in his book ‘Empire of Ice and Stone’ which is an excellent read. Laura Kissel, the Director of Archives at the Byrd Polar Research Institute in Columbus, Ohio will be talking about George Hubert Wilkins, an Australian who served with Shackleton on his last expedition, who himself was a Polar pioneer and her lecture will focus on the voyage of the American submarine Nautilus to the North Pole. Closer to home Joe O’Farrell, a longtime member of the Shackleton Committee, will be looking at the reputations of many Polar explorers, including Shackleton and Scott, while the award-winning playwright and screenwriter Peter Straughan whose films include ‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’ will be speaking about his work on bringing a screen play on Shackleton’s life to the big screen. Other contributors from the U.S.A. will include Sabrina Waldron who will look at the life of Frank Worsley, Shackleton’s captain on the ‘Endurance’, while Allegra Rosenberg from New York will look at those aficionados drawn to Polar explorers over the last century. An important part of the Shackleton Autumn School is the variety of events on the afternoon of Sunday, 10th November, which will include a bus tour through Shackleton country led by Kilkea based historian Sharon Greene, while the ‘townees’ amongst us can enjoy a walking tour of medieval Athy with archaeologist Marc Guernon. Finally if you are of an active frame of mind Kildare Sports Partnership will be hosting a ‘Pole to Pole’ walk on the Athy Blueway from 2.30pm onwards.

Athy men's involvement in the Boer War

Last Tuesday night the Community Arts Centre in the Methodist Church, Athy hosted the second lecture in the Athy Historical Society’s Autumn series of lectures. Delivered by Naas historian Liam Kenny, the title of the lecture was ‘From ballot box to Council Chamber, Kildare’s First County Council Election 1899’. Over the course of an hour Liam delivered a fine lecture to a rapt audience which ranged over the political, cultural and economic context of the time in which the first County Council elections were held. What interested many of the attendees was the skilful way in which Liam contextualised the election in terms of Irish society and politics at that time. This was a society in which politics was dominated by the middle class and the Home Rule party. The successful county council candidate from Athy was Matthew Minch who at the time was the MP for South Kildare. However, with the outbreak of the second Boer War in October 1899 the war itself began to exert an interesting influence on Irish polities in society. Nascent militant republicanism began to develop inspired by the plucky and determined Boer fight against the British empire in South Africa. As this month marks the 125th anniversary of the breakout of the war it is interesting to reflect on how those events thousands of miles away impacted upon the people of Athy. The Leinster Leader reported on 6th January 1900, when the war was only three months old, that ‘Athy boys with their keen sense of humour raised a Boer flag over the Town Hall over the dead of night with the police unable to ascertain their purpose.’ The Nationalist and Leinster Times gave an amusing account of how the offending ‘Boer flag’ was removed from the Town Hall. ‘In the morning as soon as the first drinks of dawn appeared a grand green flag floated from the pinnacle which summands the Town Hall. William McCleary, the town hall caretaker, volunteered to remove the flag and at about three o’clock he ascended to the roof of the building. He had armed himself with a fishing rod, to the end of which he had tied a knife. He cut through the strands of rope which held the standard in position, and after some exertion the chords were cut and the emblem of Krugerdom collapsed’. The flag incident has occasioned a great deal of talk about Athy and there is much conjecture as to the individuality of the daring crew who seized on the principal building of the town in this way. Accounts brought by native runners from Dunbrinn direction disclosed the fact that after dispersion by the Police the band retired to a lonely kopje overhanging the Barrow and called Coneyboro. Here they made a bonfire and when it was in full blaze they threw in a shell in the shape of a gallon of paraffin. The fluid exploded with a report so loud that it awakened sleepers in distant Grangemellon.’ In addition to the newspapers letters home from Athy soldiers were an important source of information about the conflict. Paddy Connors who was then serving with the Royal Dublin Fusiliers wrote to his brother about the first major battle he was involved in in the war. He noted that three men from the town by the names of Murphy, Kenny and Flynn had been dangerously wounded. Connors went on to write: ‘I like being out here, except for seeing so many disabled for life. Thank God I am very lucky. My helmet was knocked off by a bit of shell when I was carrying a wounded Corporal and he got shot dead in my arms. When I was acting as an escort for the guns, a shell fell in front of me but did not burst.’ The dubious distinction of being the first British officer to be killed in the conflict lies with Captain George Anthony Weldon. Weldon was the grandson of Sir Anthony Weldon of Kilmoroney House in Athy. Weldon was an officer in the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers which was part of a force tasked with taking a hill called Talana which was occupied by Boer forces. In attempting to save the life of a Private Gorman who had been wounded by Boer marksmen, Weldon was killed. Later that evening Weldon’s pet terrier was found waiting patiently by his master’s lifeless body. Weldon was buried that same afternoon in a small cemetery facing the hill on which he met his death. For most of us the Boer War has little lasting impact on our collective memory but there are little resonances here and there. Those of an older generation will recall that one of the malting buildings of Minch Nortons was called Ladysmith due to the involvement of a number of employees of Minch’s at the battle of Ladysmith during the war.

