Miscellaneous

Memories of Lower New Street in Killarney

November 22nd, 2013
by Rev. J Quinlan

 Article from 'The Kerryman' in 1948

We can now resume our way up new Street, it was the main western highway 60 years ago, it had a mere 13 pubs-one became the shop of a poet butcher. Joe Smith and his wife Maggie lived here. Joe was the renowned candle maker of the time and Weeshie has vivid memories of been asked by Joe to help him pull the giant Christmas candle from its mold on Christmas in the middle fifties. So how many pubs in Killarney have ever become butcher shops. The big house by the convent gate served as a temporary Franciscan House of the old Order after the destruction of the old place at the rear of Scotts in College Street in 1840. The community dwindled to one member. Fr. Fitzgerald a native of Dingle. He was last to describe himself as Guardian of Muckross. He finally lodged at another house in the street and left Killarney in 1857 and died in Clonmel Friary about 1884.

There was another bit of scholarship connected with this other piece of Lower new St. One of the houses was for a considerable period the residence of Richard H Willis artist and sculptor. He was responsible for beautiful interior decorations. A man of extremely advanced nationalist views, his works and name seems to be far better known in the English art schools than in this county.  New St. also housed the last of the old medical men-Dr Hickson. Those who enjoy novels which portray the old family doctor and friend would have found their perfect film figure in this old world bearded gentleman with his brougham: he was about the last of the old Victorians.

The Boys Below The Bridge
New St had two clubs; The Commercial and Blands Hall, the latter been a strictly democratic institution open to all creeds, classes and social ranks. Every man (Or Boy) was as good as the next, there was no chairman as there was no chairs, nor for that matter any other seats barring the stairs. It was in sober truth the lair of "The Boys below The Bridge". Here is bit of their line up in 1913.

"The Horgan brothers, O Leary John,
Healy and Hickey too,
Through back and wing the ball they send,
With lightning speed and true,
McCarthy three and Sewell so free.
Bill Hegarty and Tom Mac.
Who dare oppose the onward march?
Or stand in victory's path.
In midfield play we take the sway
Where the Moriartys have no match
The Cronin's have the goal they save
In repelling every attack".

The are slightly elusive these Boys below The Bridge", maybe because they play under so many aliases, "The Deeanghs" and "St Brendan's" are perhaps the most respectable apart from the propensity for original ballads, they have under Boss Coffey, Slogger and Joe perfected in their day and generations our best handball quartet. The football team without a field, a rowing club, a band, our best dramatic society, several beauties and the renowned swimming team at the Sandy Bottom. It would appear from an array of royal grants, deeds, legal decisions and all those formula so loved of lawyers that The Earl of Kenmare is owner of the Demense and the fullness thereof. In actual fact it really belonged to "The Boys Below The Bridge". They were considerate enough to concede the game rights to the Earl but all else was theirs. The Sandy Bottom, the back of the Shepherds, Cloch Mucuda, the Mulberries, The Dark wood, the Wilderness, the Beech Avenue, tea house Point, Mahony's Point, Reen Cave and jurisdiction by such as qualified by swimming there and back. Over Lambs island-our test piece. We left old grey bearded Mr. manning the Shepard and his charges in peace but if you knew the way of it you could dodge behind the big tree and while ostensibly on a pious pilgrimage to Cloch Mucuda manage a call to the Dairy where good hearted old Rose McDonnell had cans of milk always with a jam jar an agile lad could manage an odd gold fish from the Lily Pond and keep his "Red Herrin" alive for a few days. Growing keener of vision but extremely deaf and very fleet footed we ceased to be "bad smells" to Mrs. Tuck and indeed became a feature of her life.

Access was not always easy especially if there was a flower show but old Dan Shea who seemed to be growing deaf and blind but really wasn't used to have quite a band of assistance carrying his "parcels". I seemed to remember too when guardianship was extremely vigilant one day Fr Hayes required his horse in a hurry and of course a horse like that needed a dozen grooms. The horse was tendered in a very obvious place and it was surprising how the Administrator was kept away from the spot. In any case he was minus saddle, bridle and head piece. Jack Evans had managed training reins. We could even defy the "Hogger" and find safe retreats and we could assist with the circus horses when they came to the Old Waterway by the bridge and we can remember women beetling cloths therein the warm summers.

