Street Wise Athlone – Glassan

Athlone Miscellany with Gearoid O'Brien

This series of articles for the Westmeath Independent was run in conjunction with the Street Wise Athlone series on Athlone Community Radio

In March this year I attended a fascinating Old Athlone Society lecture by Dr Aengus O Fionnagain on the history of Glassan. It is several years since I saw such a huge attendance at a lecture, there was literally standing room only and I was actually in the corridor outside the lecture room. In the course of the lecture Aengus kept us spellbound with his great array of maps and dispelled some of our long-held beliefs about the origins of the village.

Dr O Fionnagain, who is a lecturer in the University of Limerick is already engaged in extensive research on the placenames and field-names of Westmeath, but hopefully he will find the time to commit his lecture to paper as it contains some of the most interesting theories about the development of this beautiful village based on the study of the historical geography of the area.

It is usually claimed that Glassan is an estate village which grew up around the Waterston estate but Aengus showed us maps which showed that the village probably grew up around a small milling industry on the Tullaghan river and while the Waterston estate may well have sustained many of the residents of the village, the lack of uniformity of the houses and of any of the key components which are usually found in a planned estate village suggests that Glassan is not an estate village in the accepted meaning of that term.

The Village of the Roses

Since Victorian times, at least, Glassan has been referred to as the ‘Village of the Roses’. Mary Banim, visited Glassan in the early 1890s, at a time when, apparently, the village was in decline. She describes the village in her book ‘Here and There Through Ireland’ which was published in 1892:

Glassan she says “is a village that ten years ago was an ideal one, but has been neglected of late by its owner. Still, it is extremely pretty, and consists of one long street, approached at either end by avenues shaded by splendid old trees. The houses are of picturesque build, and some are kept in the old style – smothered in roses and fuchsias; upon all are trained vines and climbing plants, but many show the hand of want has come within, and when that comes the neglect of the beautiful quickly follows. The past landlord personally looked to the care of trees and flowers in which the whole place is embowered; indeed, so much at heart had he the beauty of the cottages that it is said no inmate dare pluck a rose off his own house. The Police Barrack is a model bower still, and so is the schoolhouse. Then at the extreme end of the village, there is the haunted house – ivy-covered, weather-beaten and dismantled. No one could live in that dwelling; strange sights were seen and sounds heard, and Death surely followed any family that went to inhabit it, until at last all left it peaceably to the ghosts and to the ruin that is fast bring a desolate look over its very walls.

The old Irish love for a bit of law seems as strong as ever, for it was court day when we passed the pretty cottage where law and physic are dispensed, and numerous groups were arriving from all sides, eagerly discussing the rights of their cases, while outside the court, as if awaiting a sufficiently large audience, the magistrates and police officer and a variety of dogs seemed as if equipped rather for rural sports than for the great duty of settling all the little disputes of the districts”.

Harry Rice’s Description of Glassan

Harry Rice in his classic book ‘Thanks for the Memory’ first published in 1952 and republished several times since tells us that the village of Glassan is well worth a visit. He describes it as ‘a short walk from the shore [of Lough Ree], not everyone would agree with his understanding of the word ‘short’. He describes it as “A picturesque locality, it is often referred to as the ‘Villages of the Roses’. The imposing pair of wrought iron gates at the entrance to the village mark the home of Captain Wolfe Smythe, a prominent figure in Lough Ree yachting circles. There are two inns on opposite sides of the street. In either, one will be met with a smile and a cheery welcome. Here one may down a “ball of malt” as good as any to be found in Ireland. For those whose taste lies in that direction, there is a bottle of minerals, for other a pint of the dark wine of Ireland.

Further to the west, on top of a hill, with a background of noble trees, lies the mansion of Ladywell. Built in the attractive style of the Georgian period it stands with dignity amongst its yew trees and balustrades, looking out over the panorama of the Inner Lakes. An avenue leads down from the house to the shore. Here there is a harbour built of cut stone – one of the finest private harbours on the lake. Close by is a well. For some unknown reason it has dried up. Its name is “Tobar Mhuire”, the Well of Mary. In olden days “stations” were performed there on September 8th. The same date marks the patron day of Bunowen.

To the left of Ladywell House is another attractive mansion, owned by Mr Frank Reid. This is known as Killenure Lodge [this should read Killinure House]. The surrounding country consists of rolling downs, attractively wooded. Behind it lies the road which connects the narrows at Coosan with the village of Tubberclair.”

The history of both Ladywell and Killinure House are dealt with in considerable detail by Donal O’Brien in his book ‘The Houses and Landed Families of Westmeath’.

Griffith’s Valuation, 1854

One of the indispensable sources for the local historian is the printed ‘General Valuation of Rateable Property in Ireland’ compiled by Richard Griffith. The relevant volume for Glassan is ‘The Union of Athlone …County Westmeath.

Glassan is in the Barony of Kilkenny West but it is divided between two civil parishes: the parish of Bunown and the parish of Kilkenny West. Most of the land and property in Glasson which lies in the civil parish of Bunown was being leased from The Hon. R.T.H. Temple, a few other property owners are listed including George Savoy, James Farrell and Peter Spollen. There were two mills in this part of Glassan – one owned by Wm Henry Daniel, a local magistrate and landowner, who lived in Lough Ree Lodge, in 1854 William Carthy had a lease on this mill. The second mill property was owned by Gertrude Conran but leased to Patrick Manny in 1854. In one entry George Savoy is described as a carpenter and in another he occupies a forge – were these perhaps father and son?

In that part of the village in the civil parish of Kilkenny West again the hon R.T.H. Temple was the landlord for the majority of the properties with minor properties owned by Gertrude Conran, Patrick Manny (the miller) and Catherine Hall. Also in this part of the village were the Dispensary, The Petty Sessions House (Court House), the ‘church’, the School House and the Police Barracks all of which were exempt from paying rates. While there was a Petty Sessions House in the village, according to local tradition the police attached to the Barracks in Glassan often brought criminals to Mr Daniel’s home where he had an outdoor ‘seat of justice’ where he sat and pronounced his judgements. If he saw fit, he would remand the prisoner in custody to the Brideswell attached to the Brawney Barracks in Irishtown to appear before the Athlone Assizes.

The largest landholders in the village in 1854 included: John Spollen; the local doctor, Edward J. Fallon and Margaret Farrell.

Next article: Moydrum

To see previous articles in this series, read here