SILVER ST

Liam Mackeys and the Bank of Ireland. Others were Jack Ayre's Betting shop, Madge Reidy's grocers, Byrne's barbers and May Dunne/Ayre's

Putting up the Connolly St sign on Liam Mackeys shop though perversely Nenagh residents would still insist on calling it Silver St and to further confuse visitors the sign was in Irish. Liam had a potato store further up the street on the corner of Gleesons lane. He also bagged his own blend of tea. His disused Tea chests doubled as playpens for many a young child

May Dunne/ Ayres shop. This was where young lads went to buy single cigarettes at lunchtime on their way back to the C.B.S. school in Johns Lane. May had a new Settee in the room behind the shop and never removed the plastic covering. Next door was Davy Byrnes Barbers

O'Briens Butchers. Future proprietor Paddy Joe is the young lad in front. His sister Maureen is on the extreme left

The site of Madge Reidy's grocers and source of all the good gossip. You went to Madge for Rustic loafs and to Dinny Gleesons for Turnover bread and homemade country butter

The site of Cleary's papershop undergoing demolition in between Healys Butchers and O'Meara's Tailors

Healy's Butchers

Haye's later to become Joe Bergins shop

Progress as the road is brick paved and new shops take over from old

Some advertisements from 1942 from Jack Ayres, Mackeys and Dinny Gleeson

Jimmy Hudson was a Cobbler and walked with a limp. He kept his car in a lockup in Ball Alley Lane. You went to Hudson's if you wanted Dobbin for your football or shoes mended

Originally named Allens Garden, Ball Alley Lane once had upwards of 500 residents. The occupants were removed to St Josephs Park and the remaining buildings became slaughter houses from the time when every Nenagh butcher killed their own beasts

When we knew Ball Alley Lane, the residents had moved out, mainly to St Josephs Park and the buildings left behind became slaughterhouses. There was an abiding smell of rotting flesh and yet as kids we were fascinated by the whole slaughtering process.

The site of Dinny Gleesons Bar & Grocers, then extended to become the ever popular Plunge Inn and finally The Silvermine Bar and restaurant The Jade Court

looking up Silver St from the Market Cross

The end of an era as Hackett's Butchers finally closed their doors in 2024

A bunch of lads at the Market Cross with the Bank and Liam Mackey's in the background

Johnny would place a plank on the arms of the chair for you to sit on so he had sufficient height to cut your hair. You learned to keep quiet and learn as you listened to the grownups talk about adult things

Johnny McMahon's - 09/09/2006

Rob Toohey photo of the changing face of Johnny Mac's

These houses were originally the stables for the Barracks next door. Upstairs had interconnecting doors which were blocked up when they became private residences

Partial demolition of 12 & 13 Silver St

At the bottom of Lewis Lane or Gleeson's Lane as we knew it, there were stables. Each had a tethering point and a moulded concrete basin, no doubt for containing oats for visiting Donkeys and Horses

At one time Hayes pub where you bought a jug of porter for Sunday Dinner, later it became Johnny Kellys & The Miners Rest and ended up named Jamseys after the Banba Square Statue

1933 view of Silver St and part of Ball Alley Lane

Bank windows

David Burns barber shop in Silver St

When this house was originally built it stood alone on the Silvermines Road. Formerly the cellars were storage for a distillery across the street and were connected by an underground passage. In later years it was where Napoleonic Wars veterans had their Pensions allotted. It also served as an auxiliary Workhouse during the Famine and later as a Police Barracks.

In the more recent past it was one of a number of warehouses owned by Walsh's. To us it was the "Big Space" and Walsh's had a great gate to kick a football against.

It was outside this house in 1923 that unarmed Patrick "Brownson' Hogan of the Turnpike was shot and killed when he attempted to stop a National Army soldier from bullying a young  paper boy. Shot twice, he died on the spot. 

Carved detail stonework on the Barracks Wall

Lewis Lane off Silver St

Looking down Silver St from John's Lane junction

Used to be May Flynn's, Powell's Bar & Grocers & Connolly's

Map from 1879, showing Lower Silver St and Lewis Lane although we always referred to it as Gleeson's Lane. To further confuse, in 1841 it had 14 tenanted houses and was known as Mackey's Lane. You can see how many exits and Mews buildings were off this Lane in 1879.  It's suggested that the portion at the back of the bank is actually Mackeys Lane. Previous to this, Lewis Lane was known as McAfee's Lane named for Neal McAfee an Ulsterman who lived on the corner in the early 1700's. This many named Lane was on the corner of Dinny Gleeson's pub and Mackey's potatoe store and led to the yard for Gleeson's Bakery of Queen St.  In the ornamental garden it makes me curious to know whatever happened to the Sundial. It was important enough to be recorded. Later ,the field it became, owned by Jack Fogarty, was a childhood playground . The site is now one of Nenagh's Carparks

The men from Maddens. This was a proper mans pub as opposed to a Lounge bar. Each pub seemed to have it's own regulars and in-jokes. 

Back: Martin Deeley, Paddy Bourke, Phil Molamphy, Murt Morrissey, Jonny Brien, Tommy Molamphy, Chitney Ryan, Paddy Hackett, Frankie O'Donnell, Jack Madden Front: Josie O'Connor, Paddy Butler, Philly Curtis, Jack Ryan

Maddens Pub

The Wesleyan Chapel behind the parsonage became another warehouse owned by Walsh's

Bergins with its iconic green paintwork and Irish script. Michael Bergin defiantly painted his house and shop in republican colours during the War of Independence. He further snubbed the Crown forces by putting his name above the shop in Irish. His son Sean Bergin, a leader of an A.S.U. was killed during a shootout with British forces in Loughglynn, Roscommon

The surprising thing about this occurance from 1921 is that the residents were completely non-plussed as if it was an everyday event. The leg was buried and that was the end of it

One of the long lived residents of Silver St

The houses on the right would later be bulldozed to make way for Shamrock Court

Mulqueens Supermarket - an alternative to Joeys and handy for anyone living in Silver St, William St or Knockanpierce.

William St corner

Philly Ryan's Pub

Philly with Shane McGowan

The Shamrock Club

Silver St as a Marketplace for young horses

Laddie Boland & daughter Nuala 

Upper Silver St

View from Upper Silver St

It was around this area that the Gateway and main thoroughfare into Nenagh through the old town walls was to be found - Thomond Gate giving rise to Thomond Lane aka Bournes Lane. Bournes Lane was named after Captain Richard Bourne who owned the nearby Coach office and stables. The Bourne family won the first Coach / Mail contract between Limerick and Dublin in 1791