The unique history of a Mayo town's archways
by Tom Gillespie
THERE are several archways in Castlebar that have vanished from the streetscape over the years. Three I recall in particular.
Many will remember Hoban’s archway off Bridge Street. It led into a large car park at the rear of Hoban’s supermarket, pub and lounge. The barmen there were the affable Tom Corr, Bruce Plunkett and Mick McHugh. Bruce was also involved with Beckett’s on Ellison Street.
Proprietor Paddy Hoban was an outstanding businessman.
Just off the archway was a small side door into the pub with an adjoining gents toilet, often availed of by someone ‘taken short’ but who did not want to go into the pub floor for a drink.
Paddy’s son, Alan, converted the archway into a video rental store, one of the first to open in the town along with Shane Rodgers on Spencer Street.
At one stage Alan stood, unsuccessfully, for the Fine Gael party for a seat on Castlebar Urban District Council.
Another archway that vanished was McCormack’s at the top to Ellison Street, now Brian Moran Auctioneers.
Originally it led into McCormack Brothers Builders yard - Jimmy, Joe and Ger - and offices, and when it was converted into a shop unit in the late 1980s it was first occupied by chemist John O’Donnell before he moved across the street.
The third redeveloped archway is at Shane Rodgers on Spencer Street, where his daughter Alice Roache opened a crepes, waffles, smoothies, coffee and ice cream business in what was the archway leading to the rear of their premises.
Probably the most noteworthy of all the archways in Castlebar has to the one between Wynne’s and the Humbert Inn on Main Street.
The historical significance of this location came into focus in the 1798 Rebellion, which occurred on August 27 when a combined force of 1,000 French troops and Irish patriots routed 6,000 Protestant militia in what would later become known as the Races of Castlebar.
After the British defeat, General Humbert and his officers celebrated at a function on the first floor over the Humbert Inn and Fahey’s Hardware. No doubt, the General and many of this followers traipsed down the archway after the battle.
The archway is still there, leading down to the Castle Street car park and past the Pizza Bros restaurant.
Two other archways have become commercial with the Guinness logo painted on their doorways.
On Bridge Street we have ‘auld stock’ himself, Mick Byrne’s pub, and the archway that leads to the Archway Stores. But under the arch itself, some empty beer barrels are strategically placed with comfortable seats on top to accommodate smokers stepping outside from the famed GAA watering hole.
On Tucker Street, Rocky’s archway doors are equally decorated with the Guinness sign.
Just up from Rocky’s on Linenhall Street there are two archways facing each other on opposite sides of the street - one leading across to the town river and the other into the SuperValu car park. However, Coady’s Bar on Linenhall Street has the unique distinction of being located between two archways - on the left into SuperValu and on the right into the Coady Funeral Home.
Coady’s is one of the oldest family-run public houses in Castlebar and is still going strong after four generations - one of the few fourth generations in Ireland.
Coady’s has been in business for the last 114 years. Dermot Coady has been proprietor since 2000 and his father, Adrian, and the late Liam Coady ran it before that.
Back on Bridge Street we had the archway leading into Thomas Durcan’s coal, timber and iron monger's yard. The narrow passageway led into a substantial maze of makeshift buildings leading down to the town river.
Durcan’s delivery truck had to inch its way in and out through the narrow archway and onto Main Street, which would have catered for two-way traffic back then.
The archway was later the entrance to the Homemaker Arcade and it is still in place today. Just up from it is the archway leading into Staunton’s Chemist car park. But in former days it led into Browneville Flats, an area destroyed by fire in the 1960s.
Several families with long associations with Castlebar, particularly the Kings, resided there, are did many instructors of musical instruments.
Further up the street, on the same side, are Bourke’s Chemist and Kilkelly’s archways. The Bourke’s one connects with the car park at the rear of AIB while the Kilkelly one is a cul-de-sac.
Opposite where the Hoban archway was is the one by the Turkish Barbers and the e-cigarette outlet which used to be Kelly’s sisters drapers.
On Ellison Street there is another archway - on what was Irwin’s, opposite the Bank of Ireland.
There are another four on Spencer Street - one between Tolster’s Bar and the Fitzgerald’s building, one at what was Horkan’s Garden Centre, now the RehabCare building, another at the Connaught Inn, formerly Mitchells, and the fourth at Durcan Solicitors.
Close to the courthouse is an archway leading in to what was the Ryarc Optical premises and another one on Rock Square leads into the rear of the Imperial Hotel. There is just one on the top of Castle Street in what was Madame Bourke’s home.
Basically, all of the archways were for the purpose of gaining access to the rear of buildings.
I’m sure there are some I have left out, but I feel I have touched on the majority of those in the county town.