Popular Athlone businessman turns 90 this weekend

You wouldn't know it by looking at him, but one of Athlone's longest-serving businesspeople, Hugh Lawlor, celebrated his 90th birthday on Saturday!

The popular hairdresser, whose family-run business Lawlor Hair and Beauty is located on Sean Costello Street, has been a prominent member of the town's business community for the last 65 years.

He opened his first salon in Irishtown in 1956 and went on to reach the pinnacle of his profession in this country by becoming President of the Irish Hairdressers Federation in 1983.

Hugh has been a long-time advocate for traders in the centre of Athlone and chaired the Irishtown and Mardyke Street Traders Association for many years, while also maintaining involvement in a variety of other community and voluntary groups.

We contacted Hugh on Monday, and he laughed when his age-defying appearance was mentioned.

"Well, I feel fairly good, but my activities are limited now," he said. "I played golf for a lot of years but I haven't been out in the last 12 months, so I don't know if I'll be able to get back into it again or not."

He was still working as a hairdresser up until relatively recently and the business is now being run by his daughters, Niamh and Jacqueline.

Hugh's son Ian also went into the hairdressing business, opening his own salon in Hong Kong, where he has been based for more than 20 years, while the eldest son in the family, Damian, became a Detective Sergeant in An Garda Siochana.

Hugh is also a proud grandfather to Aideen, Caoimhe, Cliona, James, Eirinn, Shauna, Rian, Alexandra, Aoibh and Artan.

There was a family get-together to mark Hugh's birthday in Athlone Golf Club at the weekend.

Hugh said Athlone had been progressing as a town in recent times and he felt that, with proper management, it could reach even greater heights.

He said the pedestrianisation of part of Sean Costello Street, not far from Lawlor Hair and Beauty, would be a positive development.

"That will be a good thing. It's great to see tables and chairs outside of businesses, and people sitting and having drinks, or coffee, or whatever.

"Athlone is a great town, a budding city, and it's great to see it achieving what it has done," he commented.