Our numerous readers of Thurles.Info all currently living overseas, especially those involved in searching for their “Roots”, are asked to please take special note.
Website www.irishgenealogy.ie, for free, has added a whole additional year of historic Births, Marriages and Deaths, now available to research.
The records now available online include: Birth register records – 1864 to 1920. Marriage register records – 1845 to 1945. Death register records – 1871 to 1970.
NB: Civil Registration of Marriages in the Roman Catholic Church only commenced in 1864.
The Civil Registration Service are currently working on updating the remaining records of Deaths dating back to 1864. These will be included in future updates to the records available on their website.
The website linked shown above is operated by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.
Again the website remains free of charge to use and no subscription or registration is required to use it.
The picture hereunder features Rooney’s Restaurant, once situated on Friar Street, Thurles on the left hand side, travelling west, close to the junctions of Croke Street (South), Liberty Square (East) and Abbey Road (West). This same photograph was possibly taken in the mid 1980’s.
We have confirmed that the man standing in the doorway was Mr John Joe Ryan, [a Camán (Irish: Hurley) maker], latter who once resided at No.1 Cabra Terrace, Thurles, Co. Tipperary. The same featured Mr Ryan was the father of Thurles Freelance Journalist, Author and Poet Mr Tom Ryan, who currently resides at “Iona”, Rahealty, Thurles, Co Tipperary, and who regularly contributes to the Thurles.Info. website. Mr John Joe Ryan sadly passed away in 1990.
The same attractive well maintained area today, which once was occupied by Rooney’s Restaurant.
The monochrome picture above was captured by photographer, novelist and painter, Jinnie(Jennifer)Fiennes[Wife of photographer Mark Fiennes (Married 1961) and the mother of English actor, film producer, director and Unicef UK ambassadorRalph Fiennes, who featured in the films “Schindler’s List“, “The English Patient” and the Bond movie “Skyfall“, to name but a few.]
Same picture was published and distributed as a post card having been printed here in Ireland by Thompson Price Ltd in 1980, possibly while the Fiennes Family were then living in County Kilkenny.
Sadly, Jinnie Fiennes was diagnosed with breast cancer in the 1980’s and passed away on December 28th 1993, at Odstock, Wiltshire, UK, aged just 55 years.
In 1845 this building, hereunder shown, situated on the left hand side of Mitchel Street, (then known as Quarry Street) Thurles, Co. Tipperary, [as you travel eastward closer to theMoyne Road area] was the then Thurles local Dispensary. Same is easily identified by its flat arch doorway, with its rare, detailed, ornamental relief surround; all be it in miniature form, reminiscent of what surrounds the bronze gates of Saint Isaac’s Orthodox Cathedral in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
In more recent years, residents will remember it was part of Ryan’s galvanized roof public house. Today is stands, like so many other buildings within the town of Thurles, vacant, boarded-up and decaying, long before the COVID-19 epidemic.
As you face the building today, note the premises on the left side of this Dispensary (formerly Ryan’s Pub) was John Mullany’s corn store in 1845, latter who also sold candles and soap, etc..
Continuing left and westward, the building next door, today currently occupied by Thurles Municipal District / Co. Councillor Mr Jim Ryan, was then the home of Denis Mullany.
On the right, again while facing the Dispensary building; previously in 1845, existed a right-of-way / lane-way, which has long since been built across. Next travelling east of this former lane was the home of James Kerwick, who was neighboured by John Carroll, latter a shoemaker.
In 1845 and right through the Great Famine years, in this dispensary the poor and dying came, seeking medicine and medical treatment, which was offered free of charge.
The treatments being offered here in 1847 is today a matter of public record, which saw patients being sent from here to the Thurles Fever Hospital, latter then run by Dr. George Bradshaw Esq M.D.. [Latter was the father of Dr. William Bradshaw V.C.]
Who was the doctor in the Thurles local Dispensary in Quarry Street, I hear you ask?
I suspect some of you may have already guessed. Yes, it was Dr. Robert Charles Knaggs, the same man who identified the project known as the “Double Ditch” which in turn gave employment to a large number of men 175 years ago, in 1846, putting bread into the mouths of starving Thurles families.
