An Athlone Life

Having lived in Athlone for all of her life, bar four years, Frances Lynch has seen much change and progress in her native area. She was born as the youngest of seven children of the Malone family in Coosan, which was connected to many other Coosan families, including the Kenny family. There were three Malone girls older and three younger than Seamus - Frances' beloved brother who died suddenly at only 34 years in 1951. "It nearly broke all our hearts, because he was so good to my mother and all of us, but he got a heart attack so young," said Frances. "He used to bring us out across Coosan Point in his boat, and we were terrified of the water, but we had a wonderful childhood." Frances and her family lived on a farm about a half mile from Coosan Point, and her father Owen Malone was an engine driver on the railway, while her mother Kate (formerly Kate Kenny) was the real farmer in the family. Owen was one of the first drivers on the railway in Athlone. "Daddy was gone all the time, and he walked to work to the railway, and when he was coming home, he would get off the railway at Auburn Terrace, and walk home to near Coosan Point," she said. "The point road was slacker than the big hill on the other side of Coosan, and we had a nice two-storey house, and it was very neighbourly there. There was the Costellos, my first cousins the Malones, the Eivers family, and our great friend, Ned Dillon who lived nearby. We were also friends with Molly, Tom and Cissie McCormack there, and my Aunt, Lil Balfe lived on the other side of Coosan. The Morans around there were also related to me, and I knew the Farrells as well." Frances's family knew the Duffy family of Hare Island very well, and used to sometimes visit them on the island, when Seamus rowed the boat. The Malone family had a large wood on their land, and Frances mother, Kate, sowed vegetables, and looked after the animals, including taking them to fairs, and milking the cows. "My mother was great at farming, and she was a native of Coosan and grew up doing that, and my father was originally from Ballinahown," she said. "We went to mass to St Mary's Church on a pony and trap, or we walked. We'd use the horse and cart to gather turf. My mother used to go once a week into town to do the shopping, to Kathleen O'Connell's shop in Connaught Street. Kathleen was a cousin of my mother." The Malones got water from a spring water pump in a field opposite their house, and they regularly carried two buckets up the hill to their house. Frances said that the roads of Coosan in those days were full of potholes, which were deadly to cycle over and bicycles were regularly getting punctured due to the potholes. "But they were lovely days, and people weren't boasting about what they had, and everyone was pleased with what they had," she said. Frances and her siblings went to Coosan School, and were taught by Miss Kilroy and Miss Nee, before she won a scholarship to study at the Bower School. "I got a great education at Coosan school, and we learned good Irish there, but we had to mind our p's and q's," she said laughing. Frances is the last surviving member of her siblings, who were Florrie, Gretta, Kitty, Bea and Maisie, and Seamus. After her years at the Bower, and following completion of her Leaving Cert, Frances did the Civil Service exam and went to Dublin to work at offices in Ballsbridge. "Wages weren't high in Dublin, but digs were cheap, and I lived in Adelaide Road," she said. Frances remained in Dublin for four years, and travelled home regularly to Athlone, but following the death of her brother, Seamus, she returned permanently to help her mother. She managed to get transferred to the Revenue Offices in Athlone, and cycled to work, to and from Coosan. "After a while, my mother said that I was cycling long enough on the bike, so she bought me a car, an Anglia, and at that time in the 50s there was very few cars on the country roads, you had the whole road to yourself," said Frances. "I brought my mother to mass to St Mary's Church, in the car, and that was the only thing she wanted, because she was a very holy and good-living woman. She also was very busy and good humoured working on the farm, and I never heard her complain." Frank Lynch, who came from St Kieran's Terrace, Athlone, also worked in Dublin in the Civil Service, but he and Frances never met during those years. Frances was back in Athlone for one year, when Frank was transferred back to the post office. He loved his hometown, and was an avid follower and supporter of Athlone town F.C. "I did know him to say hello to in Athlone, because everyone knew everyone in town then, and there wasn't a huge population," she said. The two Athlonians got married, and lived with Frances's family in Coosan for the first year of their marriage. Frank and Frances then bought a house in Arcadia, and the Lynch family have been based there for over fifty years now. "It was known as the One Mile when we moved in, and then my children, two daughters and two sons came along. I have two daughters, Catriona, who is a teacher, and Marina who is also a teacher. My two sons are Declan who is a journalist (Sunday Independent) and Damien who is a former teacher, and who now works with young people who have learning difficulties," said Frances proudly. "I was very involved with my family, and encouraged them and helped them as much as I could, and I got on well with my friends and neighbours and never cut in on, or was nasty to anyone." Frank spent his spare time in St Mel's Park at soccer matches, and brought his sons every Sunday to the matches. They also followed Athlone Town FC throughout the country. "Coming from Coosan, I had a love of GAA, but I had to fall in with them here, but it probably was against my will," said Frances laughing. However when Frank was asked in the late 1980s to write the definitive history of Athlone town soccer, which became the great book, 'A History of Athlone Town FC - The First 101 Years', Frances was side by side with him every night, going over the text and photographs. They spent time in the National Library in Dublin doing research on football records. "He had just retired, and worked on it every night, and I'd check it out with him, and he worked very hard on it, but that was Frank, anything he did, he did it right," said Frances. "His heart was stuck in the soccer of Athlone town, and those he reared was the same." The book was launched in the Prince of Wales Hotel in 1991 by Brian Lenihan Snr. However sadly Frank died less than five years later, in January 1996, and is very much missed by Frances and her children. Frances has lived through a great deal, and remembers the time when there was not much money around, in the town or countryside. "I wouldn't worry about the economy today, because all that's important is that you have a bit to eat," she said.