Happy memories of community spirit

Most of St Mel's Terrace has been demolished, but one man who lived there from the time of its inception in 1934, for almost 70 years, bears happy memories of a community that has largely passed away. Athlonian Jimmy Reilly was shot to prominence recently when he became one of the faces of the campaign to save Loughloe House nursing home. While Jimmy has been resident for the past ten years at Loughloe, he spent the bulk of his life in Irishtown and St Mel's Terrace. He was born in the Old Irishtown houses, on August 7, 1925. Jimmy was the youngest of seven of John and Mary Ann Reilly's children. John Reilly had been in the Free State army at the time the British left Custume Barracks. When Jimmy was a child in Irishtown, his father left the barracks and worked as a builder's labourer with Concannon Builders in Athlone. Jimmy remembers that the family lived opposite Monica Coughlan's pub in Irishtown. "We lived near Nee's bakery in Irishtown, but I don't think we had any numbers on the doors, but when I was eight years old we moved to St Mel's Terrace, and that was the happiest place anyone could ever live in," said Jimmy. It was 1934, when the 31 houses of St Mel's Terrace were given out, and it was mostly people from Old Irishtown who got the council houses. The Reillys moved to Number 20 St Mel's Terrace, and each member of the family became a major part of the community. They were surrounded by fields and the railway, and the Bower school. Macken's field was opposite the St Mel's houses in the early decades, as there was no road and no buildings there. "We kept two donkeys in the field, and they used to bring turf home for us, and they used to graze in the grass there," said Jimmy. "You could see the Fair Green from our house." Jimmy's elder brother, John Reilly, called after his father, was a well known footballer in Athlone in the late 1930s. John played soccer for an almost forgotten local club, 'The Bloods', and also played on the original Melville team of 70 years ago. John was Jimmy's last sibling to die, and he passed away in London in 2000. Jimmy went to school in the Marist Brothers national school on St Mary's Place, and was taught by Miss Kearney and Mr Tim O'Brien (who lived in Garden Vale, and whose son Noel had a shop in Irishtown for many decades). Jimmy has a fantastic memory and can name all members of the 31 houses of St Mel's Terrace who moved into the estate in 1934. Family names such as Tighe, Stephens, Gilligans, Malones, Nevins, Gorrigans, Coffeys, Joyces, Gaffeys, Mannions, Kilbrides, McDonaghs, Tougheys, Sweeneys, Greenes, Hylands, McCormacks, Reillys, Pattersons, McGraths, Duffys, Fallons, Shasbys, Egans, Poulters and Browns trip off the tongue of Jimmy Reilly as he recalls the many parents and children of one of the town's first estates. The family dealt with Michael John Lynch's shop in Bower View and Jimmy remembers the shop and family there going back to his early years in St Mel's. Later on the Reillys also bought goods in Logan's shop, which was also in the vicinity. "In Michael John's there was a big bakery out the back, and you could smell the lovely bread," said Jimmy. "We also went to Bill Cooke's grocery shop in Irishtown. But there have been so many changes in Athlone. On St Mary's hill there used to be a medical place, called the dispensary, where all the poor people of the town could see a doctor and get what help they needed. That was a lovely stone building, and it was knocked down." When Jimmy left school, he lied about his age, and joined the army at just 16. "It was wartime, and it was easy to join up by lying about my age, but I went on to do 12 years in the army, in the Artillery Corp and at different times I was based in the Curragh, and in Mullingar," he said. "I was in the army with a couple of lads out of St Mel's, including Gosun Stephens." Jimmy said that his parents, John and Mary Ann, were very happy living in St Mel's, although the family were shattered on May 1, 1956, when Mary Ann died. After Jimmy left the army in the early 1950s, he went to work in Gentex, all whilst happily living with his father in St Mel's. Jimmy worked in the weaving shed in the factory, and remembers Mr Chadwick as the manager, and also Joe Doyle as foreman. "I loved auld Gentex, and all the lovely people working in the weaving shed," he said. Jimmy kept his drinking pledge until he was 21 years old, and gave up the pledge when he joined the army. "I like to drink, but I like movies as well and reading, and I was there when the Ritz opened in 1939," said Jimmy. "The first movie there was 'Three Smart Girls Grow Up' with Deanna Durbin, and then there was 'The Man in the Iron Mask', and then there was 'Second Fiddle'. It was fourpence to go to the watch the movies in the pit in the Ritz." He also loved the movies of Jeanette McDonald and Nelson Eddy who were opera stars of the early 30s, and it influenced Jimmy's own love of singing. He has sang at parties, and in pubs in Athlone over all of his life, and sang in the 1950s in shows in St Peter's Hall (before it became known as the Dean Crowe Hall). He was a radio fan also and bought his first crystal radio set in James Gargan's shop in Mardyke Street, over 70 years ago. Jimmy lived with his father in St Mel's Terrace, after his mother died, and nursed his father through old age, and had no regrets when his father died peacefully at the age of 96 years, in 1973. The Gentex workers were made redundant in 1975 and Jimmy settled down to life at home, but was shocked to discover that he had diabetes, which slowed him down for a while. After this time, Jimmy started spending six months of the year in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, with his sister, Catherine Furey, who is now deceased. As much as he loved life in the UK every winter, Jimmy was always happy to return to Athlone and most especially his beloved St Mel's. His diabetes was treated well over the years, and the condition got much better. He had many friends throughout the years in St Mel's, most notably James 'Corporal' Gaffey and Gosun Stephens, both now deceased. It was 'Corporal' who gave Jimmy his nickname, 'Dr Doolittle', back in the 1960s, because of Jimmy's great love for animals. He has always had a dog in his company, and in St Mel's in latter years he had 'Jake', who was known by the whole estate, and who waited outside mass in St Mary's or the Friary, until Jimmy finished praying. Today, Jimmy still looks after two dogs, Blackey and Whitey in Loughloe House. Jimmy had a massive stroke ten years ago, and was on death's door, but due to his great physical fitness, he made a great recovery, and fought to get his memory back. Jimmy had always cycled for miles daily, and had been a fan of Charles Atlas exercises since the 1950s, and to this day he spends a part of his day exercising. "I love to read and I always used to go into Athlone Library, and I've read all the Charles Dickens books and classics like that," he said. Today, Jimmy has a photograph of the old St Mel's Terrace in his bedroom, featuring the houses from the bridge at Sarsfield Square up to the Bower school. All the buildings in the photo are intact, just like the many memories of Jimmy Reilly over most of his 85 years.