1860 - Women of a certain class not fit for workhouse

1860 Women of a certain class not fit for workhouse The officer in charge of Athlone Workhouse was reminded of his obligations not to permit access to a certain class of women, without the approval of the board of the institutions. At the meeting of the Athlone Board of Guardians, which operated the workhouse, the chairman Lord Castlemaine said he wanted the board to take notice of what he described as "a very great abuse of privilege which the relieving officers had of admitting applicants for relief provisionally". Lord Castlemaine said while entering the house he had met "two women of notoriously bad character dressed out in all their finery with hoops and farthingales, taking their leave of it". He said the women had come into the workhouse during the intervals between the sittings of the board and had never been brought before the guardians for inspection. "Women of that class, and that could appear in the dress which they exhibited, were not fit subjects for relief," he said. The relieving officer said one of the women had been before the board at the last meeting. Chairman: "She certainly wasn't decked out as I have seen her today" Relieving Officer: "I cannot say as to that, my lord; but I brought her before you. The other woman I gave admission to provisionally, on Tuesday." Chairman: "You know very well that she was not an object for relief - her case could have waited for the sitting of the board." Relieving Officer: "If I do not give these persons tickets when they apply for them, they threaten and will not leave my house... I have no other remedy, they won't leave without them." 1910 Indoor roller staking rink opens in Athlone Athlone's indoor roller skating rink was officially opened in April 1910 at a site to the north of Heaton's Mills, stretching over the canal to the opposite bank. Heaton's Mill was located close to the site of the existing Millbank housing estate on the Clonown Road. A Lock Mill had been established on the canal in 1850, the paper said, but had in more recent times been operated by Heatons as a woollen mill. The company had also acquired most of the waste land on the banks of the disused canal and had set up a small residential development in the area. "One would imagine that the woollen business and their building operations would be sufficient to occupy the most enterprising minds at one time, but Messrs. Heaton were not to be restricted to such narrow limits, and the latest fruit of their enterprise is the provision for Athlone of a commodious and well-arranged staking rink," "Rinking has for many years been a very popular form of amusement in most of the cities of the United Kingdom and Dublin can boast of as many as eight rinks." The paper said the new rink was "a spacious and well ventilated structure", 100 feet long and 50 feet wide, but without any internal pillars. The floor was supported by strong steel girders The floor of the rink was of block maple laid on a deal and felted floor, supported by the girders. Entrance to the rink is by a turnstile and visitors could avail of a cloak room, cafe and lavatories as well as a skate store. An advertisement in the same issue of the paper indicated the rink was open for three sessions daily, from 11am to 1pm (admission free, skates 6d), 3pm to 6pm and 7.30pm to 10.30pm (admission 6d, skates 6d). The Athlone Brass and Reed Band were advertised as playing at the evening sessions. Servant dies in Glasson fire tragedy A young girl named Mary Shea, died in Athlone hospital in April 1910, from injuries sustained by burning. Shea was a servant of Dr Kerley in Glasson and while engaged in lighting a fire, a paraffin oil can exploded in her hands. She was seen to by a doctor and sent to Athlone hospital, but she was so severely burned, that there was no hope held out for her ultimate recovery. When she died, Dr Kerley had her remains conveyed by train to her native place, Lahinch, Co. Clare. 1960 Moate bog to be exploited Hall Bog, a few miles south of Moate, is being acquired by Bord Na Mona for milled peat production, the Westmeath Independent reported in April 1960. The paper said the bog contained over 1,000 acres and formed part of Bellair Bog, which was also included in the scheme. It was expected that it would give employment to at least 300 people in the Moate area. Mr J J McAuley said he was delighted to see that Hall Bog was being developed as the council had tried on various occasions to get something done. Bridges collapse in Ballykeeran Repair work on the collapsed bridge at Ballykeeran began in April 1960. Work was expected to take between six to eight weeks. The work had been complicated by the fact that an underground main telephone cable crossed the bridge and was slowing down repair work. A number of bridges had collapsed in the area and traffic was in chaos, the paper reported. Drainage work on the Breensford River was being blamed for the bridges collapsing. The council said the Deparrtment of Agriculture would have to bear the cost of repairing and replacing the bridges.