Published: Wednesday, 16th June, 2010 3:25pm

Pages from the Past

1860

Jailed for a month for begging

The Westmeath Independent of June 23, 1860, reported on the Athlone Petty Sessions, the equivalent of the modern district court.

"James Scally and Bob Carpenter, two well known carpenters were summoned by Constable Wixsted, for begging in the streets.

The constable reported that the men were very troublesome and it had been most difficult to get them away from the horse and carriage of Mr Magill, the previous Saturday.

"Lord Castlemaine said he would deal very summarily with cases of this kind, there was a comfortable poor house for destitute persons, for which the public paid very heavily. They were each sentenced to a month's imprisonment."

Crop fears as rain pours down

There were fears over the harvest during June after heavy rain throughout the month.

The paper of June 16 noted: "With scarcely an hour's intermission, we have had, for the week past, one continued downfall, of rain. The fields and roads are in many places under water, so that serious apprehensions are entertained as regards the hay crop.

The waters of the Shannon have risen several feet about their Summer height and inundated the callows for many miles form its banks. The oat and potato crop look well, but wheat will suffer materially from a continuance of this weather."

And there was no real let-up as the edition of the following week indicated: "The weather continues of the same cold, wet character, the early part of the week promised warmth and sunshine, but Wednesday brought a return of broken weather, and we have not had a dry hours since. If this unfavourable state continues there will be much reason to fear for the crops.

1910

Inquiry hears of dire Athlone housing conditions

A picture of some of the housing conditions of Athlone 100 years ago was revealed at a special inquiry held by the Local Government Board in Athlone in June of that year.

The local urban council had sought a loan of £2,200 for the purpose of creating working class houses under the Housing of the Working Classes Acts.

Giving evidence of the conditions. Dr C. J. MacCormack, Medical Officer of health for part of the town, said that there were areas very badly in want of decent habitable houses, such large congested areas as Irishtown south, Strand Street and places such as Lucas Lane.

He told the inquiry "these places are not only over-populated, but they are badly constructed ill-ventilated and sometimes there are two or three families living in the same house.

Asked if he would condemn these houses, the doctor said the want, chiefly, for want of air space and sufficient accommodation.

On the west side of the street, the doctor cited Keeffe Street, Patrick Street, College Lane and Canal Banks as having many houses not fit for living.

In an editorial on the subject, the Westmeath Independent said labourers in Athlone were paying more rent for "an insanitary, fever-breeding cabin, with practically no air space or necessary accommodation, than they would have to pay for a municipal cottage."

"The Urban Council cannot permit matters to go on as they have been going... There is not again, according to the evidence, a single house vacant in Athlone ...

"To decently house the labourers and artisans of Athlone... at least three or four-hundred more houses are needed."

1960

Council approves plan for new Batteries housing

A report in the Westmeath Independent of June 18, 1960 said:

"Athlone Urban Council are to offer for sale portion of the Batteries as a building site for about fifty houses.

The proposal was made by the Chairman (Mr T. Kilroy) who said that as the Department of Local Government had put certain obstacles in the way of the development of the site by the Council, the best thing to do now was to offer it at a price, to a building contractor, and let him build a scheme of private houses on it, in accordance with the plans prepared by the Connaught Traders Association.

Athlone was lopsided in the matter of houses and the Batteries should be developed for this purpose.

Mr P.J. Hogan seconded the proposal.

Mr M Heavey said they would get quicker results from private enterprise.

Mr. F Waters asked would there be any objection from the urban tenants in that district to the taking away of a playing ground from them.

The Chairman said the playing field would not be interfered with at all."

New GAA park opened in Ballymore

Only a few weeks after the opening of Pairc Chiarain, South Westmeath celebrated another big GAA day when Ballymore GAA opened their new facility on Thursday, June 16, last.

The paper's report commenced: "Ballymore had its greatest hosting ever on Thursday, the Feast of Corpus Christi, when several thousands from the South Westmeath countryside gathered by the shore of Lough Suedy in glorioius sunshine for the blessing and official opening of the magnificent new GAA Park.

The paper said the project had been inspired by Tommy Rooney.

The park was named the Fr Dalton Memorial Park, in commemoration of "the patriotic priest, who in 1689, when religious persecution raged in the area, erected an altar for the celebration of Mass, on the slopes of nearby Mullaghcloe".

The park was blessed by the Rev Fr P Mulvany, PP, Ballymore, and it was opened and named by Brendan Walshe, Chairman of the Leinster Council of the GAA, accompanied by Mr E Moynihan, Chairman of Westmeath County Board.

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