Edenderry Historical Society

Nolan's Shop Edenderry
In Fr. Kearns Street (formerly Railway Street) was one of the best-known shops in Edenderry. It was owned by Michael Nolan ("Big Mick"), had petrol pumps and did late night trading for the benefit of the Cinema-population on their way home, especially to the Conoboro and Carbury areas.   The bill-head says "Grocer and Provision Merchant" while "Motor Garage. Cars for Hire" also operated from the premises. "Nolan's Hall" at the rear of the premises was available for hire and catered for a very wide spectrum of activities, from Wedding Receptions, Badminton, to the annual dinner of the Local Branch of the British Legion.  [DOC]

Fay's of Edenderry

Fay's Shop is now the location of Edenderry Library.  The shop had been in operation from the second half of the 19th Century up to the early 1970's and had expanded from a Grocery Shop to Drapery and Hardware.  The Invoice also shows ownership of a shop at The Harrow, Clonmore, about equidistant between Edenderry, Rhode and Castlejordan. Denis Fay was active in Local Politics, was a Justice of the Peace and Chairman of the Town Commissioners in about 1916.  He was also a Stakeholder in the Dublin Cattle Market at the junction of North Circular Road and Prussia Street, Dublin and his Registered Address was 12 Ardmore Avenue, North Circular Road, Dublin being described in his official notepaper as "Denis Fay & Sons, Cattle and Sheep Salesmen".

John Stanislaus Joyce, the father of James Joyce of "Ulysses" fame was a jobbing Accountant for a number of the Stakeholders of the Dublin Cattle Market.  There are a number of references in …

Bureau of Military History – Civil War List of Free State Troops in Edenderry Barracks (the workhouse), 12-13 Nov 1922
Name Age Address William Nolan

Edenderry Railway
This is a Delivery Note of the Great Southern Railways Company advising a cost of the £2.17.8 for the carriage to Edenderry of 6 Tons 6cwts of coal, purchased from Wallace Brothers.  In 1873 work began on the construction of a rail line connecting Edenderry to the mainline of Midland & Great Western Railway (MGWR) just west of Enfield.  The Contractor was a Mr. Bagnall and the line opened in April 1877.  Ms. Nesbitt of Tuberdaly contributed £10,000 to the Capital Cost.  Her cattle were regular prize winners at the RDS and were transported to Dublin by Canal Barge prior to being "railed".  The junction with the mainline at Enfield was officially known as the "Nesbitt Junction".  Intending rail passengers to and from Edenderry had to change at Enfield to await the "Up" or "Down" Train. The line had one other Train Station at Carbury. 
In about 1924 the Great Southern Railway Company took over management of the rail line which…

The Williams Family was the last of the Quaker Businesses in Edenderry.  Quaker Business and industry was the heart-beat of Commercial Life in Edenderry from the 18th Century onwards.

The Williams Family had been in business from at least the 19th Century and the last member of the family, Arthur Williams, retired from business in the late 1950's when his grocery and bakery business was purchased by the O'Brien Family.
Other members of the Williams Family had a Ladies Drapery Shop and a Motor Garage nearby. The Motor Garage was owned and operated by Conrad Williams, who, despite his severe disabilities from childhood, operated a very successful motor business. Both Conrad Williams and Arthur Williams were prominent members of the Edenderry Cycling Club in the late 19th Century and regular Prize Winners on the Circuit. Arthur Williams served as a Town Commissioner in the early 20th Century.

The Grand Canal Company at Edenderry

Since 1802 Edenderry was serviced by the Grand Canal thanks to the Marquis of Downshire who developed a spur-link about a mile long, to the centre of the Town.  There were Canal Stores at the wide Harbour and an Office for the Canal Agent. The last Canal Agent was James Corrigan who succeeded Patrick O'Kennedy (Padraig O'Cinneide) who was also Local Area Reporter for the "Leinster Leader" and a well known local Poet and Gaelic League activist.
The "put-put" sound from the Bolinder Diesel Engines on the Grand Canal Barges was a regular sound in the Town.  Guinness's Brewery and the Whiskey distilleries of Tullamore and Kilbeggan made regular deliveries by Canal Barge.  The 48M Canal Barge was the last Barge to Edenderry in 1960.
This Delivery Docket from June 1920 had flour from Shakeltons' Mills and a Bedstead, a wire mattress and assorted bedding.