We managed the Circus tuppence somehow in fact Maurice managed to get to Dublin under a seat, live like a prince for a day and get back with his tuppence still intact. I hid tuppnce of my own so carefully that I can't get it back. You se there was lads who raided even our lunches we still remind Mick and Danny. The bold, bad lads! That democratic organization "Below The Bridge" of course have afforded defensive aid to lads in ganseys and jelly bags but we just didn't need it. The "Boys" been in the ecclesiastical area of the town should have been adequately provided for spiritually. Possibly, however with memories of intricacies of Paddy Gaynors Confirmation class they established or recognized a John Patriarchate of the Two fathers Joe's. One father Joe died also to soon in Southwark-the other has deservedly achieved the Roman Purple.

For some years back turf has had the sway of the country. Towards the latter end of it an astounding new discovery was made. Peat Moss. Commercial men newspaper. Politicians etc. rushed into print over this marvelous thing. However if you can induce jack Sewell( Chemist shop at the corner of new St. and High St.) to spare a few moments for a glance at the old directory in his possession you will find that Mr. Cowan of Cades (The bottling plant across from Christy Healy's) was dealing with the self same commodity close to 70 years ago. New St housed our second and last pawn shop-appropriately enough in the former home of a Peninsular veteran who is thinly disguised in one of Levers novels. As we are on that subject I may as well add that a familiar figure in New Stone time was Bram Stoker. It is mentioned somewhere or another that he wrote the first chapter of "Dracula" at Dunloe castle. As we are near the Old Victoria Hotel right of way it me be recollected that Samuel Lover's hero" Handy Andy" newly restored to the peerage spend his honeymoon at that renowned hotel. The gasworks calls for more than a passing notice/ There were three in the town. The public one, the one near the Iron Bridge for Railway use and the Kenmare estate plant near the end of the Greenlawn.

John Keogh
It is not amiss here to recall that in latter days "A Boy From Below The Bridge"-John Keogh of the Gashouse family was the chief man in frustrating the encirclement of Cork and Kery during the tan war. Indeed much of what was accomplished in other directions was also the fruit of his active patriot mind. NEW ST. IS THE PAVEMENT HISTORY OF KILLARNEY. In prelude if you are one of us by birth you are carried along it for you Baptism: for the beginning of a new life. If you are of the old loyalty is your bridal path. To end it the last journey is along New Street and so the wheel comes full circle.

What of the roll call, but most of all those who have lived their quiet lives there-the little old ladies with their half hidden hat and lace shop; that almost forgotten character MR Scully the pumpsinker: the small but not so small boot factory: old Miss o Donohue's sweet shop: Moll Sayers and her Sunday display of cabbages,crubens and pigs cheeks and "her heart scalded" as shed tell you by Pats o Heenan: Frank Thornhills quaint old clock shop: old Mr. Barbouri who was Killarney's sole adherent of the Eastern Church: Charlie Meagher and the great genius John Fleming, whose life ended so very tragically in Flanders: Michael Chance with his beatific smile: Old Mr. o Keeffe with his ribboned and bandaged Fox terrier: and Old Joe young Hayes who made Laune Rangers and scores of others.

The Bonfire
It is bonfire night as I finish this. The Lane's end had always the best one, the Kenmare Gas works  (involuntary)gave us its quota of tar and when Darby Doody had got the blaze going he would tell us how he caught the fairy at Airigideen  (if you know where that is). That magnificent old pair of neighbors who were the epitome of everything that was grand-inspiring at being Irish and catholic: Denny Cronin who never missed the Holy family with that marvelous musical voice of his and Biddy Moynihan who was so loved by all. There were many tears outside her own family when Biddy died and I can recall as if it were yesterday the Sunday of sunshine and mist when a big troupe of little children footed it all the way to Aghadoe say goodbye to her-in this life.

I can remember about the last of these bonfires. Young McKenzie Kennedy has been telling me he tragic legend of the "Doom of the Seaforths", (he was himself destined to a tragic and lonely death. It recalled to me the sweet little tale of this bonfire which passed with the old Cathedral organ. The angles with their trumpets which decorated the pipes would come to life and sound The Hour of the Last Judgment around the New Street bonfire and we would all go to heaven (including Darby Doody) together and be happy forever and a day

Now as a farewell to New Street, is anybody astute enough to know who was the author of "Come Back To Erin"?


Sections

Search Articles



 
Radio Kerry - The Voice of the Kingdom