Naas Hospital treatment 1966 and 2024

Many of my readers were aware that I was hospitalised in recent weeks. I was discharged last Monday from Beaumont Hospital where I received the latter six weeks of radiotherapy. The nursing staff in St. Ann’s Ward provided a most extraordinary service and one which prompts me to write this article and to draw comparison with my previous contact with hospital services, admittedly of another era. I was admitted to Naas Hospital in 1966 following an appendicitis diagnosis by Dr. Joe O’Neill. There I was operated on by the legendary South African Surgeon, Dr. Jack Gibson, who hypnotised me instead of using conventional anaesthesia. The operation was successful, but I wonder if Dr. Gibson would be allowed to practice his undoubted skills today. This was not so many years after issues were raised in Naas Hospital concerning the absence of basic medical equipment including a blood pressure machine. It required approval by Dr. Ward, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minster for Local Government and Public Health, before that most basic health equipment could be purchased. What I found extraordinary different between my Naas Hospital experiences was the high level of nursing care today compared to then. Numerous checks are today made on every patient every few hours for blood pressure, temperature, pulse rate, respiratory rate, blood sugar and other blood tests. It was a continuous medical examination which commenced as early as 6.00 a.m. The results were noted on one’s hospital charts which were constantly consulted throughout the day. The Naas operation occurred approximately one year after another Naas Hospital event which was irreplaceably fixed in my memory. My first ever job was as a Clerical Officer with Kildare County Council where I served in the Health Services Section under the Staff Officer Noel Finn. County Council staff were small in numbers in those days and may I say apparently much more efficient than Council officials today. Kildare County Council were responsible for the provision of health services in the County of Kildare under the guidance of the late Dr. Brendan O’Donnell. As part of my duties, I occasionally visited Naas Hospital and St. Vincent’s Hospital, Athy to check on some accounts. It was in Naas Hospital, then housed in what was the former Workhouse, a four-storey building with no lift that on one official visit I was committed to helping the lone porter carry a dead man down from the fourth floor. I can hardly imagine that happening in today’s hospitals and brings to mind the readily available porters in Beaumont Hospital. Medical science has made extraordinary advances in the intervening years and ward sisters and nurses taking responsibility for caring, treatment and diagnosing. I found the Beaumont experience quite extraordinary. From bed making early in the morning to monitoring patients’ meals, to carry out the numerous medical checkups during the day, the nurses displayed an empathy and care which was quite exceptional. The vast majority of the young nursing staff in the Beaumont ward were of Eastern European origin. Some born in Ireland, others having qualified in their home country came to Ireland. Others emigrated and are now attending the nearby DCU Nurse training course. The senior nursing staff were apparently all Irish but uniquely those who dealt with patients on an almost hour by hour basis were non-Irish. It reminded me of the UK Hospital regime of the 1950’s where Irish nurses played a major role in staffing hospital wards in the absence of UK nurses. Were you one of the many households contacted within the last few days by telephone by Bord na Mona to advise of a change in the refuse collection days? Apparently the multi-million profit making company will not issue any letters or send texts to advise of the new changes. This seems an extraordinary poor way to communicate with customers, and I wonder if the next price increase will be communicated in the same way. Thank you to the lady who sent me a photograph of the work being carried out by the ESB which resulted in blocking a major part of the Ernest Shackleton mural at the end of Meeting Lane. The work was carried out on a piece of ground owned by Kildare County Council and I must assume that both Kildare County Council and the ESB agreed on where the ESB box was to be erected. It surely would have been as easy for both to move the ESB box a few yards to the left where it would not obscure the Ernest Shackleton mural. The second lecture in our Autumn series of lectures organised by Athy’s Historical Society will take place tonight, Tuesday, 22nd October in The Community Arts Centre, Woodstock St., Athy at 8pm. The title of the lecture is ‘From ballot box to Council Chamber, Kildare’s First County Council Election 1899’ and the guest speaker is Liam Kenny. Admission is free.

