Mayo memories: county town residents alarmed at disappearing road

By Tom Gillespie

A SCORCHING June sun played havoc with poorly laid tarmacadam on Castle Street, Castlebar, in 1962, which had local businesses on the street up in arms amid complaints that tar was being carried into homes and splashed up on the front of homes.

The heading on page one of The Connaught Telegraph on June 9 that year – 63 years ago this week - said it all: The sun shone and Castle Street residents are angry!

The report said that while most people were about their business on Tuesday afternoon or basking in the glorious June sunshine, the business people of Castle Street stood silently at their doors looking at the street being ripped up by passing traffic.

The onlookers may have been standing silently looking at the rapidly disappearing tarmacadam every time a car passed, but it was obvious that their thoughts were on the one trend: Would the street be left in an even worse condition than it was before being repaired recently.

The business people of Castle Street showed the great pride they had in their street some time ago when they put up a brave battle to have it repaired.

But now with the tarmac soft due to the sunshine and chunks of it being torn away by every passing vehicle, they have a just cause to despair, and it seems at this stage that the disappearing tarmac has ignited the fuel for another big row at Urban District Council level.

Living in the centre of the street where he conducts his well-known saddlery and upholstery business, Urban Councillor Pat Lavelle, P.C., was in an angry mood when he said: “I am standing here all day watching the road being ripped up. It was tarmacked twice during the past year at a cost which must be in the vicinity of £9,000 or £10,000.

“I am glad in a way it is being ripped up for if it was done properly the first or second time this would not happen. The way it is now is terrible and will definitely have to be done properly the next time.

“It is unfair,” he said, “to leave a road in this condition as it is destroying the houses in the street by bringing tar in on their shoes. Tar is also being splashed on the walls.”

Mrs. Nan Flynn, mother of former EU Commissioner and government minister Padraig Flynn, and proprietor of Castle Models, a popular local fashion shop, was also very annoyed over the state of the road and said: “It’s a disgrace. Something will definitely have to be done about it.”

Mr. Martin Quinn, publican and grocer, said: “The council should come down now and put dust on it like they did before,” while his next door neighbour, Mr. Hughie McGartland, who was standing outside his barber shop, said: “I have no comment to make.”

Mr. Michael Conway stood at his door chatting occasionally to his neighbour, Mr. Paddy Bourke, who was also perturbed about the rapidly deteriorating state of the street, and said: “If you want a statement, go down and see our spokesman, Christy Hoban. He is taking the matter up.”

He added that the only hope of getting anything done was by the Press bringing the matter to the notice of the public and the council authorities.

Continuing, he said that people’s carpets were being ruined by tar which was brought in on shoes and people had to take off their shoes going upstairs.

The street is called after the first castle that was built in c1235 by the De Barrie family who gave their name to the town and their castle to the street. They came with the De Burgos after the Norman invasion and settled here for as short while.

The first mention of the castle is in the Annals of Connacht is 1412 when it was burnt by a rival clan. There were many battles over the castle between the O’Connors, Fitzgeralds, the Burkes and others.

In 1585 ‘The Composition of Connaught’, signed by Elizabeth I, gave the territory of Burrisarra - i.e. Carra and the castle at Castlebar - to Edmund Burke and his heirs to come.

The Burkes were then quickly defeated by Sir Richard Bingham and the castle was sold to his brother John for 100 cows and £5.

The ruins of the castle are shown on some Ordnance Survey maps to be located in the present day Military Barracks. Some historians believe that Castle Street is in fact the oldest street in the town as it was a walkway from the castle and used before the bridge was built.