Main Street with a line running through it!
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Where: Munster, Cork, Ireland
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When: Unknown
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Main Street, Drimoleague, Co. Cork has a rather unusual look to it, with the railway station and line on the one side, and the premises on the other? It does look pristine and very well maintained in this image, but alas is probably no longer like this – or is it?
Photographer: Fergus O’Connor
Collection: Fergus O'Connor Collection
Date: 1900-1920?
NLI Ref: OCO 345
You can also view this image, and many thousands of others, on the NLI’s catalogue at catalogue.nli.ie
Source: Flickr Commons
Views: 5934
Photographer: Fergus O’Connor
Collection: Fergus O'Connor Collection
Date: 1900-1920?
NLI Ref: OCO 345
You can also view this image, and many thousands of others, on the NLI’s catalogue at catalogue.nli.ie
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Owner: National Library of Ireland on The CommonsSource: Flickr Commons
Views: 5934
ferguso’connor
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drimoleague
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Bernard Healy
Approx Streetview: goo.gl/maps/FvNHvNsYmbtLeGyv9
Bernard Healy
Link to Megazoom not working for me - maybe this will be of use: catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000299670
BeachcomberAustralia
Mr French / Lawrence caught an earlier train !! - catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000317655
Bernard Healy
None of the commecial signs - Gilbey's, Murphy's, Fry's Chocolate give any clear indications for dating.
Bernard Healy
Okay - I think a fair case could be made for a post-1901 dating. Dromdaleague (sic) & Dromdaleague Town are both found in the Bredagh Electoral District in the 1901 and 1911 Censuses respectively. Have a look at the first page of the building returns for each census - 1901: www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai000587781/ 1911: www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai002012724/ Now, Samuel Kingston's pub is found at House 7 in both returns, so I'm confident that we're dealing with roughly the same part of town. However, in 1901, there's no trace of (Richard) Kingston's Hotel with 21 windows in front. Indeed, having searched the other pages of the 1901 census's building return, I can't find trace of any hotel of that size in Drimoleague. So I suspect that the hotel was built post-1901.
BeachcomberAustralia
Flickr is sometimes amazing! In 2009 via https://www.flickr.com/photos/abandonedrailsireland/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/abandonedrailsireland/6163101274/
Bernard Healy
I'll add that the 25" OS Map (surveyed 1899, published 1901) doesn't seem to include the hotel: geohive.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=9...
cargeofg
Reverse view in OCO_ 275 you can see turntable and inspection pit. But signs and datable posters on the platform while visible are not readable. No cars or motor cycles present not even a bicycle in both photos.
National Library of Ireland on The Commons
https://www.flickr.com/photos/bernardhealy Thanks, Bernard. That link is fixed now.
Foxglove
in the far far distance under the second bridge there is (with a squint to focus) a human figure next to a small dog ....
Bernard Healy
I'm also curious about what's going on with the premises marked "H Ryan". I reckon it's House 5 - a pub - in both 1901 & 1911. In 1901 it seems to be the home of a National Teacher called Margaret O'Brien and her servant Kate Hurley. But the buildling return seems to list it as a pub. In 1911 it's definitely a pub - home to the sisters Hannah Cotter (aged 32, Publican, married less than one year) and Mary Ellen Ryan (aged 22, single). This is Hannah Ryan's marriage to Station Master Jeremiah Cotter in 1911: civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marri... Note that Hannah's father was a teacher called James Ryan. Here she is in 1901 - visiting her father and already a Spirit-Licence Holder aged 24: www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai000587998/ TBH, I don't know if that's any help at all in dating, but if the H Ryan on the pub sign means 'Hannah Ryan', then she seems to have been a very young female publican. In my mind's eye, one always seems to think of a female publican in rural Ireland as being a widow or perhaps the daughter of publican. Did Hannah inherit the pub from a male relation with the same initial OR was she a young businesswoman in her own right? Of course, the fact that Hannah was visiting her father in 1901 makes it more likely that House 5 in 1901 _was_ H Ryan's pub back then and that the teacher was, perhaps, lodging there.
John Spooner
The building of the new Drimoleague Junction station was announced at the half-yearly meeting of the Cork, Bandon and South Coast Railway in February 1900. It was one of six new stations built in order to comply with the regulations of the Board of Trade, costing a total of £37,000.
Bernard Healy
https://www.flickr.com/photos/beachcomberaustralia Given that the buildings seem identical in the French/Lawrence shot & in the O'Connor photo, I was wondering for a while whether there might have been a cataloguing mixup with both pics actually being taken by the same photographer. However, there are flowerpots on the window of the two-storey building next to the hotel in French/Lawrence that are not there in O'Connor.
John Spooner
Interesting that a Kingston was the hotel proprietor. In January 1887 the premises of Mr Samuel P Kingston, of
KnockbridgeKnockbue, near Drimoleague Junction, were raided: "Yet another to the already long one of illicit distillation. ... The machinery seized were a still, still-head, vat, and a barrel. A bottle, said to contain the real genuine article, was also seized." Sport (Dublin) - Saturday 22 January 1887)Bernard Healy
https://www.flickr.com/photos/johnspooner Based on the Census Building returns, I'd be pretty sure that this refers to Kingston's pub, just a few buildings up the street from the hotel. The proprietor was Samuel. Not sure if closely related to the hotel Kingston or not. (I probably could investigate, but am short on time today.)
John Spooner
https://www.flickr.com/photos/bernardhealy I've just looked at the report again and it's not Knockbridge, but Knockbue, which is about 4 miles up the road (or railway line) to Dunmanway. It also mentions a still-house at Milane, "about eight hundred yards from Mr Kingston's residence"
Bernard Healy
https://www.flickr.com/photos/johnspooner I've just done a quick search on the 1901 census and there seem to be about 20 Samuel Kingstons in the locality!!! I was working off the assumption that it was an unusual name, but there was a whole gang of them! There are two Samuel Kingstons in Knockeenbwee Upper, the townland adjacent to Knockeenbwee Lower where the station is.
suckindeesel
This was the junction to Skibbereen on the main line Cork (Albert Quay) to Bantry of the Cork, Bandon and South Coast Railway Station opened 23/07/1877 and closed 1/04/1961 Formed part of the once extensive West Cork railway network. Station and yard new replaced by a car park.
O Mac
As far as I can remember most of Fergus O Connor's West Cork photos date post 1910.
suckindeesel
The 1903 Guys Directory lists Richard Kingston as one of four Drimoleague hotel proprietors.
suckindeesel
He's still listed in the 1915 Guys. There are two Richard Kingstons listed in the census, but as a forename www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/results.jsp?searchM...
BeachcomberAustralia
I don't think there is a great difference in time/years between the two photos. As well as the flowerpot, the hotel has different lettering, which surely would not happen if the hotel was still new; the Lawrence one shows haystacks(?) behind; the trees are the same shape but lusher here; the insulators on the telephone poles are almost the same; etc. With all due respect to Mr O'Connor, Mr French's photo is (rail)yards ahead in composition, lighting, and interest; I like the odd little steps on the left, and the engine which looks to be blowing its whistle just as Mr French took the photo - WHEEEE!
O Mac
BeachcomberAustralia The engine driver in the Lawrence photo has a block token in his hand which I think might be this same one. (there can only ever be one per section) www.purcellauctioneers.ie/catalogue/lots/B42444733AFE1400... I agree re composition.
donnchacronin
One token or staff was given out at a time but multiple staffs were carried in the magazine of each staff instrument so there would have been duplicates.