Basilio Angeli v. Joseph Galbraith / Athy Summer Assizes July 1856

The most famous court case in literature is Jarndyce v Jarndyce, immortalised in Charles Dickens Bleak House, published in 1853. It features a large inheritance whose heirs cannot be clearly determined and the narrative is driven by the interconnectedness of the novel’s protagonists. I don’t think there is any equivalent in Irish literature or in Irish legal history but I was intrigued to read about the case of Angeli v Galbraith which was first heard at the Kildare Summer Assizes sitting in Athy on Friday, 26th July 1856. The Assizes are somewhat equivalent to our current day Circuit Court. On this Summer’s day the Lord Chief Justice himself, Thomas Lefroy, presided sitting in the Courtroom in Athy, at that time located on the first floor of the Town Hall. While it might seem incongruous for the most senior Judge in the country to be sitting in a small Courtroom in Athy, Lefroy was no stranger to Athy. He had attended boarding school in Athy in 1791, as did his brother Ben, born in 1782 who later settled in Cardenton, Athy which property remained in the Lefroy family until 1956. Thomas Lefroy entered Trinity College in 1792 from where he graduated with a BA degree in 1795. That same year he spent the summer months in Hampshire, England and became friendly with Jane Austen, daughter of the Reverend John Austen. It was the same time that Jane began writing a manuscript which she completed in 1797 under the title “First Impression”. It was later published as Pride and Prejudice and Thomas Lefroy is sometimes credited as being the inspiration for the famous Mr. Darcy in the self same novel. The case before him that day in Athy was an action for slander brought by Basilio Angeli against Joseph Galbraith. The case revolved around the suitability of Angeli for a teaching position in Trinity College, Dublin and Galbraith’s alleged slander in questioning Mr. Angeli’s qualifications and suitability for a post. The minutiae of the case is of little interest today. What is of interest are those parties present at the Court in Athy. Acting on behalf of the defendant, Galbraith, was Edmund Hayes QC who would be replaced at a later appeal hearing by Isacc Butt. The Donegal born barrister Butt himself taught in Trinity and would be prominent in the instigation of the Home Rule Movement. Isaac Butt and Galbraith were both friends and colleagues and Galbraith played an important role in the Home Rule movement and is credited with coming up with the term “Home Ruler”. An important witness in the case was another close colleague and friend of Galbraith’s, the Reverend Samuel Haughton. The Carlow born Haughton was a distinguished scientist lecturing in Trinity who had close connections in Athy through the Haughton family who had built the Mills at Ardreigh and in the town. Haughton and Galbraith would enjoy a lifelong friendship where they jointly wrote a series of financially lucrative textbooks on aspects of Mathematics and Physics which remained in print well until the 1900’s. This close association and friendship was cemented by the marriage of one of Galbraith’s daughters to one of Haughton’s sons. The surviving Court Report records the twelve men who formed the Jury for the case and I was instantly drawn to the name Mark Cross. Cross was one of the fifteen qualified rate payers elected as the First Town Commissioners on the 10th June 1856, a mere two weeks before the Court case where he was described as an “Architect”. Slaters directory for 1846 records Mark Cross as Civil Engineer/Builder living at Market Square, which we now know as Emily Square. Among the buildings in the town which we can attribute to his activities is the construction of the “New Courthouse” which began as a corn market in 1857. In about 1859, he commenced the Glebe House or Rectory of the Church of Ireland on a site provided by the Duke of Leinster near the Church in Church Road. Another interesting connection is that Thomas Henry Cross, a son of Mark Cross’s recorded in his diary attending a school in Athy from 1844 to 1847 run by a Mr. Flynne. Among his classmates were Ben Lefroy, Richard Lefroy, Robert Lefroy, presumably relations of Chief Justice Lefroy. Thomas Henry Cross would proceed to study at Trinity College, Dublin in 1848 and the Tutor he was allocated in Trinity College was the Reverend Samuel Haughton. Difficult though it is at this distance to disentangle the interconnectedness of the various parties in the case, one would have to presume that there was an element of prejudice suffered by the unfortunate Mr. Angeli giving the links between the participants in the case, the Jurors and the Judge himself. Mr. Angeli was ultimately unsuccessful in his case and again in his appeal to the Court of Exchequer in front of the Lord Chief Baron. Galbraith, Haughton and Butt would have long distinguished careers in public life, Samuel Haughton’s legacy is perhaps the more complicated in that applying his scientific rigour to public executions, he devised, in 1866, a more humane method of hanging.

