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Old Jail, Roscommon

This colour tinted photo was taken by John Valentine of the Old Jail, Roscommon. It was built c.1740, and occupies a prominent position in the town centre. The facade is all that is left today, and a modern extension now houses the Stone Court shopping centre. It was possibly designed by Richard Cassels, who also designed Leinster House, Powerscourt House, and Cartron House. It had the distinction of having a lady hangwoman, in the person of "Lady Betty", herself a criminal, who had her sentence withdrawn, on condition that she carried out her gruesome task without pay. The top most arch in the centre of the building, housed the bell that announced exercise periods and mealtimes. Public hangings were reportedly carried out from a timber platform, built outside the fourth storey doorway, on the left hand side of the image. The wrought iron railing outside the main door was still in situ, when the photographer took this shot. The horses with their cartloads of turf, are attended only by a young boy, whilst their masters sup at the inn, perhaps? Having served as a jail for nearly one hundred years, it became a lunatic asylum post 1822 and ten years later it became a lazeretto - a refuge for small pox sufferers. Its use changed yet again to a market house, a private dwelling house for numerous Roscommon families, and finally, a shopping centre in 1999.

Image is present on following page(s): Buildings

The Old Abbey, Roscommon

This colour tinted view of the Abbey was taken looking towards the north west. Samuel Lewis in his Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, (1837) describes the remains of the Abbey with its "northern transept, in which is an aisle separated by four pointed arches, resting on massive round pillars. Over the principle entrance is a very beautiful window, with an enriched architrave decorated with pinnacles, the windows in the choir are lancet shaped. Fragments of sculptured stones are scattered over the whole area, which is still in use as a burial place". The beautiful Celtic Cross in the left foreground is now sadly mutilated and grounded. This belongs to the Kelly/O'Rorke Mausoleum, the plinth remains also in a bad state of repair. A variety of limestone gravemarkers can be seen, the earliest legible one dating back to 1797. The postcard was posted from Roscommon in 1929, to New York at a cost of one and a half pennies.

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Ranelagh, Roscommon

Possibly taken at the turn of the 20th century, given the dress of the ladies and gentleman with bike, this is the Ranelagh, former endowed schoolhouse, supported by Lord Ranelagh, with a bequest of £52.00 per annum. This view encapsulates the grandness of George Ensor's fine mid to late 18th century house. The two storey ivy and rose clad three bay pedimented breakfront, has the Ranelagh coat of arms over a central doorcase. The Ranelagh schools had a varied history, admitting only children of Protestants, as requested by Lord Ranelagh, in his will. This schoolhouse was reserved for the education of girls only. In 1855, the curate of Roscommon, Fr. James Fitzgerald, was also manager of the school. At the Endowed Schools Commission of that year, Rev. Dr. Graves gave evidence that "there was no institution in which I found the arrangements better, or the instruction of children of a superior class". It continued as a school, apparently for all denominations, in its latter years up to 1912 approximately. The County Surveyor, a Mr. Mullaney lived there with his family.

Image is present on following page(s): Schools

Convent Schools, Roscommon c.1970

This is a colour photo postcard of the Convent Schools complex in Roscommon town taken sometime late in the 1960's. The stone building in the right foreground, is the original three storey Primary school opened in 1902, and reduced by one storey in 1964. A pre-fab building extends the Primary school to the left foreground all on the church side of the road. The buildings immediately behind that, are the convent Secondary complex, with the railway station "greened" out in the rear.

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Protestant Church, Roscommon

This Church of Ireland church, named after Saint Coman is a detached building set in its own grounds, in Henry Street. The orginal photo was taken by William Lawrence from the southern perspective. Samuel Lewis in his Topographical Dictionary, 1837 described it as follows "a neat edifice with a square tower, in which are a doorway and window of elegant design". It was built in 1775 with a three bay nave, transept to the south, vestry to the north and a three stage castellated tower to the west. The card was posted from Roscommon to Philidelphia in 1908 at a cost of one penny.

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LOUGHMORE - Loughmoe Castle

View of the ruins of Loughmoe Castle

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Merrion Avenue, Blackrock, Co.Dublin.

