Carlow in Pictures Tullow Street, Carlow

57 & 58 Tullow Street - Miss MT Kelly used to carry a Newspaper, Confectionery General Stationers & Fancy Goods Warehouse business. This was started by her grandparents in No’s 57 & 58, another of the oldest premises under the one family name in the street. The premises was recently sold at auction for a record price.

News Flash May 2005

"Kelly's old shop front in Tullow street (see above). Following the death of Miss Kelly last year (R.I.P., it has been sold for, I'm told, Euros 2.5 million to the Thomas family, owners of the shopping centre and multi-storey car park and of Thompson's Engineering which used to be Thomas Thompson & Sons Ltd. When Thompson's were in Hanover works (now the Superquinn shopping centre) they had a portion of the rear of Miss Kelly's garden known as Kelly's field. No doubt it will all be converted to retail units and or apartments."

Source: Carlowman c2005

59-60-61 Tullow Street - Coliseum Cinema, Tullow Street, Carlow, now demolished. There was a Coal Yard situated at the rear of the houses.

The next shop to the Coliseum to the best of my memory (J.J. Woods) was Dooley's, beside the 'pit' door, followed by Mick Ryan's, then Foley's Chemist and then Foley's sweet shop (later they were switched around) and the Bridie (Hayden) Mayer.

62 Tullow Street - Fiona's Beauty Clinic Beautician now its The Barber Co (Sept 2016).

66 Tullow Street - The Medical Hall used to be John Foleys, he had a General Goods & Haberdashery Store and a Confectionery. His son carried on with a Pharmaceutical business.. Harry Mayer had a Motor Hackney business.on Facebook He was the husband of Bridie Hayden who had a very successful General Supply Shop for many years. In the 1980's there was also Dooleys High-Class Fruit, Sweets, Cigarettes and Books. The shop is now closed up.
Foleys image from Mary Schwer on Facebook

67 Tullow Street - Reddy's (Est. 1768), In 1823 Reddy's was known as John Cullen's Hotel. Richard Paul Malster carried on a malting business in a large store at the back of the property. In 1853 Thomas Kelly became owner and the premises was called "The Farmer's Inn." James Reddy took over the premises in 1870. In the 1901 census the head of the house was listed as Mary Reddy sharing with her son James Reddy, also listed was Mary Coady - Servant and Aiden Walshe, Veterinary Surgeon - lodger. Also of note in the 1901 census is that listed among 13 out offices was included - 1 Coach house, 3 stables, 1 harness room, 1 potato house, 1 workshop and 2 stores. Up to the 1930's Reddy's were also engaged in the undertaking business. In an Foras Forbartha Architectural survey (1979) Reddy's is described as a mid-nineteenth built dwelling in which the ground has been modernised in a manner which respects the vertical lines of the upper storeys.

69 & 70 Tullow Street - The Hughes family home.

70 Tullow Street - The John Tyndall Restaurant, once known as he Punch Bowl currently up for auction.

Picture required
71 Tullow Street - Having safely crossed the street we are now at No. 71 on the North side of Tullow Street.

DOYLE's of The Shamrock - Until a few years ago there stood here a large early eighteenth century house, which was built by the Hunt family in 1720 as their townhouse, it was at one time used as an officers quarters. Brown Street was once named Hunt Street, called after Arthur Hunt. A plaque on the gable wall of No. 15 Dublin Street, stated, “1776 Hunt Street,” in 1800 the third generation of Hunts went bankrupt and all their property was confiscated. Hunts house at the Shamrock became the townhouse of the Fishbournes.

Michael Ormonde and Sons had their corn stores at the back of Fishbournes. Ormonde also sold flour, bran, potatoes and seeds. William Byrne had a coal-market in another corner of what is now Doyle's yard. He used to drive his car around the streets shouting ‘Buy my coal and I’ll collect your ashes.” 1/- a bag, 2 bags and a penny for a florin. When he retired he claimed “carrying the coal done me no harm it was carrying the customers (on credit) that broke me”.

The shop (now demolished) was built by Joseph Kinsella, who was succeeded by Patrick Doyle, next came James Doyle who established a coach-works and saw-mills as well as carrying on business in the public house and grocery shop. The large house was then known as “The Shamrock Hotel”. At the back of Doyle's was an area known as “The Paddock”: here football and hurling matches were played, travelling shows and circuses also used to set up here, after parading from the railway station through the streets of Carlow. It was here under a tree known as “the Jobbers tree”, that local women used to gather for hire as potato pickers and corn binders.