If you believe that Ireland in 2021 has too few ‘Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds; read about our towns problems in March of 1847, transcribed from a meeting attended by the same Dr. Robert Charles Knaggs, who described conditions at the Thurles fever hospital; quote “Destitution and sickness are on the increase. The Fever Hospital is full. In the female ward there are two patients in every bed. The funds are nearly exhausted and it is with the deepest regret that we have to announce that the Hospital must be closed on the 13th April (1847) from want of funds.”
Then in 1845, as indeed now in 2021, little has changed; we the electorate, are still unable to get support from our elected politicians.
Perhaps now Thurles elected Co. Councillor Mr Jim Ryan, with his known established associations with this same building, together with all the other local lazy councillors and self-promoting politicians, might decide to answer the question, “Will the planned Thurles inner relief road impinge, in a negative way, on the 1846 Thurles “Double Ditch”, which has been a right of way and a Mass Path for 175 years and which is the property of the people of Thurles and a national monument?
By the way, when you our elected councillors and politicians; of all political groupings, assume a particular position for photographers; (anxious that latter photographic captured material be used to build your delusionary public profiles), while you lay wreaths at 1916 commemorative events; realise it was the Great Famine (1845-1849), which truly engendered the 1916 rising, undertaken by unselfish individuals “the latchet of whose shoes you are not worthy to unloose,” [Apologies toSt. Luke Ch.3: V.16.], and who eventually, at their great personal expense, brought about the freedom we all enjoy today; free from our colonial enslaving neighbours.
We promise you more startling news on the ‘Double Ditch’, coming very soon.
Hereunder, view the sad current demise of Westgate, Thurles, Co. Tipperary, situated on the junction of ‘Liberty Square’, ‘Friar Street’, ‘Croke Street’ and ‘Wolf Tone Place’.
Today, the area is sadly a place of dereliction and is disintegrating at breakneck speed, despite the odd coat of grey paint brushed on, in the vain hope that same will turn a ‘pig’s ear into a silk purse’, to the detriment of nearby rate paying businesses, attempting to trade.
Westgate, Thurles, Co. Tipperary, photographed in January 2021.
Here readers can view Westgate, Thurles, Co. Tipperary in better days, demonstrating a high level of business activity in the area.[This scene was possibly photographed in the early 1950’s, dated by the model of Morris Minor shown in the picture, latter manufactured between 1948 and 1952.)
The latter ‘Wolf Tone Place’ named above, gets its name from Theobald Wolfe Tone, (posthumously known as Wolfe Tone). Wolfe Tone was a leading Irish revolutionary figure and one of the founding members of the United Irishmen, latter a republican society that revolted against British rule in Ireland, where he was a leader going into the failed 1798 Irish Rebellion.
The Presentation Sisters, first founded by Nano Nagle in 1775, have been involved in education here in Thurles, Co. Tipperary since 1817, where they have dedicated their religious order to serving the people of Thurles and its environs, by providing outstanding primary and secondary education, grounded within the Presentation ethos.
Above Picture: Then East Main Street, Thurles, Co. Tipperary, now today Cathedral Street, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.
The above Convent building was erected in 1862, replacing six thatched houses which extended eastwards from Chapel Lane, today the current driveway into the Archbishops residence.
The small residential businesses which the above building replaced had been formerly owned by Patrick Loughlin (Bakery), Martin Clear (Grocery & Bakery), Thomas Tierney (Huckster or a seller of small wares), Edmond Ryan(Pub & Grocery) and John Headon (Shoe Maker). All latter houses had been in disrepair after previously being destroyed in the hurricane wind of January 6th 1839; the night of the Big Wind.
Presentation Building today, Friday January 22nd 2021.
Interesting to note above the differences between todays image and the earlier picture, latter possibly taken in the early part of the 20th century.
Note, the high wall with its Palladian arch style entrance is gone replaced by a low wall with railings. Also, note the Palladian style, half-moon or eyebrow arched windows, prominent in the centre portion of the earlier building, have also been altered, as indeed have the original centre single sash windows. Some chimneys have also been removed.
Note: Palladian architecture was a neoclassical style of building design created by Andrea Palladio, an early 16th century Italian Renaissance architect, who was greatly influenced by Roman and Greek architectonics.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.AcceptRead More
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
Recent Comments