19th century Mayo town houses are brought crashing down

A mechanical digger has done its work and all that remains this weekend of two derelict houses at Lower Charles Street, Castlebar, is a pile of masonry, bricks and rubble.

But from the debris will soon rise four one bedroom apartments, part of a social housing project embarked on by Mayo County Council.

According to local lore, the buildings which have been demolished once provided accommodation in the latter half of the 19th century for ordained ministers at The Kirk - Castlebar’s former Presbyterian Church.

The foundation stone for The Kirk, which is no longer used for religious purposes, was laid in July 1863.

Over the years the building has been used for various purposes including an antique business. It is now an Indian restaurant.

The Kirk building, which is adjacent to the buildings which have been razed, is a protected structure.

The new housing project involved the demolition of the two houses and the restoration of the existing terrace on Lower Charles Street, in the words of the county council, “seamlessly integrating with and adjoining a protected structure."

All dwellings will be provided with private gardens or external terraces.

The contractor for the project is Finna Construction, based in Cross, Cong.