Merrion Avenue was developed as part of a landscaping plan for the Fitzwilliam estate. Trees were planted along the avenue and an entrance was created at the bottom of it. This occurred after 1704 when Mount Merrion House was built on 100 acres near Merrion Castle. Up until about 1800 Mount Merrion Avenue was left largely untouched. Houses were then built at the bottom of the avenue at Pembroke Terrace and later at Peafield Terrace.

Image acquired from The Collectors' Shop, Blackrock.

Image is present on following page(s): Merrion Avenue

Abbey Street, Roscommon c.1910

Abbey Street, Roscommon taken by John Valentine is a colour tinted photo showing the middle portion of this street. In the background is the detached, gable fronted Methodist Church, built c. 1860, it's stained glass rose window clearly visible over the door, as well as the stone piers with wrought iron gate. The ivy clad terrace on the right, housed doctors and solicitors. The square porch jutting out at the end of this block, was possibly the entrance to the National Bank. Albert Healy, the Roscommon born musician of note, was born in the "White House", Abbey Street, beside the church. His father was manager of the National Bank across the road.

Copyright managed by the Library Council

Image is present on following page(s): Streets

Roscommon - St. Vincent's Street

This, as the card states on the back is "a real photograph" sepia in colour, and is taken to get full advantage of the expanse of the road to the County Home and Mote Park, as it fades into the distance. The building in the left foreground, is rather interestingly using every inch of wall space, to advertize it's wares. Johnston & O'Reilly's formerly owned by McDonnell's supplied spirits, cigarettes, jewellery, and hardware. O'Reilly lived in the last part of the house, with railings. The entrance to the bar is out of view on Chapel Lane. Reddington's house was next after the lane way and McGibney's had a coach builder's workshop along here also. The car on the road is possibly a hackney car. On the other side of the street, is Campbell's Pork Store.

Copyright managed by the Library Council

Image is present on following page(s): Streets

The Walk, Roscommon

This sepia coloured photo postcard of The Walk, Roscommon was sold by Johnny Coyle's Fancy Stores in the town. The Walk, just outside the town, near the Castle, is said to be so named, as it was used by the garrisons in the Castle to exercise their horses. The fine house at right angles to the road, was that of J.P. Mulligan's. The stables attached to this house are in the right foreground. These are no longer in existence, but the house itself still stands on the same spot.

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'Nine arches' bridge in 2004

The ‘Nine Arches’ viaduct in Milltown, Co.Dublin. This digital image shows how little the bridge has changed over the years. The Old Dublin Laundry chimney is still visible in the background of the picture and the bridge is used to carry the Luas over the River Dodder today.

Digital image taken for project.

Image is present on following page(s): Milltown / Dundrum

Abbey Street, Roscommon c. 1935

Posted from Roscommon in 1944, the sender notes that this "is the road up from the station" and that there are "3 churches, a courthouse and a library on the way". B. F. McLoughlin's hardware, general merchant's and spirit and tobacco supplier is the interesting shop, laden with baskets, buckets and brooms. He certainly seemed to embrace the new fashion of advertizing with the fine aluminium piece of street furniture for Walnut Plug & St. Bruno Flake tobaccos. The next terrace of houses, Georgian in style, sweep down towards the entrance to the Sacred Heart Church, just where the three people are chatting on the street, in the middle distance. The Masonic Lodge had its home on this street also. The second one storey house on the top right, was Curley's shop, and further along the street, where the break comes in the terrace was a stone mason's business house.

Image is present on following page(s): Streets

Nine Arches Bridge, Milltown, Co.Dublin.

The bridge, which today takes the Luas over the River Dodder Valley, was built in the nineteenth century. It was hailed at the time as a huge engineering achievement and was known locally as the Nine Arches. The bridge was made from limestone cut into blocks. The view from the postcard is one remarkably similar to an image used on the railway timetable for the Winter of 1948. The tall chimney in the background is the old Dublin laundry at Milltown. This bridge has certainly stood the test of time.

Image acquired from The Collectors' Shop, Blackrock.

