Street Wise – Pearse Street and Barrack Street

This series of articles for the Westmeath Independent is run in conjunction with the Street Wise Athlone series on Athlone Community Radio which is broadcast on Wednesdays during Athlone Today at 2.30pm and repeated on Thurdays mornings at 10am on The Brekkie Show.

Athlone Miscellany with Gearoid O'Brien

Today Barrack Street describes the short street linking the Market Square with Pearse Street. It stretches from the main Post Office to the Garda Barracks but the name Barrack Street pre-dates the Garda Barracks by nearly 200 years! The Barracks referred to in Barrack Street is, of course, the army barracks. The army barracks wall stretched from the junction with Elliott Road right up to the present Garda Barracks but in the 1920s and 30s sites were surrendered, firstly for the building of the Church of S.S. Peter & Paul and later for Government buildings: Post Office, Social Welfare Office, Office of Public Works and Garda Barracks.

The Westmeath Independent of Saturday 14 June 1947 carried this report under the heading “Garda Occupy New Station”: “On Monday last the members of the local Garda went into occupation of their new station in Barrack Street, and the old building at Fry Place which had been a police station for over sixty years was closed up. The new building, which is splendidly laid out and equipped, was erected by Messrs Thornbury & Co., contractors, Tullamore, under the supervision of the local Board of Works engineers. Faced by red brick, the building is very imposing, and its erection has decidedly improved the appearance of Barrack Street. The interior is magnificently finished, and all modern amenities are included in the plan. The day room, offices, kitchen and dining room are situated on the ground floor, whilst on the first floor there are three dormitories, bath rooms and stores. The day room is laid out in such a way that the public can attend at a counter without, as was the case in the old station, having to go into the room itself. The popularity of the Garda force in Athlone was made evident on Monday night last, when dozens of leading citizens called to see the new station and to wish the men the best of health and luck in their new surroundings. They were received with the greatest courtesy and shown over the building, which they much admired.” The two Sergeants assigned to the new station were Sgt. Gilhooly and Sgt. Lynch.

Barrack Street

The name Barrack Street can be traced back to 1765 at least when it appears on a deed relating to property in the area. It was once used to describe the full street, including the present Pearse Street. Around the turn of the nineteenth century (and certainly by 1804) Barrack Street or Barrack Street

West was applied to the street we now know as Barrack Street and the street we know as Pearse Street was designated as King Street in honour of King George III. This was probably an action taken by the Corporation of Athlone, on the suggestion of William Handcock MP for Athlone, to show support for the Act of Union. The great social and political commentator, Sir Jonah Barrington, once wrote “Will Handcock…made and sang songs against the Union in 1799 at a public dinner of the Opposition, and made and sang songs for it in 1800. He got a peerage.”

According to Griffith’s Valuations of 1854 the five property holders in Barrack Street were: Joseph M. Fallon; Michael Moran; John Gladstone; Hugh Brennan and Michael Flynn, there was one property unoccupied. From Slater’s Directory of 1856 we learn that Hugh Brennan was a whitesmith, Joseph Malachy Fallon an apothecary and Michael Flynn, John Gladstone and Michael Moran were all publicans. By 1856 the property which had been unoccupied was taken over by Charles Summerville who was also a publican.

From King Street to Pearse Street

The names King Street and Queen Street are still well recognised by residents on the Connaught side of Athlone even though they were changed officially over 85 years ago!

At the January meeting of Athlone U.D.C. in 1935, in accordance with notice, Cllr Henry moved that King Street be called Pearse Street and Queen Street be called Connolly Street, after two of the Easter week Martyrs. Cllr Henry also expressed his desire to see the name of Castlemaine Street changed too. Cllr Broderick seconded the motion.

Cllr Fleming said that some of the residents in King Street felt that the motion should be postponed. It was pointed out to him that they had memoranda and bill-heads printed for future use, bearing the address of King Street. The motion, he felt, could be postponed until they exhausted the material they had in stock.

Mr P.V.C. Murtagh said that he had got a letter the previous day addressed from Great Brunswick Street, Dublin.

Cllr Walsh asked “What is it called now?”

To which Mr Murtagh replied “Pearse Street.”

The motion was unanimously passed.

It transpired that the Dublin street-name had been changed eleven years previously, in 1924, to honour Padraig and Willie Pearse.

At the August meeting of the Council, Cllr Henry was informed that the new nameplates had been erected in Pearse Street and Connolly Street and also in Sean Costello Street, which was the new name decided upon for Castlemaine Street.

Pearse Street in 1901

Pearse Street was a very desirable place to live in 1901. It was a great business street with a branch of the Bank of Ireland; two solicitor’s offices (P.R. Kelly & J.J. Walsh); two gent’s hairdressers (R. Wheatley & W. Gordon); a Jeweller & watchmaker (Leo Faller); a Photographer & Printer (J.T. Huban); a private hotel run my Mary Dunne; Peter Murray’s Public House; several shops including Turkington’s who ran a bakery & provisions shop, Elizabeth Murray’s General Grocery, and two fruit shops – one run by Charlotte Rowan and the other by John Kelly. There were also about a dozen, mainly high-class private residences in the street belonging to merchants and professionals including the Lysters, Coens and P.R. Kelly a local solicitor. The Court House then, as now, was located in Pearse Street.

By the time of the 1911 Census there was also a branch of the National Bank in Pearse Street and three private hotels run by Kate Gleeson, Martin Mulligan and Mary Dunne.

Leo Faller the jeweller had come to Ireland with his brother, Stephen, from Germany as a young man in the 1870s. Initially he worked with Stephen in Galway before coming to Athlone to set up in business first in Castlemaine Street, before moving to Wentworth Street (O’Connell Street) and eventually Pearse Street. Fallers are still trading in Galway as jewellers.

The two hairdressers, Richard Wheatley and William Gordon, vied for business. Given his proximity to the military barracks Richard Wheatley had his ordinary salon and a first-class salon, with high-class fixtures and fittings to cater for the officers in the barracks.

Next week: Connaught Street.

READ MORE: See previous articles in the series HERE