Launch of publication 'Woodstock' by Athy West Urban Community Group

The vibrancy of an area can be measured by the activities of its residents and their engagement with their community as a whole. This was very evident at the launch in Athy Library last Tuesday night of the publication of ‘Woodstock’. It was a lovely evening which began with music from talented local musicians Carmel Day and Rob Chanders. Rose Doyle, Chairperson of the Athy West Urban Community Group, spoke of how Woodstock is squeezed in between the Barrow and the Grand Canal and clearly this sense of intimacy has created a community that is both close and loyal to its residents. The focus of the night was the launch of ‘Woodstock’, a book both by, about and created by the community nestled between the Barrow and the Grand Canal. This colourful and attractive publication draws strongly on the spirit of the community at Woodstock and has chapters on sport, music, heritage, river, games, birds and community life. The book was the brainchild of the Woodstock Castle Press, a non-profit community publishing initiative established by artists Mark Durkan and Mary-Jo Gilligan in collaboration with communities in Woodstock. Over the last number of months four editions of the magazine ‘Woodstock’ have been published, both digitally and in print, celebrating the heritage, landscape and social life of the Woodstock area. The communities of St Dominic’s Park, Carbery Park, Greenhills, Townparks and Castle Park received copies of the publications and with the publication of the book it will now be available to a wider community in the town. As I understand it the publication can be ordered online from woodstockcastlepress.ie, but hopefully copies will find their way into our local shops, an ideal gift for Christmas. Like many prominent buildings in Athy we have become so used to the existence of Woodstock that we forget how important it is to our town’s history. The early elements of the Castle are likely to date back to the 12th century and it is quite possible, as articulated by Marc Guernon, archaeologist, at the launch last Tuesday, that the original town may have grown up around the Castle. The Barrow as we know it today would have presented a quite different sight in the early 12th century and the Castle when it was first constructed in stone was probably built very close, if not on the banks of the River Barrow. Much of the area of Woodstock now would probably have been under water or consisting of a series of islands. It was clear at the launch of the book that the community is very proud of it’s history and particularly of the Castle and there was an eloquent plea made that the Castle be integrated more closely into the community, giving it some particular function or role. That is something perhaps that the newly established Athy Civic Trust can turn it’s mind to over the next number of months. The work of the Athy West Urban Community Group builds on the work started by the Athy Community Council well over 20 years ago and we shouldn’t forget the work of people such as the late Sheila Chanders, whose input and those of her neighbours was vital to the success of the early years of the Woodstock Community Project. I sometimes worry over the fact that so much work falls upon the same people in our community decade after decade but once there is a core of dedicated volunteers and enthusiasts from the town I have no doubt that initiatives such as the Woodstock Castle Press will always lift the social and cultural life of the town. The book is rich in images of the Woodstock area and particularly images of the Castle in it’s various iterations since the early 18th century. One illustration which was lacking, probably because I have only recently come across it myself, is the picture here with the article which was published in or around 1809 in the Irish Magazine. The title is ‘View of the White Castle and Bridge of Athy from Woodstock’. As an example of the illustrator’s craft it is not particularly good, although it does show the basic elements of the town including the White Castle, the bridge and Woodstock Castle, although the Castle portrayed in the image is not one I would recognise. The importance of the illustration is that it preserves the only surviving image of the Athy Barracks in Woodstock Street. If you take a closer look at Woodstock Castle to the right of the image you will see just behind it a wall over which some roofs appear and to the far right you can see smoke curling from the chimney of the gable end. This is the only known image of the 18th century Athy Barracks, the last vestige of which is an arch which stands forlorn in Woodstock Street. For me, writing about Athy for over forty years, is an exciting discovery and a reminder that the quest for historical knowledge is a never-ending search.

