Athlone Miscellany book to be launched

Over the last 21 years much of Athlone has changed beyond recognition. However one constant during this time has been the weekly appearance in the Westmeath Independent of a column by local librarian Gearoid O'Brien on aspects of the town's history and heritage. Gearoid's 'Athlone Miscellany' articles have earned a devoted following over the years and a selection of highlights from the series is now set to appear for the first time in book form. The History Press Ireland has published the 'Athlone Miscellany' book which will be officially launched by Westmeath Independent editor Tadhg Carey at the Aidan Heavey Public Library on Wednesday next, August 24, at 7.30pm. The attractive paperback collection incorporates a diverse range of topics including The Royal Hotel; The Barbaric Pastime of Cockfighting in Athlone; Eel Fishing in the town; The Athlone Felt Hat Industry; The Story of the Bells of St Mary's and Dirty Old Town: Some Less-Than Flattering Accounts of Athlone. Speaking to the Westmeath Independent this week, Gearoid said that when he first started writing the 'Athlone Miscellany' columns in 1990 he never anticipated that it would prove to be such a long-running series. "When I began I thought I'd probably write them for 12 months. Even that seemed ambitious at the time," he remarked. Not long after the articles started appearing in the paper, he was approached by a number of people who felt it was unwieldy to keep collecting cuttings from the paper and suggested that he should publish a series of the articles as a book. "I suppose putting them together in a book is something I had thought about from an early stage, but I never seemed to get the time to do it. When ended up focusing my mind on it is that I was approached by an Athlone man, Finbar Jordan, who was working for a Dublin publishing company, and he asked me about putting this collection together." The publication is the 16th book or booklet which Gearoid has authored or co-authored. His most recent publications prior to this were a booklet on Archbishop Michael J Curley entitled 'From Athlone to Baltimore and Washington', and the 'Athlone on the Shannon' book which featured paintings by Leila Canney. Gearoid stated that some of his earlier publications, such as booklets on John McCormack and the workhouse during the Great Famine, were initially prompted by 'Athlone Miscellany' articles. "I was fortunate to come along at a time when the publication of material had become easier," he said. "When writing books, one is conscious of a debt to others like Billy English, my own father Brendan O'Brien, Michael Kilkelly, Harry Rice and Joe Dowling who have left a significant amount of material that one can draw upon. More recently the late Jimmy O'Connor was a great help in giving me the benefit of his very fine memory of Athlone since the 1930s." When asked about the process of writing the columns each week, he replied that he spends two hours each evening, from Monday to Thursday, working on local history articles. He sometimes revisits topics that have previously been covered if some new information, or a new historical account, has come to light. And, though it has become more challenging to find new material after writing the columns for 21 years, he said that at any given time he generally knows what he will be writing about over the coming month. Some of the articles which elicited the greatest response from the public were on topics such as the history of Lough Ree and its islands, a series on German spies interned in Custume Barracks during World War Two, and a series on the history of Connaught Street. "You can never anticipate the response that you will get. Sometimes you can be very surprised by the reaction you will get to a particular article. But I do get very positive feedback on the articles from people on the street, and that gives you the encouragement to keep going. My usual response is to say that writing them 'keeps me out of mischief'" he smiled. Ironically, Gearoid stated that he didn't have the opportunity to take history as a Leaving Cert subject, but he was encouraged to see that many of his columns have been used by Leaving Cert history students as a basis for their 'special topic' of research in the exam. In the foreword to the 'Athlone Miscellany' book, Westmeath Independent editor Tadhg Carey paid tribute to Gearoid, stating that the contribution he has made, and continues to make, to local history and research is invaluable. "Gearoid's unparalleled and almost encyclopaedic knowledge of the town, its people, its environs and its history is truly remarkable. More importantly, it is accompanied by a generosity of spirit which knows no bounds. "He is the ultimate go-to man for local history queries; no query is ever too mundane or too time consuming for him to deal with. In his role as town librarian, and as de facto town historian, it is no exaggeration to say he has helped thousands of people with local heritage and genealogy queries." He added: "Over its twenty-year history, Athlone Miscellany has become a permanent feature of the local media landscape and has etched a niche in the affections of thousands of people from this region and further afield. "It is my hope that this particular publication will serve not only to shine attention on the series itself but also have a similarly long-lasting impact on its readers." * 'Athlone Miscellany' by Gearoid O'Brien will be launched at the Aidan Heavey Public Library at 7.30pm on Wednesday, August 24. Copies of the book will be on sale for €14.99. All are welcome to attend the launch.