Image is present on following page(s): Milltown / Dundrum

Bullock Harbour, Dalkey

Bullock harbour was part of a walled town dating from about the twelfth century. The monks in St.Mary’s Abbey started off this fishing area and gradually it developed. They sent and received cargo, including fish, from the harbour. The Pilot’s Cottages visible in the postcard were built in 1807 approximately, to house the men sailing boats out to sea and towards the Dublin port. They were known as pilots.

Image acquired from The Collectors' Shop, Blackrock.

Image is present on following page(s): Settlement in Bullock

St. Andrew's Church, Blackrock.

St.Andrew's Church is located on Merrion Avenue and dates from 1899. The design is similar to many Early Christian Byzantine Churches and is octagonal in shape. The church, like Merrion Avenue, has a close connection with the Fitzwilliam family. It was the familys' local church and the Fifth Viscount Fitzwilliam had his children baptized in it. There was a temporary kindergarten school in the church hall from 1909 to 1931. Andrew Carnegie also bequeathed money to the church, resulting in the installation of an organ there in 1912.

Image acquired from The Collectors' Shop, Blackrock.

Image is present on following page(s): Merrion Avenue

Carlisle Pier, Dun Laoghaire.

Carlisle Pier was built between 1853 and 1859 as a result of the increased volume of traffic into the harbour. This included both people and goods. The opening of the railway link between Holyhead and London in 1848 was a significant development for the area. The Dublin Steam Packet Company started using Holyhead as its base also. They operated from Kingstown and introduced three new steamers to transport people over to Holyhead. The railway line was then extended out to Carlisle Pier making it easier for passengers to get from the ship to the train.

Image acquired from The Collectors' Shop, Blackrock.

Image is present on following page(s): Kingstown (Dun Laoghaire) Harbour

Town Hall, Kingstown

The Town Hall building was completed in 1880 and the cost was estimated at £13,000. The material used for the project was local granite and limestone with red and yellow dressings of sandstone. The town hall displays many of the characters of a Venetian building including circular pierced balconies and the coloured stonework. The building was completely refurbished in 1989 to meet fire standards and to combat dry rot. In 1997 the new County Hall was opened. It consisted of the new office buildings, the old Town Hall Post Office and the Harbour Masters Office. It is 90,000 square feet.

Image acquired from The Collectors' Shop, Blackrock.

Image is present on following page(s): Recreation in Kingstown

Postcard from Killarney 1944

New Year greetings sent from College Street Killarney to Cumberland in December 1944.

Image is present on following page(s): Further Postcard Messages

Dundrum Railway Station.

William Dargen designed this station and it remains today as a protected structure. During the construction of the Luas line, the station was used as an office. The sign on the platform says ‘Station for St.Columbas’ College and was put there because of the large number of boarding students passing through the station on their way to the college in Rathfarnham. Heavy goods were also carried through the station and this practice continued until the 1950s.

Image acquired from The Collectors' Shop, Blackrock.

Image is present on following page(s): Milltown / Dundrum

Kenmare,Co.Kerry (Copy)

The photographer is poised at the right moment to capture the arrival of a full coach to what is probably a Fair Day in Kenmare. As usual with street scenes inthe Lawrence Collection the photographer positions himself in the middle of the street. The photograph presents a sense of the animation and activity of the moment.(message on back of postcard reproduced here)

Image is present on following page(s): Further Postcard Messages

Bullock Castle

Bullock Castle was built around the twelfth century to help protect the fishing industry the monks had built up there. An adjoining house was added to the castle in the eighteenth century and a tower was located near the top of the steps to the castle. William Hutchinson (later Harbour Master in Dun Laoghaire) stayed in Bullock Castle for a period from 1817 to supervise quarrying in the area and to manage the pilots who sailed the boats out of the harbour. Today the castle is an historic monument and cultural centre.

Image acquired from The Collectors' Shop, Blackrock.

