Pages from the Past

Stories from back issues of the Westmeath Independent. 1860 Death of St Mary's sexton An inquest was held on Monday, July 9, 1860 following the death of the sexton of St Mary's Church of Ireland, Peter Burchel. The Westmeath Independent reported that Burchel had been found "in his accustomed place in the church, seated, but quite dead" on the previous Sunday. Evidence was given to the inquest that the deceased had left the house on that morning shortly before 7am for the purpose of visiting the church and ringing the 8am bell. A he had not returned by 10am, Elizabeth Lambert went to the church an finding the doors open went up the aisle calling for him. Receiving no answer, she returned to seek him in the belfry, and when passing the church door she saw him, as she thought asleep, but in trying to rouse him found that he was cold and lifeless. The jury recorded death by natural causes. The deceased was in his 85th year and had served in the British Army, before being discharged in 1814. He had been sexton for 40 years. Agrarian outrage in Clara The Westmeath Independent reported that on Sunday, July 8, at about 6am, the house of a man named Mangan, who was employed as a herdsman by Miss Robinson of Raheen, was forcibly entered. Five men broke through the front door, one was armed with a pistol and the others with bayonets and bludgeons. "They immediately set about a savage attack on Mangan, to whom they administered a severe beating, inflicting several wounds on him. The man with the pistol threatened to shoot Mangan. It was said the reason for the attack was that Mangan had entered the employment of Robinson taking up a post from which another man had recently been let go. "Mangan's house is situated only a half mile from the town of Clara, and the commission of this outrage in broad daylight indicates a daring audacity, and a certainty of impunity by its perpetrators which we thought the numerous convictions at the last Assizes had removed. 1910 The number of state jobs at a time when much of the work is contracted is a matter for public debate at present. Here's an excerpt from the Westmeath Independent editorial in early July 1910. "The best laid plans do not always work out as we expect them. The Athlone Council farmed a section of the municipal roads to contractors, in order that they could materially reduce a large permanent staff of workers. That was some months ago and it transpires that the staff is still as large as it was when the road were maintained by direct labour. "It does not look all right, but it is open to some explanation. So many orders are still given and so much still needs to be done, the old staff and even more, are at present required and will be for some time. There is, of course, another explanation that no one likes to lose a corporation job, whether in Dublin or Athlone, for corporations are not particularly hard to please and the wages are usually good." Amazing scenes took place in Athlone in early July 1910 when methodist and baptist preachers came to Athlone to embark on open-air street preaching, before being greeted by a crowd of 2,000 people who jeered and cat-called. Some 3,000 people had attended an exhibition GAA game in The Meadows between Ballina Stephenites and All-Ireland champions, Keatings of Dublin, and many were still in town at the time of the street preaching. The Westmeath Independent reported: "This Sunday evening performance has come to be quietly ignored by the people of Athlone who are familiar with it." However, in this case the "strange element in the town" were attracted to it. Before long close on 2,000 people had assembled in the neighbourhood of the preachers and kept up a constant fire of jeers and cheers and boos. Although the crowd was initially good humoured, the paper noted that things changed when a United Ireland League organiser from Mayo, O.W.J Cogan, came upon the scene. Cogan told the crowed that they would not allow the Bridge of Athlone "a name hallowed by many historic memories to be desecrated by the preachers of the doctrine of Cromwell" The police were forced to form a ring around the preachers to ensure their safety, as elements of the crowd turned nasty. 1960 Ancient battle axe found on Mardyke Street "Workmen engaged in excavation work at the rear of O'Leary's shop premises in Mardyke Street, Athlone, on Wednesday unearthed the remains of an ancient battle axe. "Although in an advanced stage of fossilisation this relic of a bygone battle still shows a reasonably keen edge and beside it was portion of the remains of the wooden handle." The paper said it was difficult to date, without specialist knowledge, but it was "certainly of a very ancient vintage and associated in the mind with schoolbook pictures of Irish soldiers wearing helmets and dressed in coats of mail." The axe was found at a depth of about 15 feet below the level of the street. An examination of the soil suggested it was found in what was originally ground level, which had been later raised to its present level with fill material. The axe was found by Tom Boyce, a workman employed by Thomas Murray, building contractor. Athlone Show to be hosted in GAA pitch Athlone Show is one of the features of local life for many years and in 1960 the show was about to relocate to a new location, the then new Pairc Chiarain. The committee said the gesture of the GAA park committee to make the new Gaelic park available would solve "the annual headache" as to where to hold the show. "It is ten years since the first show was started and because of the fact that we had not properly enclosed grounds, each year had its own crop of worries, headaches and frustrations." The show was to be held on September 8 - and a prize fund of nearly £700 was announced and upwards of 10,000 people were expected to attend the show.