Dublin book shops

The recent closure of Chapters book shop in Dublin adds to the growing list of second hand book shops which have shut their doors in recent years. I remember Webbs book shops which were to be found in the 1960s on Bachelor’s Walk and Aston Quay, Dublin. That second mentioned book shop had book stalls outside the shop with well stacked book shelves inside. Its companion shop on Bachelor’s Walk closed some time before the other premises and their closure marked the end of the quayside bookshops which were once so popular in Dublin. For a book vulture like myself the years I spent in Dublin were particularly enjoyable. I worked in Baggot Street, close to Parsons book shop on Baggot Bridge which had become a Dublin literary landmark under the guidance of its owner May O’Flaherty. May, who started the book shop in the late 1940s, was always known as Miss O’Flaherty and with her behind the counter was the County Galway native, Mary King. Both appeared to be of a similar age and for book buyers they were founts of literary knowledge, ever helpful and enthusiastically advising of the works of Irish writers of merit. It was in Parsons that I met Mary Lavin, a gracious woman and a wonderful writer as well as observing, but not approaching, the poet Paddy Kavanagh on one of his regular visits to May O’Flaherty’s emporium. Parsons wasn’t a second-hand book shop but I do recall Miss O’Flaherty’s interest in the writings of Mervyn Wall and her acquisition of many remaindered copies of his books which she encouraged all and sundry to read. The aging Liam O’Flaherty who lived in nearby Court apartments was a very occasional visitor to Parsons and after I met him there he generously signed for me copies of all of his books about two years before he died. Parsons closed in 1989, while another second hand book shop which I visited at least twice a week lasted for another few more years. This was Greene’s book shop in Clare Street which was a second hand book shop with a Post Office on the ground floor and book shelves on the stairway leading to two second hand book filled rooms on the first floor. It was a wonderful place to spend one’s lunch hour and provided many exciting book finds during the 10 years I worked in the Baggot Street office. Sadly Greene’s book shop closed some years ago, as did Fred Hanna’s on Nassau Street directly opposite Trinity College. Hanna’s was a new and second hand book shop, presided over by Fred Hanna who died 11 years ago. The book shop was opened in the 1840s and taken over by Fred’s grandfather in 1907. Fred joined the business in 1951 and remembers his father who had succeeded his own father in the business buying up a substantial part of the Carton library from the Duke of Leinster. I recall attending book signings in Hanna’s by Edna O’Brien in the late 1970s and buying second hand Seamus Heaney signed books long before Hanna’s book shop closed in 1999. Another wonderful second hand book shop was Carraig book shop of Blackrock, Co. Dublin founded by Alfred Day in 1968. Carraig Books closed down in the early part of 2020 but I understand it is still carrying on business online. One of the most famous Irish book dealers of recent times was Kennys of Galway who withdrew from their High Street premises some years ago and are now to be found in an industrial estate on the Tuam Road, Galway. Galway is also home to Charlie Byrne’s book shop in Middle Street, a highly regarded second hand book shop which is probably entitled to be called the most interesting and best shop of its kind in Ireland. Charlie Byrne from County Longford trained as an archaeologist and first set up a book shop which I remember many years ago in Dominic Street, Galway. Charlie Byrnes has now become a Galway literary landmark in the same way as Kennys was some years ago when located on High Street. For the bibliophiles the opportunity to satisfy his or her search for second hand books is becoming more and more difficult. However, the loss of second hand book shops has in some way been softened by the holding of book fairs which were understandably not held during Covid 19. The Dublin book fair is a monthly event, while the Belfast and Cork book fairs are major annual events. Other book fairs are held annually in Fethard and Wexford, while the annual Graiguenamanagh book fair extending over a weekend is another event which attracts a lot of visitors to the County Kilkenny village. As the second hand book shops close a new retailing experience is opening up with the advent of charity book shops. Oxfam book shop in Parliament Street Dublin and a smaller Oxfam unit in Rathmines are worth a visit. Here in Athy we have the Lions Book Shop, opened approximately 10 years ago, where Alice Rowan works as a volunteer on behalf of the Lions Club. It provides a much-needed place for recycling books no longer required and by doing so helping Athy Lions Club charities while giving adults and young persons alike the opportunity to acquire reading material at extremely reasonable prices.

