PAGES FROM THE PAST

150 YEARS AGO 1862 Refused to break stones in the workhouse Four pauper boys were brought up in custody charged on the information of the steward of Mullingar Union Workhouse, with refusing to break stones, in accordance with the order of Board of Guardians. The offence being clearly established, the court sentenced them to one month's imprisonment each, in the county jail, with hard labour. One of the four, named John Clarke, was also charged by the master of the workhouse, Mr Richard English, with having committed an assault on him. It appeared that, having been detected in the act of violently kicking at the door of the dining-hall, the master spoke to him about his disorderly conduct when he (Clarke) gave the master such abusive language as induced the latter to order him to the lock up, the enforcement of which he (Clarke) resisted, and made several attempts not only to pull the master's watch out of his waistcoat pocket, but also to get his hand inside his necktie and afterwards broke the door of the lock up. The court sentenced him to six weeks imprisonment with hard labour. 100 YEARS AGO 1912 Human remains connected to old Athlone abbey The Westmeath Independent of early February 1912 reported that human remains had been unearthed during the construction of a new sewer serving homes in Abbey Lane and Grattan Row and the new Ancient Order of Hibernians hall at the junction of both streets (now the Kin Khao Thai Restaurant) The report went on to explain that Abbey Lane got its name from the fact that the old Abbey of Athlone stood on the ground now occupied by Mr Lyster's Saw Mills and the houses running to to St Peter's Catholic Church (the now Dean Crowe Theatre). "The Abbey suffered much in the many wars by which Athlone was harried and was completely ruined in the Cromwellian Wars, after which it was extensively used as a burial ground. In the midst of the ruins and probably on or near the site of the present excavations, a Protestant Church was erected for St Peter's but this was replaced early in the last century by the present Church in Bully's Acre, which formed part of the more extensive burial ground which existed at this place. "The work of the excavation was begun on Monday at the lower end at Goldsmith Terrace. They had not gone far before human remains were discovered. There was no symptoms of wood or any identification of a coffin, but a couple of skulls and numerous bones were thrown up." "Close to the bend in the lane (Abbey Lane), the workmen came on a very strong foundation crossing the course at right angles. It was built of large stones and that remarkably strong mortar found in so many old Irish ruins. "The foundation was fully four feet under the surface. Just beside it as if in one grave, four skulls were thrown up. These were found practically one over the other in a trench that was sunk to a depth of five feet," the Westmeath Independent report added. Suffrage meeting in Athlone Father Mathew Hall in Athlone held a meeting under the auspices of the Irishwomen's Reform League, and address on women's suffrage were delivered by Ms Bennett, Dublin and Miss Gill, a Norwegian lady, both of whom are connected to the Reform League. Speaking at the meeting local solicitor PVC Murtagh declared himself to be "an advocate of brute force in an agitation of this kind". Referring to Edward Carson's support for opposition to Home Rule, Mr Murtagh remarked that there was no great harm in a country attorney advocating militant methods when an ex-law officer of the Crown advised physical violence in the North. 50 YEARS AGO 1962 Farmers take to the streets February 1962 was dominated by agricultural unrest, with farmers protesting the length and breadth of the country. The front page of the edition of Saturday, February 17, indicated that more than 3,000 of Roscommon's farmers joined a mass demonstration in The Square, Roscommon, demanding a freezing of the rate for the next year. "There was a loud cheer when one of the speakers issued a threat that should there be an increase the farming community might strike against paying rates," the paper reported. Meanwhile, the paper also revealed that at a monthly meeting of Roscommon County Council, the county manager, J.G. Browne, warned that as a result of the increased expenditure, the rate in the county might go up by as much as 4/4 in the £. The following week, between 6,000 and 7,000 people joined a similar protest in Mullingar against "rising rates and falling farm incomes". The protests were organised by the NFA, the forerunner of the IFA. 25 YEARS AGO 1987 Relief Road collapses into Shannon Complications in attaining a solid foundation for the new bridge across the Shannon manifested itself during mid February 1987 when the Westmeath Independent reported that a large section of the under-construction relief road had submerged into the River Shannon. "Fortunately no-one was injured in the accident, which occurred on Friday evening also, but two workmen at the scene had a very lucky escape when the machines they were driving sank into the Shannon," the paper said. The report indicated that a 100 x 15 metre section of the front embankment of the road at Coosan submerged on Friday afternoon. At the time of the accident, two employees at the site, who were driving a bulldozer and a steam roller respectively, were forced to scramble to safety as the section of road they were working on began to submerge. The roller surfaced on Tuesday and on Wednesday afternoon the bulldozer was hoisted from the Shannon. All-Ireland semi final involves two local clubs An All-Ireland club senior football championship semi-final involving two teams from the wider Athlone region being held in the midlands ... Ring any bells? In fact, we're not talking about Garrycastle V. St Brigid's. Instead we are referring to the 1987 game between Clann na Gael and Ferbane, two teams no more than 20 miles apart. Clann, who were in the midst of their heyday at the time, overcame the men from West Offaly by 0-13 to 1-5. The match report read: "Very often a scoreline can belie the true facts of a game. Acclaim is frequently given to sides who put up a brave show but in the end lose out by a few scores. Such was not the case at Dr. Hyde Park, Roscommon. "Clann na Gael's five-point wining margin might not look much on paper. However, in reality Ferbane were just not good enough for the Roscommon side's challenge in Sunday's All-Ireland club championship semi-final," the reporter remarked. The teams: Clann na nGael: T. Seery, J. Dowling, M. Keegan, J. McManus, O. McManus, F. Nicholson, A. McManus, P. McManus, E. McManus (snr), K. Pettit, P. Naughton, E. McManus jr, T. Lennon, T. McManus, E. Durney. Subs: J. Cunningham for A. McManus. Ferbane: V. Egan, E. Dooley, J. Keena, K. Brazil, D. Kelly, M. Kenny, J. Kenny, M. Lowry, J. Greham, C. Ryan, P. Doyle, K. Flynn, B. Flynn, P Mollen, B. Lowry.