Athy is defined by its built heritage

There was a good turnout at the AGM of the Athy Historical Society held at the Arts Centre in Woodstock Street last Tuesday night, 24th of September. The AGM was followed by a meeting to discuss the establishment of a Civic Trust for Athy of which I have written recently in this very column. While there were many seasoned campaigners amongst the audience it was good to see a number of new faces which is a testament to the enduring power of the culture and heritage of the town which the Civic Trust seek to preserve, enhance and promote over the next number of years. While discussions ranged about the possible uses of White Castle it made me reflect on those monuments that have been lost to the town and district over the centuries. Our town is very much defined, not only by its people, but also by its built heritage and there are many buildings which we pass on a daily basis without a second thought such as Woodstock Castle, White Castle, the Town Hall, the Dominican Church and the Model School. These are the relics or remnants of many centuries of building by our predecessors but it is interesting to pick through the archives and to find out about those structures which are long lost to the town and even to memory. In 1540 in the townland of Glassealy, Narraghmore was recorded a strong “castrum” (castle) or ‘fortilgaum’ strong house. This said castle was still standing by 1655 but thereafter seems to be lost to time. Also in Narraghmore an earlier castle was granted to Robert Fitzgerald in 1182 and the castle seems to have survived the ravages of many centuries when by 1485 a grant of £10 was made to Edmond Wellesley to help him raise a castle for the defence of the area because it stood in the frontier of the march and as the write recorded ‘had no help, save the Lord’ but by 1654 the castle was described as ruinous. There was a castle recorded at Nicholastown, Kilkea in 1441 where it has been described as being held by William Scryvner. The self same Scryvner was the constable of the castle of Athy from 1422 to 1426. His appointment followed on from the repairs on the bridge and castle in Athy in around 1417 under the supervision of Sir John Talbot and in 1431 it was described as the ‘greatest fortress’ in a key town in the region. By 1515 the castle was in such poor state of repair that Patrick Finglas writing in The Decay of Ireland suggested that the castle bridge in Athy should have been given to an Englishman! Like many of us in the town I have found myself gazing in admiration at the ongoing restoration works of the Town Hall and like many of us I am also eager to see the results when the works are completed. While the focus of much of the building works on the museum itself is on what will be the Shackleton story the museum will also contain a significant display devoted to the town’s history. More importantly while the Shackleton museum will be a paid experience the displays in relation to Athy will be free to all visitors. I have no doubt that the visitors will be impressed by the many artifacts which will tell the history of the town over the last eight centuries. Perhaps the most important artifact will be the rent table from Kilkea. The rent table has a chequered history and many of us will remember it located in the Rose Garden in Kilkea Castle up until the 1980’s. It has been the subject of a meticulous restoration by Conservation Letterfrack, which is also responsible for the restoration of Shackleton’s cabin from his ship, Quest. The rent table will be a key exhibit in the Athy display. It is a spectacular example of renaissance sculpture which is believed to date from about 1533 and in terms of sophistication and artistry it rivals any sculpture you will find in a medieval Italian town. It is one of the many gems we can look forward to seeing in the new museum opening next summer. Writing in Eye on the Past No 617 published in August 2004 I welcomed into my family our first grandchild, Rachel. I am amused to note at the time that I even went as far as recording her weight as being 7lb 15 ounces! I wrote at the time “the birth of a baby is a wonderous miracle, no matter how frequently it occurs. A birth touches everyone in some form or other. We are either fathers or mothers, aunts or uncles, grandfathers or grandmothers, the last category tending to have an -elevated position in the hierarchy of affection for young children”. Twenty years later Rachel embarks on a new adventure this week as a student in the University of Warsaw studying veterinary medicine. It is hard to believe that so much time has passed but to her and to all students going to third level education for the first time, far from home, I say “Go n-eìri an bòthar leat”.

