Local history: Pawn shops in Mayo's county town

By Alan King, Mayo County Library

THE last pawn shop in Castlebar was operated by Andrew Hawkshaw of Castle Street who closed his door in November 1901 and thus consigned a historic institution to the past.

A pawn shop is one in which a person pledges something valuable such as jewellery as security for a cash loan. There is usually a high interest rate and if payments are not met, the item can be sold by the creditor at public auction.

The earliest known pawnbroker in Castlebar was Joseph O’Byrne who operated a shop in Bridge Street in 1832 where he was succeeded by a John Dillon who himself retired six years later in 1838.

By 1842, a William Meade had taken over the business (located near the Bridge Street Pub) and traded successfully until 1867 when he decided to open a new pawn business in Swinford. This was in business until at least 1911, run by various family members.

Meade, who was related to the Mellet family, Swinford, is buried in the Old Cemetery, Castlebar.

By 1873, following the retirement of MJ McHale, Castle Street, there was four other pawn shops in town: Patrick Lavelle, Linenhall Street, and Patrick Walsh, Ellison Street, who traded only for a short period, Andrew Hawkshaw, Castle Street, and the leading pawn shop in the town, that of ‘Kilgirs’- a very old Castlebar family who had been in Castlebar prior to the 1798 Rising. Patrick Kilgir (who was related to noted author Matthe Archdeacon, famous for ‘Shawn na Saggart - Priest Hunter) and his wife Mary owned extensive property in the town and operated a pawn business on Bridge Street (near Mick Byrne’s Pub), which had the traditional sign of three golden balls at the front.

First opened in 1847, Mary ran the business for at least 40 years, nearly always alone after her husband died a young man. Like Queen Victoria, she dressed in black for the rest of her life and when the present Church of the Holy Rosary opened in 1901, a large stained-glass window was dedicated to Mary and her husband by their family.

Mary Kilgir had died in 1890. It was a lucrative business and during a court case in 1862, it was revealed that she was charging three hundred percent interest to her clients.

The family owned at one stage the large drapery premises known as the Commercial House in Main Street (now Parson’s). Mary Kilgir was also the great-grandmother of noted republican Ernie O’Malley who was born in Ellison Street (across the road from O’Donnell’s Pharmacy).

As mentioned earlier, the last pawnbroker in town was Andrew Hawkshaw whose business was located in Castle Street (later the home of musician Seanie and his sister Mary Bourke). A native of Ayle, Westport, he first set up business in 1857 as a bakery and later as a pawn shop. A member of the Town Commissioners (Town Council of its day) in the 1890s, he sold his business in December 1901 and moved with his wife Margaret to reside in Newtown, dying in 1917.

He was also related to the Winters family, Aughadrinagh.

In the late 2000s, a number of ‘Cash for Gold’ shops opened in Castlebar but did not trade for long and today, nationally, only three pawn shops survive, all based in Dublin.