In 1900 James Doyle was registered as a hotel proprietor, the following is a list of people who lived in the Doyle house in 1900: James Doyle, Mary Doyle, Michael Doyle, engineer, and James grandson from Australia - James Doyle. Workmen who lived on the premises were Michael Noud, clerk; Dom Cryau, shop assistant; from Galway. Tom Maher, carpenter; James Coogan, painter; Thomas Donnelly, baker from Leitrim; M. Kehoe, shop assistant; Ellen Carr, family servant; Mary Griffin, general servant. At this time Doyle's also had a bakery. Henry Corcoran and Barney Raftery worked as bakers on the premises. Among the 14 out-offices listed were 3 workshops, 1 stable, 1 coach house; 1 harness room, 1 forge, 4 animal houses and an ironmongery. The cast iron lettering over Nouds “A. McElhoney” across the street was made in Doyles forge and is an example of the excellent craftsmanship of the blacksmiths of that time.

In 1908 James Doyle claimed that he had the most up-to-date machinery for rubber-tyre wheels, he also had steam engines for hire.

Doyles list of goods for sale in their hardware in 1908 read as follows: bars, barbed wire, creels, carts and cars. stocks, spokes, staples, spools, paling stakes, plain wire, nails, wire strainers, vans, traps, wooden gates, wheels and all requisites for fencing.

Services offered included: shoeing, felloes always on hand and wheel repairing. 1992 Doyle's stocks and services are even more varied. The goodwill they have accumulated from the public should guarantee them many more successful years in business at the Shamrock.

James Doyle’s great grandson Michael Doyle has carried out extensive refurbishment and has expanded the business, making Doyles of the Shamrock the oldest retail business in Tullow Street still in the same family. This record may only be surpassed in the town of Carlow by Coleman's of Dublin Street.

Note:
Doyle's Of The Shamrock Company Profile

In 1884, James Doyle great-grandfather of the present owner Michael Doyle opened Doyle's of the Shamrock for business on 17th of March. This happened to be the birthday of St. Patrick the patron Saint of Ireland as well as the Irish National Holiday. He called the premises the Shamrock in honor of St. Patrick.

When Michael Doyle became Chairman and CEO of the company, it employed 10 people and consisted of a bar, grocery and a hardware store. He recognised that the retail industry in Ireland was developing and chose to concentrate on the hardware division to ensure future business success.

The company has grown from a small business into a major enterprise within Ireland, which now employs 135 people across seven separate divisions.

An exciting chapter of the company history was written in early 2004 with the development of an 11-acre site adjacent to the new bypass road in Carlow. The hardware and hire operations moved to a 5-acre portion on the site in Marc 2004, leaving Shamrock Square for the first time since 1884. The remaining 6-acres are being further developed as a Retail Park to complement the existing business.

Doyle's of the Shamrock is proud to say that they have won the national Builders Merchants of the Year Award in 1986-87, 1996-97, and 1998-99, a feat not equaled by any other firm in the country. The Builders Merchants Award is judged on tidiness of the store, range of product lines, support for Irish goods, health and safety staff training, marketing, display, customer service, staff knowledge and efficient management practices

72 Tullow Street - At the turn of the century Patrick Byrne was a Tea, Wine & Spirit Merchant. It was commonly known as “The Bishop Byrnes”. He also sold Delicious Teas. Byrne shared with his sister-in-law, Nora Conway, and his niece Mary O’Reilly. As well as carrying on the licensed trade he was also an auctioneer, he supplied hot dinners and luncheons and claimed he had stabling accommodation for 100 horses at the back of the Palace’. After Bishop Byrne the premises was acquired by Jimmy Nolan, the Kinsellas, then Gormans, Donie Nolan, Caulfield’s, Nicholas Finn. Martin Ryan T,V. and Electrical and was previously Dowling’s butcher shop and forms part of the front of this premises. M/s. Caulfield continued the license trade there. It also was know as The Acorn / Shamrock Bar.

73 Tullow Street - This was the private dwelling of Annie Ellis and her servant Alice Deegan. Sam Roche, solicitor, had his offices here for a while, it has now reverted back to a private house.

Caulfield's & Dowling's of Upper Tullow Street next door is Doyles c.1982.