White's Castle and the setting up of a Civic Trust

This evening, 24th September at 8.00 p.m. the Annual General Meeting of Athy Historical Society will take place in the Community Arts Centre. It will be followed immediately by a second meeting, open to all, to learn of the setting up of the Athy Civic Trust. The purpose of the Trust is to make advance preparations for the possibility of public ownership of the endangered built heritage of the town. That built heritage includes the White Castle, Woodstock Castle, the medieval church in St. Michael’s Cemetery, the Courthouse and several other important buildings. The White Castle is in private ownership, and we must respect the owner’s rights, while at the same time not losing sight of our ambitions to have this historic building held in public ownership. Woodstock Castle is presently in the ownership of Kildare County Council, but regrettably the Council has displayed little interest in protecting and preserving what is our oldest building dating back to the early medieval times. The County Council Executives have shown a remarkable lack of initiative and foresight over the years in response to the many opportunities presented to acquire the White Castle. It’s interesting to recall that in the 1950s the then owner of the White Castle, Miss Norman, offered to give the Castle to the Town Council in return for a Council house. The offer was the subject of several meetings which were attended by representatives from Bord Failte, but the offer came to nought. Since then, within the past 20 years, the Castle has come on the market on three occasions. Pressed to purchase it, Athy Urban District Council and later Kildare County Council, did nothing to procure the Castle for public ownership. The present owner has good intentions as regards the protection and preservation of the Castle, but the cost involved is maybe far greater than anticipated. My hope is that the Castle may eventually be transferred into public ownership, which is why Athy Historical Society is establishing the Athy Civic Trust so if needs be it can be in a position financially and otherwise to be one of three possible public ownership bodies, i.e. Civic Trust, Kildare County Council or Office of Public Works. Public ownership would allow the Castle to be developed as a town museum, highlighting its links with the Earls of Kildare and the Dukes of Leinster. It would be a great addition to the town’s attraction and with the Shackleton Museum could make Athy a tourist destination. The Civic Trust Memorandum of Association states that the main objectives for which the Trust is to be established are:- 1. To promote public awareness and appreciation of the architectural, cultural and historical heritage of Athy for the benefit of the public. 2. To encourage the conservation and use of the architectural, cultural and historical heritage of Athy. 3. To manage properties of architectural, cultural and historical heritage in Athy. 4. To participate with organisations active in the development of tourism in Athy. Seven persons will sign as subscribers the Articles of Association of the Civic Trust and these are:- Clem Roche, Chairman of Athy Historical Society; Seamus Taaffe, Solicitor and the five municipal councillors for Athy Municipal Council. The Trust will be a company limited by guarantee, limiting the subscribers’ liability in the event of liquidation of the Civic Trust to a payment of €1.00 each. Following the registration of the Civic Trust an application will be made to have it granted charitable status. It is also intended to set up a ‘Go Fund Me’ page in the name of the Athy Civic Trust. The setting up of the Trust will be discussed following the A.G.M. on Tuesday night and any questions in relation to the Trust will be dealt with by Seamus Taaffe, Solicitor as unfortunately due to illness I am not in a position to attend. The Civic Trust meeting is open to the general public. On October 1st John Alcock’s ashes will arrive in St. Michael’s Church for a memorial Mass at 1.00 p.m. His daughter Margaret Pugh will have travelled from the North Island of New Zealand where John had lived for many many years, having left Athy for London in 1949 and responding to a New Zealand government advertisement he took up employment in that country in 1955. His brother George and sister Sheila also emigrated to New Zealand. I met John for the first time a few years ago. He was then 90 years of age and had returned to his home town to recall treasured memories of his young years in the local Christian Brothers School and four years spent in the moulding department of the Asbestos Factory. His parents, George and Mary Alcock, lived in No. 1 Dooley’s Terrace. John had eight brothers and sisters but two of his sisters, Brid and Margaret, died young. His journey to Athy was a pilgrimage of remembrance and John recalled those young men and women he shared life experiences with, but who were no longer alive to meet the visitor from New Zealand. He recalled in particular his uncles, Frank and Thomas Alcock, who joined the Royal Dublin Fusiliers during World War I and who died as young men in that War. Two years after that first visit John returned for what was his last visited to his beloved home town. He died some months ago and in accordance with his wishes, his ashes will be returned to his beloved home town to be buried with his parents and one of his brothers. I was saddened by the recent passing of Rainsford Hendy and Martin Mullins, both of whom made substantial contributions to the business and community life in South Kildare. Rainsford and I shared a common interest in the yearly Daffodil Day collection which he organised in Athy. His death at a time when I am availing of the services he and I supported is a reminder of the importance of involvement and supports for volunteerism within our community.

