Changing streets of Mayo's county town

By Tom Gillespie

THE streetscapes of Castlebar have changed dramatically over the years, with many disappearing altogether.

One such street, off Main Street, was Browneville Flats, which was a row of two- and three-storey buildings that were demolished in the 1980s.

A dozen of so families occupied the flats and the last resident to vacate the area was the late Mrs. Mary King who raised her family there.

The street ran from the archway entrance on Main Street down to the town river. Now the site serves as a large car park for Staunton’s Pharmacy.

Several nationalities resided in the flats where some of them taught music. A central narrow staircase led up to the second and third floors.

After a major fire, the buildings were left vacant until they were eventually demolished.

According to the Draft Register of Electors which was in force from April 15, 1984, to April 14, 1985, those registered to vote in Browneville Flats were as follows: Michael Barrett, George Carnery, Breege Chambers, Mary Chambers, Mary Chambers, Margaret Collins, Ann Collins, Kathleen Cunningham, Nora Davit, Mrs. Mary P. Gaughan, Richard Heraty, Mrs. Richard Heraty, Mrs. Mary King, Christopher Mohan, Mrs. McDonagh, Mary McDonagh, Breege McManamon, Nora McManamon, John McNulty, Frank Reilly, Kathleen Sammon and Nora Sammon.

Another complete street also vanished from the landscape of the county town but in more recent times.

St. Joseph’s Terrace, consisting of five two-storey buildings, next to Robinson’s Garage (previously Smith’s Garage), at the top of Spencer Street, had been in a complete state of disrepair for years.

Then about four years ago the bulldozers moved in and flattened the houses.

According to local historian Ernie Sweeney, the street was named St. Joseph’s Terrace on the request to the Sisters of Mercy who gave the sites, part of The Lawn, to the Barrett family, to build the five houses in the 1930s.

Another local historian and tour guide, the late Brian Hoban, said back then that the present Robinson’s Garage was built by Jim Barrett.

As well as being used as a garage it was also a cinema for a period when the County Cinema, also on Spencer Street, burned down in the 1950s. Prior to that, in the ‘40s, it was also the Plaza Ballroom.

Mr. Hoban wrote: “In the first house was Jim Barrett and his sister Ciss (Bridget). In the second house was Baby (Sabina) and her brother Paddy (Patrick) Barrett.

“The third house was occupied by Mick Barrett, his son Paddy Joe and his family who lived there for a short period in the early 1960s.

“In the fourth house was the legendary Jackie Elliiott, son of Ciss Elliott (nee Barrett).

“I am sure there are many old stories to be told of this remarkable family, who, by all accounts, were some of the best characters that ever lived in the town.”

Over the years other families lived there too, including Josie and Mollie Munnelly and their sons Brendan (RIP), Ger (RIP) and Jody.

Michael Scriney and his family also resided there. Michael was a revenue collector with Castlebar Urban Council.

The entire site is now owned by Robinson’s Garage.

Lucan Street, one of the oldest in Castlebar, received a complete remake in the early 1970s when the old buildings were demolished and replaced with state-of-the-art dwellings.

One of the most spectacular streetscapes in Castlebar has to be McHale Road which for 89 years has been the heartbeat of the county town.

It was on Wednesday, New Year's Day, 1935, when 109 of the houses in the 116-house estate were officially opened.

Two contractors who undertook the building scheme were Messrs. Molloy and Sons and Messrs. Glynn and Tobin.

However, in the course of construction a problem arose where the foundations of houses from 37 to 60 sank, leaving the dwellings uninhabitable until remedial works were eventually carried out.

When constructed in 1935 the local authority housing scheme was the largest of its kind in the country.

Today McHale Road is a tree-lined cul-de-sac boulevard where extensive renovations and extensions have been added to the houses. Some, however, remain uninhabited.

The present and past residents are the salt of the earth and the backbone of the local community.

Sprawling modern housing estates have mushroomed on the outskirts of Castlebar, particularly prior to the recession.

Cavendish Lane was home to the offices of The Connaught Telegraph, Josie Bourke’s Garage, Seamus Chambers’ yard, the old brewery and Sean Kilcoyne’s slaughter house.

The lane led down to the town river and towards the end was a dump for scrapped vehicles from the garage.

Today, that area of the town has, through ongoing developments, become the new town centre with all the popular high street stores and supermarkets.

The hillside Glenfort housing estate was once the playground for the youngsters I grew up with in Marian Row and St. Bridget’s Crescent in the 1950s and ‘60s.

Back then it was known as Baynes’ field where we played cowboys and Indians and hunted rabbits in summer time and where we tobogganed in the winter.

We seemed to have had many snowy winters then and our makeshift toboggans were discarded car bonnets or coal sacks.

However, there was one hazard on the hill - a sandpit which had to be avoided as we slid down the slippery hill.

Another location where we passed many a happy hour was at The Rocks - a wooded area on Rathbawn Road. Today it is the Rockvale housing estate.