Policing and crime in early 19th century Athy

Throughout the greater part of the 19th century the dark clouds of unemployment hung over Athy. The closure of the tanyards and the winding down of the local breweries left a void which remained unfilled for many decades. Athy was a poor town in the midst of a rich countryside. Throughout the 19th century it was to be home to generations of unemployed men who with their families lived in the unfit hovels which lined it’s lanes and alleyways. Unemployment and wretched living conditions nourished the seeds of social discontent and criminality which surfaced from time to time during the first half of the 19th century. One notable crime recorded occurred on 2nd February 1801 when Joseph Higginbotham, farmer of Narraghmore, was murdered by one Christopher Duffy at Boleybeg and following the Coroner’s inquest it was found that James Johnson of Ballitore conspired with Duffy to murder Higginbotham. The Peace Preservation Force instituted by Robert Peel in September 1814 was the forerunner of modern police forces. A heavily armed force drawn mainly from the ranks of the militia and ex-soldiers, its operations sometimes gave cause for public complaint. On October 22nd 1817 Thomas Fitzgerald, the Geraldine based magistrate, forwarded to Dublin Castle the sworn affidavit of Thomas Noud of Kilmead concerning outrages committed by the new force. The replacement by the Peace Preservation Force of the local yeomanry, whose knowledge of their own locality was invaluable in combating crime, gave the locals greater scope for illegal nocturnal activities. Such activities grew in frequency and a number of incidents in and around Athy in August 1818 were the first indication of the resurgence of ribbonmen activity in south Kildare. Early in 1822 an attempt was made to burn the Athy Gaol for which a conviction was secured against a hapless individual the following March. Around this time the Peace Preservation Force was replaced by County Constabulary, a police force to which local magistrates retained the right of appointing constables and sub-constables. James Tandy, newly appointed Chief Magistrate of Police, residing at Annfield, Kilcullen was petitioned in October 1822 by some baronies to reduce the level of the police numbers in the county. The local landlords felt they were unable to finance from their own resources a large public force, whatever the consequences. However, Robert Rawson of Glassealy warned Tandy ‘that the emissaries of sedition are at work again as busy as ever …… I am assured there are regular meetings held now in this town (Athy) …… I have succeeded in dissuading the landholders of East Narragh from petitioning.’ The following years gave rise to sporadic outbursts of ribbonmen activity, such as the burning of the Athy residence of Chief Constable Dolman in 1825 for which two locals, Ging and Hutchinson were arrested. However, conditions in south Kildare had improved by 1828. Thereafter little of note occurred until 1830 when the house of Rev. Frederick Trench, Church of Ireland curate, was raided for arms when the Rev. gentleman was at Sunday Service. We are told that the raiders ‘were led by his wife quite peaceably through the dining room (where there were silver forks and spoons on the table) to his study where she opened a glass case in which were his arms, and a purse containing some money. They took away the arms, but touched nothing else.’ The ‘first green flag with white ribbon at the top of the pole ever I saw was on August 15th 1830’ wrote local man Charles Carey in his diary. It was apparently the only evidence of anti-government activity in the area at that time. The countryside had become more peaceful, no doubt due to the setting up of the county Constabulary. The general cessation of ribbonmen activities in and around Athy was marked by the first manifestation of union activity in the town. In 1832 the following notice was found posted near the Grand Canal in Athy. ‘T A K E N O T I C E From this day forward, that no man will be allowed to work in any boat without having regular wages 10/= per week. Any person or persons daring to violate this notice, will be visited by night by those people under the denomination of Whitefeet or Terry Alts. Any man putting us to the necessity of paying him a visit will be sorry; therefore any man who has not the above wages, let him not to attempt to leave Athy. I remain your humble servant Terry Alt.’ What effect this warning had on the boatmen of Athy we cannot now say. However, thereafter there was little or no local activity attributed to the ribbonmen or Terry Alts. Athy was to settle back into the murky backwaters of provincial life which in the first half of the 19th century involved continued squalor and poverty for a large proportion of its population.