The above words are placed so beautifully and appropriately that it would be difficult to imagine a better setting.
Written in glowing golden script across the weathered limestone, the inscription seems almost to float upon the old walls; not merely as a sign, but as a quiet conversation between what has been, what is now and what is still to come.
This striking artwork adorns the carefully restored 1849 stone old farm building in what is now Thurles Market Quarter.
Once a modest agricultural shed, shaped by work, weather and generations of local life, it has now been lovingly reborn as ONE19 Coffee House & Restaurant.
Its transformation has thankfully not erased its past. Instead, the old stone, the traditional form of the building and the marks of age have been allowed to remain, lending great warmth and authenticity to its new life. What was once a place of labour has become a place of welcome; a setting for coffee, food, conversation, friendship and new memories.
Its location gives the inscription an even deeper resonance.
The building stands between two other landmarks, both woven into the spiritual and educational heritage of Thurles: the Cathedral of the Assumption and the former St Patrick’s College, now part of Mary Immaculate College.
In such surroundings, the words/phrase naturally carry an almost sacred rhythm. They are not a direct quotation from Scripture, yet they gently recall the ancient Christian doxology:- “As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.”
They also echo the language of the Book of Revelation, which describes God as the one “who is and who was and who is to come.”
Yet the sentiment has travelled beyond religious tradition and into popular culture. A closely related line, “That’s the way it is, was and will be”, introduces the established order of Sneetch society in the 2017 musical adaptation of Dr. Seuss’s “The Sneetches”. Dr. Seuss’s original 1961 story, later adapted for television in 1973, ultimately challenges the belief that society must always remain as it has been. The ‘Sneetches’ learn that inherited divisions are neither natural nor permanent and that even “the way it was”, can be changed.
The wording also appears with a more playful and satirical flavour in the 1974 comedy film “The Groove Tube”, where a fictional television newscaster signs off: “And that’s the way it is, was, and will be.”
There, the phrase humorously imitates the certainty and authority of traditional television news.
Placed upon this restored building, however, the words take on a gentler and more romantic meaning. The stone remembers farm carts, tools, harvests and working hands. Today, those same walls shelter laughter, conversation and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and hastily produced food. Tomorrow, they will hold stories belonging to generations not yet born.
The way it was: A humble building serving the life of the land.
The way it is: A beautifully renewed gathering place in the heart of Thurles.
The way it will be: A cherished part of Thurles town’s story for many years to come.
At dusk, when the golden lettering shines against the cool grey stone, it feels as though the building itself is speaking. Not mourning what has passed. Not resisting what has changed. Simply acknowledging that the past, present and future can inhabit the same place beautifully. An old building saved rather than forgotten. A historic quarter renewed rather than replaced unlike the towns Great Famine “Double Ditch“. A little philosophy, faith and humour written in golden light.
To Those responsible – Well Done.
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