By Jimmy Somers

Source:  Athenry ADC’s Publication – The Athenry Journal, Vol. 1, No 2. 1995

I will start in Old Church Street and am open to correction. (Right hand side as you enter the town from Galway) My first port of call is the Credit Union. This site was owned by Sweeney’s and used as a coal yard and was then taken over by Lucan Ice Cream as their depot for Co. Galway. The drivers were  Michael Kindregan, Mountpelier, Eamon Cummins, Kilskeagh and Michael Russell of Monivea.

Next door to this is Farrell’s Insurance. This house was owned by the Murray family. The two sons, Dermot and Michael, are living in Galway. Michael J. Rooney, the Court Clerk, next lived there. His daughter, Maeve, is now a nun in Newport. Co. Mayo.

Joe Burke’s house was in fact two houses in the forties. Garda Tom O’Keefe lived in one and he had a son a priest. The O’Regan’s lived in it before my time. The other was a little sweet shop owned my Maggie Hynes. She never had a paper bag but she made her own cone shape out of a piece of paper. You got ten sweets for a penny.

Next to her where Michael Healy lives now there was a postman named Tomo Reilly, who lived  with his sister Essie and his brother Pat. He always said ‘Fine day’ in a long drawn out manner no matter what the weather was like.

Micheal Quinn’s house comes after this. His father had a carpenter shop and forge. He wheeled the newly made horse carts onto the street in front of his house each morning.

Tommie Fox lived where Paul Thompson is now and carried on much the same business.

Kavanagh’s private house was on the corner beside Joey O’Flynn’s radio shop – the only radio shop in Athenry. Radios and wirelesses at that time had two batteries-one that had to be charged and the other a dry battery, which lasted about six months. There was no electric or transistor radio at that time.

In the next house, where May Wilson is now, lived two old ladies – Miss Kellys.

Then, there was John Joe White in what is now Mrs. Howley’s house. John Joe had a bakery across the street from here. I think Batty Cunniffe had the house next to that, but I’m not sure.

Next was and still is Duddy’s house and after that Moloney’s shop, which hasn’t changed much over the years.

Norah and Hubert  McInerney,  who both worked in Mahon’s of Cross Street, lived in the next house. They had a sister Mary who was physically handicapped and had difficulty walking but was a great character.

After McInerney’s comes Jimmy Nolan’s shop, which was once owned by Miss Julia Morrissey, who was great with Liam Mellows of 1916 fame. Joey O’Flynn’s sisters (“We haven’t white thread but would black thread do”) had a shop and library there.

Dempsey’s house and butcher shop, now owned by Barney Carroll, was built on the site of a grain store, I believe.

At the top of the street the houses were owned by the Brodericks.

The ‘Fields of Athenry’ pub and shop, now Melia’s, was owned by Sean Broderick, a Fine Gael T.D. for this area. This man built a row of houses in Prospect. His brother Christy, the chemist, lived next door. Jim Kelly, the chemist, is the present owner.

Next, John Whelan had a shop where Kitty Lardiner lives now. The widow Lardiner’s Pub was there long ago.

On the corner was Sonny Glynn’s Pub. His sister, Bridgie Feeney, continues the business today.

Where Finesse Hair Salon is now, was Professor Margaret Heavey’s house. Known affectionately as ‘Ma’, she was a great help to the Athenry students in U.C.G.

Next to that comes Dan Reynold’s house where Keane’s Pub is now. Pakie Fallon wrote the poem “Duddy’s Yard” about this place. It was said of Dan Reynolds – a very tall man – that he could take a bottle off the top self without getting off his chair and, during his courting days, his height was also an advantage as the town wall was no hindrance when he kissed his girl-friend goodnight, while she was in her garden on the other side of the wall. He had a son, Joe, and a daughter, Mildred.

Where Mary Ruane is now, I saw a bank there. I think it was a Munster and Leinster branch.

Next was Mrs. ‘Momma’ Quintons’. She had the sweet shop at the station and moved up to Old Church Street and did a thriving business.

Then came Peter Connolly’s Chemist shop. This was Nolan’s before that, I think.

John Joe White’s Bakery was the next place. The bakers were Tommy Kelly and Buster Walsh (a brother of Berla Walsh) who lived where Christy Archer has his barber shop now in McDonnell’s Lane. John Joe had an old clock hanging inside the front door. This clock was not working and he had a sign across its face: NO TICK HERE. Kelly’s Auctioneers, now in its place, probably have a new clock.

The next premises was Mrs. Brennan’s tea house. Nowadays it would be called a café. She was Paddy Brennan’s (Northgate Street) mother and J.J. (‘Tarzan’) Brennan’s grandmother.

Gerry Atkinson’s butcher shop is here now. Next was Higgin’s Garage and Petrol Pumps. That time petrol pumps were worked by hand. Over the garage was the Court House. If anybody threatened you with the law, you would be told “I’ll bring you up the stairs.” Margaret O’Halloran has a dressmaking shop there now.

After this, came Christy Broderick’s first chemist shop, (Medical Hall), where Mary and Kathleen Gardner have a B&B nowadays. He had a chemist named Jim Ward working for him for many years. Christy owned a pack of beagles and it was a big occasion every Sunday to follow the hounds around the countryside.

Joe Shaughnessy lived in the following house where Eileen’s hairdressing salon is now. He worked for the County Council on the roads and I think he was the first fireman in Athenry.

Malachy Kearney, who lived in the next house, worked in Sweeney’s of Cross Street, in the paint store. His wife Ursulla (Daly) worked in the Post Office when it was in the Square.

The Pine Tree was once Sweeney’s shop and bar. Eddie Delaney, an artist/sculptor of fame, worked there as a shop boy. Jimmy Cannon’s diner was owned by the McNamara family who ran a hackney business. I knew a Miss Heffernan who had a shop there, also two Miss McLoughlins and later John Kennedy of Boyhill.

Then there was the O’Grady’s, Sonny, Michael and Kitty Wilson. Sonny owned a bit of land outside the town as did many householders.

Guard Coffey lived in the next house – his wife Elizabeth died a few weeks ago. May she rest in peace. These two houses are now the Flower Shop.

After this came Michael Walsh. He is where Michael Morrissey is now. He did a bit of carpentry work. His workshop is still there.

After a derelict site came a shop owned by Sweeney’s. They called it the Sunday Shop. That’s where I started business first. It was run by Jim Bransfield, who sold bicycles.

The next house was Sweeney’s private house. When owned by the Kenny family it was the Ivy Hotel. They had a hotel in Dublin also. Pakie Fallon, the poet, also lived in this house and the yard next to it, behind our last shop, was always called Fallon’s Yard. Tommy Whelan now lives here.