Image is present on following page(s): Settlement in Bullock

Nelson Street,Tralee 1908 (Postcard message)

This second photogaph offers a number of contrasts and changes to the earlier postcard. It is perhaps ten years later.The townsmen,except for the young boys,show very little interest in the photographer.Indeed they appear to show no interest at all. The sender of the photograph refers to "Mr Donkey and cart standing in the street" The barrels of porter were a common feature of the town in 1908 and for many years later. The trees attached to the Church of Ireland presbytery are now enclosed by a wall which stood until recent times (postcard message )

Image is present on following page(s): Further Postcard Messages

Kingstown Harbour.

Work began on Kingstown Harbour in 1815. It took over forty years to finish and cost over one million pounds. The harbour consisted of two piers and created an area of about 250 acres. The Coal Harbour was very busy and an outer Coal Harbour was built in 1855 to be followed in 1859 by Carlisle Pier. 1863 saw more developments for the harbour including a battery/fort, a lighthouse, keepers’ cottages and a coastguard station. The Mailboat service ran from Dun Laoghaire to Holyhead and continued until the 1970s. In 1969 the Car Ferry Terminal was built. In 1995 a new terminal was built on Carlisle Pier and the HSS Stena Explorer was launched.

Image acquired from The Collectors' Shop, Blackrock.

Image is present on following page(s): Kingstown (Dun Laoghaire) Harbour

Pavilion theatre and gardens

The Pavilion has had quite a tumultuous history. It was erected in 1903 and a theatre exists on the same site today. The intervening years have certainly wrought some changes. Initially the Pavilion and its extensive gardens housed a large number of rooms including tearooms, reading and smoking rooms. It was the focal point for many of the events in Kingstown, including firework displays and performances by famous artists like John McCormack (1908). Two fires (1915 and 1940) caused extensive damage to the building.

Image acquired from The Collectors' Shop, Blackrock.

Image is present on following page(s): Recreation in Kingstown

Pavilion cinema

During the 1920s it became known as the Pavilion Picture House and during the 1930s was very popular with the increasing cinema-going audience. Renovations were carried out in 1939, but in 1940 another fire caused more damage. The cinema carried on until 1974.

Donated by Seamus Kearns (postcard collector)

Image is present on following page(s): Recreation in Kingstown

Main Street, Roscommon c. 1900

Very delicately colour tinted photo postcard of a crowded Main Street, Roscommon town on a fair day at the turn of the 20th century. The limestone obelisk-like monument, to the foreground of the image, was erected in the memory of Luke Hayden M.P. around 1900. He was Chairman of the Roscommon Town Commissioners. It remains to this day in a prominent position in the town square. The Bank of Ireland is the pleasing cut stone three storey building on the front right. Miss Igoe's corset making shop is one of the shops on the right as is Melia's Bakery. To the left foreground is Smith's undertakers and hackney cars, next, after the laneway is Dowdall's Drapers and next door to that is James O'Connor's business house.

Image is present on following page(s): Streets

CAHIR - The Castle

View of Cahir Castle from Castle St., Cahir

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NENAGH - The Castle

Black and White image of Nenagh Castle

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The Gardens, Kingstown.

The Gardens are known today as the People’s Park. The site was previously Glasthule Quarry and granite was quarried from here to help build the harbour in Dun Laoghaire. J.L.Robinson designed the layout for the park around a bandstand and two iron fountains. The park was officially opened in 1890. A park keeper was employed and a resident gardener up until the 1970s. One of the fountains was restored in 1985 and dedicated for the 70th anniversary of the Easter Rising. The other one was also restored in 1988. The playground, which dated from the 1950s, was redesigned in 1988.

Image acquired from The Collectors' Shop, Blackrock.

Image is present on following page(s): Kingstown (Dun Laoghaire) Harbour

AHERLOW - Moore's Abbey

Image of the ruins of Moore's Abbey, in the Glen of Aherlow

Copyright managed by the Library Council

Image is present on following page(s): Moore's Abbey

CASHEL - Cormac's Chapel (a)

View of Cormac's Chapel from the south

Image is present on following page(s): Cormac's Chapel

Cahir Castle, Co. Tipperary

A view looking towards the bridge over the Suir on Castle Street

Image is present on following page(s): Cahir Castle