74 - 76 Tullow Street - McDermotts licensed premises incorporates No’s 74, 75, and 76. No. 74 was Patrick Breens who later acquired No. 75 and established a bar and grocery in 1890. The premise was registered as having 7 stables and 1 coach house to the rear. He was joined in 1900 by his sister Mrs. Catherine McDermott and her family of 4 boys and 5 girls. One of the McDermott sons later took over the business and in the 1920’s he bought No. 76 which had originally belonged to Thomas Lawler who was registered as an Irish speaker: It passed to Matthew and Sarah Kavanagh in 1907. It was at that time known as ‘The Harp Bar’, Matthew Kavanagh was very popular and carried on the business of bar and grocery until the 1920’s when he sold to an American couple by the name of Quill. After Quills, McDermott’s absorbed the premises. Elaine’s Bridal Boutique occupied part of this premises, which was McDermotts grocery shop.

No.76 - McDermott's is the only public house to be occupied by the fourth generation of the same family in the town of Carlow. During the war of Independence, publicans who had stables or out-houses would be required by the British Army to provide accommodation for the soldiers and their horses. The army’s enforced stay was not looked forward to because upon their departure any items not locked away would disappear. It was during one of those ‘stays’ that a British soldier fell to his death from one of the top windows of No.76., marks found afterwards on the widow sill and surrounding wall seemed to suggest foul play.

No.76 - In 1900 Michael Brophy - Journalist, lodged at No. 76. I could not determine if this was the same Michael Brophy who wrote “Carlow Past and Present”. The same premises are occupied today by Teach Dolmain. This multi award winning pub in the centre of Carlow portrays the Dolmen period of Carlow’s history and heritage in its pottery and artifacts throughout the bar and restaurant.

77 & 78 Tullow Street - Nannie Nolan's is next to McDermotts and has large red enameled advertising sign outside the shop front. Before Nolan’s were in No. 77 we had Feely’s Top Shop; they made and supplied spinning tops to the youth of the town. A large notice in the window proclaimed ‘A Feely top will not stop’.

Before Nolan's we had Mikie Connors, dyer and cleaner; he specialised in beaver and bowler hats, but if the dyed articles got wet the dye would run off. Edwin Boake recalled that Mikie Connors had black skin from years of constant work at dyes. When Mikie got ill and went to the county infirmary, he was scrubbed clean and the story went that, “he wasn’t able to bear the loss of his ‘dye’, so he “died”.

Connors was replaced by Barth Meehan’s carpentry shop; his two sons, Christy and Gerry, worked with him on the premises. Nolan's acquired No. 77 from Feely’s and started a sweet and stationery shop, later when they acquired No. 78 from Meehans they established the Carlow Dairy. Nannie worked in both shops from the time she could walk and in her 85 years of life she served generations of Carlovians. Her brothers John, Patrick and Edward helped run the business.

78 Tullow Street - This image was recently supplied by Michael Purcell on his Facebook page and had to be restored.

Notes from Michael Purcell c.2009:

Edward Nolan joined the Royal Irish Fusiliers and fought in the Boer War. Shortly before her death in August 1967 Nannie Nolan gave me Edwards’s diary and box of letters that he and his companions (Mulhall and Byrne) from Carlow wrote home while stationed in South Africa and India.

Nannie Nolan and her brother had started the collection of the Carlow edition of The Nationalist and Leinster Times newspaper cuttings in the early 1900s and the practice was continued by her nephew, John Ledwidge.

I was told many years ago that it was Nannie's wishes that I would inherit much of her family and shop archival collection.

Last Monday (19^th Jan 09) I was requested to clear out the contents of the shop.

I had only one hour to sort out the contents before the demolition crew moved in. The shop had closed in 1964 and most of the contents had remained undisturbed, it was like walking into a living museum.

I managed to retrieve several boxes of newspaper cuttings collected over the 100 years. I also saved some nice photographs, all of which between myself and Michael Brennan we will be adding to this website in due course.

Unfortunately for me, due to a misunderstanding I lost a few dozen old posters and signs that were in the shop, some of which dated back to Victorian times, many of which are now highly prized collector's items.

Nevertheless I am very pleased that I got the opportunity to go through the premises before it was gutted.

This page is still awaiting more information

You will have noticed that a number of photos of shop fronts are missing from these pages. If anyone can provide a copy I would be most grateful.
Please send image to mjbrennan30@gmail.com

Source: 1. "Up Tullow Street" an article in The Advertiser by Michael Purcell c 1992. Carlow in Old Pictures & Carlow in Old Pictures Vol 2 by Michael Purcell & The Official Guide to Carlow 1985-86.
2. Tullow Street by Michael Purcell - The Nationalist Aug 25 2006
Additional edits by M. Brennan, J. J. Woods & Anna Nolan Gough.

The information contained in these pages is provided solely for the purpose of sharing with others researching their ancestors in Ireland.

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