Urban Council Minutes.
Condolence.
Moving a vote of sympathy at Carlow Urban
Council meeting on Monday last, Mr Edward Duggan referred to
the passing of Mr Francis Slater and said he would be a
great loss to his family and to the industry of the town. In
his extraordinarily successful career Mr Slater had showed
himself to be a man of great business ability and he
possessed gifts which gave him that high standing in
business and industrial life and which were peculiar to
himself.
They all knew him from boyhood and his
meteoric progress in so many branches of industry showed him
to be outstanding. He built for himself a great position in
the industrial life of the town and his death is a
tremendous loss to the general development of Carlow. Just
ten year ago Mr Slater was instrumental in bringing the
Sugar Industry to Carlow, when he pledged a donation of five
thousand pounds to develop the site for the building of a
Sugar Factory in Carlow.
They were all sorry to hear of his death,
which has come as an addition to the numerous very sad
events that have occurred in recent weeks, which have taken
so many people rather prematurely to the next world.
The Chairman seconded the resolution.
Mr Clarke said he would like to be
associated with the vote of sympathy.
The Resolution was passed, all members
standing and the meeting adjourned.
On Monday Office with Solemn Requiem Mass
was celebrated in the Cathedral at which the Very Rev. A.
Lynam P.P. V.F., Bagenalstown presided. The celebrant of the
Mass was Rev. J. Breen, C.C., Bagenalstown, deacon. Rev. P.
Maher, Knockbeg College, sub-deacon. Rev. W. Gavin, Knockbeg
College; Master of Ceremonies. Very Rev. T. Browne, V.P.,
Carlow College. Chanters: Very Rev. T.H. Burbage, P.P.
Tinryland and Rev. G. Sinnot, C.C. Leighlinbridge.
In the choir were:- Very Rev. John
Killian, P.P. Arles; Very Rev. J. Donohoe, P.P.,
Leighlinbridge; Very Rev. P. O'Haire, P.P., Graiguecullen;
Very Rev. J. Dunny, Adm. Carlow; Very Rev. Dr. Ignatius O.M.
Cap. Kilkenny; Rev. W' Miller, D.Ph., C.C. Carlow; Rev. D.
Hughes, D.D., St. Kieran's College, Kilkenny; Rev. E. I.
Campion, C.C. Graiguecullen; Rev. C. Brennan, C.C. Carlow;
Rev. J. Conway, B.D. Carlow College; Rev. J. Foynes, B.A.
Carlow College; Rev. J. Doran, C.C. Tinryland; Rev. P.
Hayden, C.C. Bagenalstown; Rev. E. Lalor, C.C. Arles; Rev.
M. Murray, C.C. Mountmellick; Rev. J. Moynihan, C.C.
Killinaule; Rev. C. Moynihan, Cashel; Very Rev. P. Swayne,
Rector, Knockbeg College; Rev. M. Murphy, B.A. Knockbeg
College. Rev. C.P. Phelan, C.C. Nass; Rev. J. Prendergast,
C.C. Curragh; Rev. W. Fanning, C.C. Portarlington; Rev. A.
Farrell, C.C. Edenderry; Rev. C. O'Connor, C.C. Kiltegan;
Rev. W. Flood, Newtownbarry; Very Rev. M. Brophy, P.P
Suncroft; Rev. P. Broughan, P.P. Caragh; Very Rev. P. Horan,
P.P. Myshall; Rev. J. Griffin, C.C. Paulstown; Rev. J.
Loughrey, C.C. The Rower; Rev. A. Lowry, P.P. Inistiogue;
Rev. T. Ryan, C.C. Newbridge; Rev. W. Mahon, D.E. Tullow;
Rev. A.G. Byrne, Baltinglass; Rev. T. Hickey, St. Patrick's
College, Kiltegan.
Note added 2011 by Michael Purcell:
Frank Slater was born in 1880 to Edward
Slater and Anne Farrell of Ballymanus Terrace, Carlow. One
of ten children, Frank started out with very little, in time
he became known as "Slab Slater the money-maker".
He married three times, first to Mary
Ellen (Minnie) Fennell of Graiguecullen, (died 1904, aged
22), secondly to Maria Ralph, Dublin Road, (died in 1923,
aged 32), on the advice of Father John Killian he married
his third wife in 1924, Anne Foley of Tullow Street, (died
1955), shortly after the marriage he separated from Anne,
hence there is no mention of her in this obituary.
At the time of his death it was estimated
that Frank was owner of over 200 houses and several
"parcels" of land throughout the county of Carlow, he also
owned some property in Kilkenny and Dublin and was operating
in one hundred and eight Turf Accountant "Bookie" offices
established throughout Ireland.
Shortly before his death Frank financed
the building of 15 "luxury homes with large gardens and gate
entrance" in Granby Row, Carlow (for sale) -- 4 "large
houses with gated entrances to rear" at Court Place, Dublin
Road, Carlow (for sale) -- and 6 "town houses" on Barrack
Street, Carlow (for rent). Up to the present day solicitors
are still trying to unravel some aspects of the Slater
estate.
In 1934 he adopted three children of the
Smith family, their parents had died and their aunt, Sister
Angela of The Mercy Convent in Carlow, inveigled Frank to
adopt them. He paid for their education; one of them was
ordained a priest, Father Oliver Smith.
In Norman McMillan's book on Carlow
Cricket, Billy Ruddock recalls "for many years in the 1930s
we had a good under 14 X1 and regularly played Enniscorthy,
Gowran, Collattin, Newtownbarry, Arklow. As often as not,we
all packed into one huge car provided for free by the late
Frank Slater, a benefactor of the youth, who was a
substantial poulter, fish monger, and owner of a chain of
betting shops. He lived in Hanover House where Pennys is now
situated. The huge car he provided was used to ferry the
clerks from Carlow each day to his various betting offices.
It was Frank Slater who knocked and rebuilt number 26 Tullow
Street."
As well as a fleet of lorries, Frank
owned a dozen luxury Buick cars for transporting staff to
his offices.
As John Hargaden said to me recently "if
Frank had to live out a normal life span, not dying at 56,
he would have ended up owning the whole town".
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