Athy Community Arts Centre

Just over 16 years ago John MacKenna, having earlier founded the theatrical group, ‘Mend and Makedo’, sought to have a small theatre in Athy. He was joined in that mission by Brid Brophy and myself and approaches were first made to Athy Urban District Council with regard to the possible use of the then vacant dispensary premises in Meeting Lane. First built as a Quaker meeting house in 1780, it was surprisingly vacated by the second decade of the next century and subsequently taken over for use by the local Methodist community. They remained in possession until the opening of the Methodist church at Woodstock Street in 1870. Subsequently used as a medical dispensary I am uncertain what changes, if any, were made to the original Quaker meeting house structure to give us the building we know today. Before approaching the Town Council Vivian Cummins, architect, generously offered his professional services in preparing drawings of work which we intended to carry out to the building for use as a theatre. Regrettably the Council did not accept our proposals and so our search continued. It was then that a fellow Athy Lions Club member, Trevor Shaw, approached me regarding the possibility of using the Methodist Church as a town theatre. Following discussions agreement was reached, which were hugely facilitated by the then Town Director Joe Boland who served to be a dynamic supporter of Athy’s cultural development. He sourced funding to enable a stage to be built in the church and to have some essential repairs carried out to the church building. Under the arrangement between the Methodist church body, Kildare County Council and the management committee which was established, the Council took a five year lease of the building subject to a nominal rent and they then licensed the voluntary management committee to operate the newly named ‘Athy Community Arts Centre.’ That original committee involved John, Brid and myself and over the years we have been joined by several other volunteers who have given freely of their time and expertise to provide a theatre for the town which had a strong theatrical history stretching back as far as the 1930s and perhaps earlier. Who can recall the Athy Musical Societies of the 1930s and the 1940s, the Social Club Players of the 1940s and the 1950s and the Athy Drama Group, of whom there was two? The earlier groups had use of the former Comrades Hall in St. John’s Lane and the Town Hall as theatres. Fifteen years ago none of those venues were available, hence the importance of developing a facility now available in the Community Arts Centre. Yesterday I read on Facebook a heartfelt plea from Carmel Day, urging greater support for events in the Community Arts Centre. I was deeply moved by her call which follows:- ‘Let me tell you what’s on my mind. We have a town full of creative minds ….. exceptional musicians, singers and song writers, especially our youth ….. but where are their supports? I mean no disrespect to anyone but it is easy to be a keyboard supporter and yes ….. and all that is good ….. but what would be great and more beneficial to these wonderfully talented artists would be to see bums on seats, a round of applause, a standing ovation, a physical face to face “well done”, a sense of pride for those young artists and a feeling that their hard work and passion for what they are doing is paying off, enough to inspire them to keep going. They are exceptional at what they do. Yes it is sometimes hard, we are all living busy lives, etc., but think about it folks ….. get up, throw the phones and laptops down and get out and physically support your own. It will be too late if and when we have one or more successful artist once again emerge from the unbelievably talented town ….. because they will remember when you weren’t there. You can’t take pride in someone or something that you didn’t support. Now is the time they need it more.’ Carmel was appointed some months ago under the C.E. Scheme to work 29 hours a week for the Community Arts Centre. She arranges many events, including the superb ‘Waiting Room Sessions’ for young musicians. It is disappointing to read of the need to remind anyone of how such an important cultural facility as the Community Arts Centre should be supported more fully than it is presently. My responsibility as a committee member is to arrange the Autumn and Spring Lecture series which first started two years ago. They have proved reasonably successful with attendance figures which ranged from almost full house to disappointing small attendances. I realise it takes time to build a sustainable audience, but one would have expected that after 16 years that substantial audiences would attend events in the town’s Arts Centre. I would be interested in hearing your views as to why audience figures are not as large as one might expect.

Athy Historical Society

On the 24th day of September the previously adjourned A.G.M. of Athy’s Historical Society will be held in the local Community Arts Centre at 8pm. The Society was formed last year in succession to the Athy Museum Society which had been formed in February 1983. The dissolution of the Museum Society followed on an agreement with Kildare County Council for the Council to finance and manage the Museum which the Society had opened in 1983 and which had evolved over the years to become the Shackleton Museum. On 24th September I hope that any of my readers interested in Athy’s history will come to the A.G.M. If you are not already a member of the Athy Historical Society you may join on the night on payment of an annual fee of €20. Following the A.G.M. a further short meeting will be called to discuss plans in connection with the protection of Athy’s built heritage and in particular the White Castle. Let me conclude by quoting some extracts from an Eye on the Past of many years ago in which I dealt with the early years of Athy’s Museum Society. ‘I returned to Athy in 1982 after a period of 21 years away from the town in which I had grown up. During those 21 years I developed an interest in the town’s local history. To start a local history group in Athy seemed an obvious extension to that interest and discussions with Pat Mulhall and Tadgh Brennan offered sufficient encouragement to proceed with the idea. I believed that a local museum would be the most tangible way of involving the greatest number of local people in local history. In January 1983 I wrote to a number of people whom I thought would be supportive of the idea of starting a museum in Athy. I mentioned that the matter had already been discussed with a number of local people and with local government officials and that initial response was encouraging. Contact was also made at that early stage with the Federation of Local History Societies of Ireland and with the museum section of the Old Carlow Society, both of whom were extremely helpful. A meeting was held in the jury room of the Courthouse, Athy on Monday, 31st January 1983. The small group in attendance agreed that Athy was rich in history and with many links to the great events in Irish history should have a museum. A further meeting was arranged for Monday, 14th February and the Athy Museum Society was formally established at the meeting. The Society’s first secretary was Mrs. Noreen Ryan, while Bertie Doyle, publican of Woodstock Street, was appointed treasurer. Within a few weeks the Kildare County Manager, Gerry Ward, met Pat Mulhall and myself and he agreed to provide space for a small museum in the Town Hall if and when other demands on the building so allowed. At that stage the Town Hall still housed the Urban District Council offices where the Town Clerk was Jimmy O’Higgins, who himself had attended the inaugural meeting of the society in 1983. In the meantime the Museum Society was able to use the former classroom in Mount Saint Marys, owing to the generosity of the local Sisters of Mercy. There Ken Sale and others worked on several weekends to install spotlights and to generally prepare the former classroom for use as a local museum. Shop display cabinets were kindly donated by Trevor Shaw of Shaws Department Store and the museum soon opened every Sunday afternoon between 2pm and 5pm. Following a major improvement project on the Town Hall the fire brigade which occupied the ground floor moved to new premises and the library services moved into the first floor of the building. Donegal born Gerry Ward, Kildare County Manager, was finally able to facilitate the Museum Society and in or about 1989 the ground floor room which had once been home to the Wright family was made available to the society. The Athy Museum Society played a major part in Athy Urban District Council’s successful application for Heritage Town status. The importance of the Museum Society to the development of our understanding of the town’s cultural and historical past cannot be overstated. Many people have helped in different ways to transform the dream of a local history museum into what is now the Shackleton Museum. I will mention just a few who have long passed away, but whose contribution shall not be forgotten. Pat Mulhall, Dick Norris, Patsy O’Neill, Mick Rowan, Tom Prendergast, Noreen Ryan and especially Bertie Doyle, the past treasurer of the Museum Society who shared the dream but did not live to see this day.’ People with an interest in local history have a sense of place, a sense of identity and a love for their own town or village. Local history is a subsidiary part of our country’s history, whose value lies in the vivid reminder of people and events of the past which helps us to better understand our country’s history.

