The earliest records of Inns and
Taverns date back to the 16th. and 17th. century's However it
was not until the mid 17th. and 18th. century that Inns and
Taverns began to flourish in the town of Carlow. Up until
this point, travel was almost always a source of discomfort, and
the prospect of having to travel any great distance, while
not only affording discomfort to the passengers. was
frequently undertaken at the risk of bodily harm to the
traveller. The coaches, large and cumbersome, had no springs,
and the wheels were as big as those on a wagon. The
carriages were prone to overturning and breaking down at frequent
intervals, and there were always the wayside bandits ready
to remove the valuables from the wealthy and the not so
wealthy traveller's.
By the 1800's coach travel was
made a lot easier with improved road conditions and lighter
and faster coaches. Thus many business minded people
throughout the country began establishing their own Inns and
Taverns on the main roads leading to and from the towns, and
Carlow was no exception. Another incentive for the
establishment of this thriving business in Carlow were the
annual Ballybarr races. If you were attending the race week
at Ballybarr in the mid-eighteenth century you would have
had a selection of at least five Inns in which you might
pass this exciting week.
The Yellow Lion, which was
situated in Burrin Street dates back to 1761, when it had as
proprietor one William Montgomery who was also Carlow's town
Sergeant. Apart from having stables and a large supply of
horses for the use of the public, there was also a large
room in the Yellow Lion known as the great room ', in which
many important town meetings, functions, entertainment and
ceremonies were held. The yard adjoining the Hotel was the
scene of much sport and gambling. There was a cockpit in
this yard surrounded by seats on either side and
cockfighting amongst local handlers was a sport enjoyed not
alone by the local townspeople, but by traveller’s residing
at the hotel. The Yellow Lion was often
referred to as
Lennon's Inn after Elizabeth Lennon who
proceeded Montgomery as the owner.
Just a few doors away from the
Yellow Lion in Burrin Street, and in close competition was
the
Wheat Sheaf
Inn. The Wheat Sheaf opened not long after
the Yellow Lion and was still in existence when the Yellow
Lion closed it's doors as a Hotel and re-opened as the
Carlow Police Barracks in 1840. Thomas Coffey was the
proprietor and his proud boast in 1794 was "I have furnished
myself with commodious carriages, stout horses and careful
drivers". Later on when the Hotel was under the ownership of
James Coffey - presumably the former proprietors son, Daniel
O'Connell had his committee rooms here, before and during
the controversial elections of the 1840's.
The finely cut archway at 54
Dublin Street is all that remains of the
Bear Inn, one of
the many Inns and Taverns that were to be found dotted along
Dublin Street in the 18th. and 19th. century.
Burrin Street and the Dublin
Road were the two main coach roads in Carlow. Indeed
traveller’s would have found the posting and residential
inns a welcoming sight, after all, not many traveller’s would
have dared continue their journey after dusk had fallen, for
fear of highwaymen of the natural and supernatural form.
There were two posting Inns on the Dublin road, one at the
site where the present Mercy Convent stands, and the other a
few hundred yards further up the Dublin road, the
Blue Bell
Inn which was demolished over 130 years ago to make way for
the Railway line. There is a house situated just a few
hundred yards from where the former Posting Inn stood,
called in fact Blue Bell house, the surrounding area was
also known at one time as Blue Bell Hill.
The standards and service of the
majority of these Inns left nothing to be desired in the
manner of accommodation and excellent service. One could
have had bed and breakfast in one of the best hotels in town
all for the moderate sum of 3/- shillings (15p today). A hearty dinner of
roast joints, Duck and Sparrow were washed down with the
best wines came to a total of 2/6d. a head.
Two of the most prominent Hotels
in the town at this time were the
Club House Hotel and the
Kings Arms Hotel. The latter has been known under numerous
variations of the name, -
The Royal Arms Hotel,
The Queens Arms
Hotel,
and
Cullens Hotel. To-day the Hotel is more
popularly known as the Royal Hotel. This Hotel has been in
existence for almost 220 years, and whereas at one time the
Hotel comprised only No. 12 Dublin Street, it now has
several Dublin street numbers. James Cullen was the
proprietor of this Hotel in the mid. nineteenth century.
Under his ownership the Hotel thrived and gained a name
throughout the country as being one of the finest Hotels in
Carlow. It was the scene of many gay social functions
throughout the nineteenth century. Apart from the Hotel
business James Cullen had a marble yard at the rear of the
Hotel where stonecutters work of every description was
carried out. Cullen also had a range of public baths erected
on the premises consisting of reclining and shower baths,
the baths were separate from the Hotel and were open to the
townspeople and the Hotel guests.
58
& 59 Dublin Street were once Stagecoach Inns known as
The Crown & Scepter
and the Blackamoor Head
Inn. Today the Blackamoor continues under
the name "The Beams". Source of images: Dermot O'Brien
According to the 'Traveller’s
Handbook' of 1844 the principal Inn of the town was the
Clubhouse Hotel,
(Whitmore Hotel),
"where good post horses and
carriages can be obtained". Many of the large bedrooms were
furnished with four-post, Albert and French mahogany
bedsteads and hair mattresses. The large stables had
seventeen carriages and cars with a total of fourteen horses
for the disposal of traveller’s. Mr. Whitmore also opened a
ballroom adjoining the Hotel, where, many an enjoyable
evening was spent waltzing the night away at the popular
country and hunt balls.
It must have been a magnificent
sight to see the carriages roll up to the doorway and the
fashions of the young ladies and gentry that alighted must
have been a scene much anticipated by the local townspeople.
The great assembly rooms at Whitmore's
Hotel were given over to
town functions and ceremonies. On one occasion the assembly
rooms were the scene of a large banquet for the 65 officers
of County Carlow who had served in the Crimean war. In 1857
Mr. Whitmore had his Hotel sold by public auction and was
purchased by one Arthur Barrow, who continued to uphold the
good name of the Hotel.
The building itself still stands
prominently in Carlow town, at the top of Dublin Street; it
is now St. Brigids Hospital. The days of the dancing and
entertainment belong in an era long erased by the coming of
the Railway Lines which ran the death knell for these Posting
Inns and Taverns throughout the country.
Source: Carlow Advertiser, Thursday 28th April
1983
Carlow's Old Inns & Taverns
- The information contained in these
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researching their ancestors in Ireland.
- © 2001 Ireland Genealogy Projects,
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