Upcoming Lecture 27 September: The poor and provision for their relief in pre-famine Carbury Where: Edenderry Parish Centre, 8pm (All welcome) The talk, entitled ‘The poor and provision for their relief in pre-famine Carbury’, will provide an insight into the condition of the poor in west Kildare / north Offaly in the decade prior to the Great Famine. Using the barony of Carbury as a case study, the paper will draw on a selection of primary sources, particularly parliamentary reports and Church of Ireland vestry minute books, to illustrate the wealth of information available to us today on the state of the poor in the 1830s. Crucial to the day-to-day existence of the poor in this period was the network of relief mechanisms available to them – whether through a local church or charity, or falling back on the informal assistance of friends, family and neighbours. Where appropriate, contrasts will be made between poverty and relief availability in rural Carbury and the urban setting of Ed…

STROKESTOWN PARK HOUSE LECTURE SERIES IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE CSHIHE

The Centre for the Study of Historic Irish Houses & Estates is delighted to announce, in association with Strokestown Park House, that the annual lecture series will commence on 20 October and continue monthly into the spring of 2014. The first lecture in the series will be given by Suzanne Pegley, a PhD student at NUI Maynooth, who will speak about 'The Fall of the House of Conolly': Social networking of the power elites in Ireland, 1850-1880. Lectures will be held in the beautiful Strokestown Park House in county Roscommon. All enquiries please through Strokestown House only - E: info@strokestownpark.ie/ Tel: 071- 9633013

The full list of the lecture series is as follows:

LECTURE 1                  Sunday, 20 October     3.00 pm

Suzanne Pegley, 'The Fall of the House of Conolly': Social networking of the power elites in Ireland, 1850-1880

LECTURE 2                  Sunday, 24 November      …

The Universal Providing Stores" was established in Edenderry by the O'Brien family in 1840 and "Arranged on the Departmental Store a Universal Supply System in 1885". Its logo was "Everything Marketable Bought and Sold".  It was a very successful business and established Branches in Counties Westmeath, Kildare, Carlow, Offaly (King's), and Antrim namely Mullingar, Kinnegad, Rathangan, Maynooth, Kilmeague, Moyvalley, Tullow, Clonbulloge and Lurgan.  It also operated a Cereal Mill, a Mineral Water Factory, the former Williams' Bakery and Funeral Undertaking. The Edenderry Premises suffered extensive fire damage in the late 1950's and was rebuilt on modern lines.  It was a large employer and ceased operations in the 1980's.

The original Cinema in Edenderry was owned by the Roscrea & Athy Cinema Company, and occupied the site of a former Handball Alley. The Cinema was later purchased by the O'Brien Family, who were the leading Commercial Family in Edenderry. The Cinema drew on a large catchment area as the nearest Cinemas were as far away as Naas, Trim, Mullingar, Tullamore and Portarlington. The "Savoy Cinema" closed doors in the 1990's. The drama "Savoy" written by Eugene O'Brien ( of the O'Brien family) centred on the last performance at the Cinema, and was a sequel to his acclaimed Drama "Eden".

There were 530 registered Electors for the Edenderry Polling District in the late 19th Century.  The Polling District comprised the Parishes of Ballinakill, Monasteroris, and Ballymacwilliam.  The "Parish" is the Civil Parish being the Parish of the Church of Ireland, rather than the Parishes of the Roman Catholic Church. A minimum Property Valuation was legally required to qualify as an "Elector". This precluded most of the population including, most of the Town Residents.  The £ Valuation corresponded largely to the size of a holding and the list ranges from £500 (John Charles Smith, Monasteroris) to £10, which enabled about four Electors to qualify. "One Person , One Vote" was a 20th Century development.

The Edenderry Union comprised electoral areas in three Counties, King's (Offaly), Kildare and Meath.  In 1891 the total population of the Edenderry Union was 16,621 comprising an area of 172,407 statute acres. Slater's 1894 Directory lists out t…

"The Old Established House" according to its Bill-head, was established in 1821 which would have made it the oldest established business in Edenderry. It was owned by the Patterson Family and continued in business to the 1970's. George Patterson was the Proprietor in the second half of the 19th Century. He had been wounded while on active service in the British Army and having emigrated to Australia, returned to Ireland with his family to take over the business. You will see that the registered Trade Mark recalls the Australian connection as it features an Emu and a Kangaroo, five stars and the exhortation "ADVANCE AUSTRALIA". He was an active local Land League agitator and was imprisoned in Kilmainham Jail during the crack down on the Land League under the Coercion Act. A large Celtic Cross was placed over his grave at Drumcooley Cemetery with the following inscription : "In memory of George Patterson died 23rd  October 1891 aged 70 years...This monument …