Francis Taaffe, Film Art Director

There are many talented persons living amongst our local community here in South Kildare who are perhaps unknown to the general public. I was reminded of this within the last few weeks when the news media announced that “Kneecap” a self titled semi autobiographical film was chosen as Ireland’s entry in the best international feature film category in the 2025 Academy Awards. This was even before the film was released in Ireland. Made in Belfast, “Kneecap” is the fictionalised story of a west Belfast hip-hop trio rapping in Irish and English featuring guest appearances from Michael Fassbender and would you believe Gerry Adams. Art Director on the film was an Athy man or more accurately a Monaghan man who has lived in Athy for forty years. He works for the most part in Belfast returning to Athy each weekend. In the last 12 months he has wrapped series 2 of “Malpractice” for ITV having earlier completed work on series 3 of “Daigleish” for Channel 5. I understand he will shortly begin to work on series 3 of “Blue lights” for BBC. How you may ask does someone living in Athy end up working in Belfast in the film and TV industry. He attended secondary school in Ardscoil na Trionoide and from there attended the Dun Laoghaire College of Art and Design to study film. He worked on many short films during his four years in Dun Laoghaire and immediately on finishing college he worked as a video assist operator which gave rise to the opportunity to work on the floor of some big shoots such as “Space Truckers” , “Reign of Fire” and “King Arthur”. He eventually ended up in the art department of a well known studio where he trained as a trainee Art Director later as assistant Art Director before emerging as a fully qualified Art Director. He was Art Director for all three series of the multi award winning “Derry Girls” and coined the phrase “Protestants keep their toasters in cupboards” which featured on the famous blackboard in series two which is now on display in the Ulster Museum. The Athy man has worked on “Hope Street” for the BBC “Ice cream Girls” for ITV, “Living the Dream” for Sky and “The Secret” for ITV. Some of the films on which he worked include “Pixie” staring Alec Baldwin and Colm Meaney, “The Cured” staring Elliot Page and Tom Vaughan Lawler and “Song for a Raggy Boy” staring Aidan Quinn. His first brush with the Academy Awards was when he was production designer on the short film “New Boy” based on the story by Roddy Doyle which was nominated for best live action short film in 2008. Two weeks ago one of his most recent feature films “Fréwaka” premiered at the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland. That film will be released here in Ireland next year. Despite his commitment to film making in Belfast and Northern Ireland his talents are not completely lost to Athy. His skill as a graphic artist has been readily made available to me and the organisers of the Shackleton Autumn School for many years past. He designs the cover for the annual ‘Nimrod’ publication and has also designed the many imaginative Shackleton Autumn School posters which have appeared each year. The mystery man is my second son, Francis, who understandably is very much unknown in Athy. He is perhaps one of many talented individuals living amongst us who have interesting stories to tell. Much interest has been shown in my recent article regarding the White Castle and the need to put arrangements in place to ensure its protection and preservation. The officials of Kildare County Council have not shown any interest although the Councillors for Athy Municipal Authority have done so. I propose with public support to make the protection and preservation of the White Castle an important issue of public concern over the next few years. The establishing of a Civic Trust will proceed and charitable status will be sought for the trust while a “GoFundMe” will be set up to accumulate funds for the future. It is also hoped that a substantial portion of the local property tax collected here in Athy Municipality can be allocated to the White Castle fund. This is important in order to show the commitment of the people of Athy to the project and as a persuasive element in any future discussions with State or local authority agencies.