Our trip to Mullingar and Irish Town

On July 3, 2017 evening (7 P.M.) My wife and I met a women that does walking tours in Mullingar, Westmeath. We found out about the tour by a notice of the tour because of a ad in the window of the Market house in the information centers window. She was very knowledgeable and really knew her history of Mullingar and the surrounding area, almost rain man knowledgeable.

Ruth was her name. I wish I would have gotten her full name and contact information at the time. I have tried to relocate her after getting back home in the US but could find no contact information. She described in detail as we toured Mullingar the history of buildings she would point out and what we were standing on as we passed. Such as the old prison that is long been gone and where many hangings took place and the names of some of those hung in public on market day. We started at A place Called Market House at the corner of Mount Street and Pearse street. In the same area is the oldest Pub in Westmeath called Canton and Casey's. It was established in the early 1800's. One of the owners a Canton seems to think they were related to the Canty's but had no real information to peruse at the time. It was very hard to find any street markings as we walked. The area we walked was mostly centered around three blocks in any direction from the start. She even described how many times the city was burnt to the ground in raids and by accident. The city has been burnt so many times that they started using rock to build the homes and shops.

My main reason for taking the walking tour was to find out what she knew of Irishtown two kilometers from Mullingar where my great, great grandmother lived.

Ruth first described why it was called Irishtown and why there are more than one Irishtown in Ireland, because that's where the Irish were living. The ruling people of the time didn't care for the Irish so kept them away from Mullingar or many of the large cities.

Eventually the English took over and things became worse. An example of this is the many Famines and the work houses the English built through out Ireland. The work houses were for the destitute. If you were not making it and in order to live, you gave up any property you owned in order to enter the work house. If you were a family the women would be separated from the husband. Any male children under 10 would stay with the father and any over 10 would be taken away to work. The women with girl children was the same any under 10 stayed with mom those over were separated and put to work. Some work houses completely separated the children from the parents never to be seen again. The work houses was the last chance you may have had to live and not starve to death, although many did. Not only was starving a real possibility but disease and plague also killed many. Many were sent to other countries never to see their family again. 

My great, great grandmother lived in Irishtown during this time. Ruth mentioned that the old Saint Mary's Hospital in Irish town was actually one of the work houses..I have no idea if my great, great grandmother was part of the people who were forced to live in the work house or not. All I know was she stated both her parents were dead by the time she reached the U.S.. Seeing how there are no records of my great, great grandmother in Irishtown that I could locate I still have a lot of questions that need answers. Other than the information my great great grandmother gave in bank records for the New York emigrant bank

My wife and did go to Irishtown to check out and take pictures of St Mary's Hospital. I'm glad we did because it was closed down and fenced. For posible destruction?????? We took our pictures and did walk the grounds, scary place.

I have no other information at present to go by as far as any other kinds of information regarding my gg grandmother.. If I were ever able to afford to go back to Ireland I would like to search out to see if there were any records of the people that entered the Work Houses. Does anyone know if they kept records and where iare they now if they did??

My wife and I spent three weeks in Ireland. It was our trip of a life time and I would go back in a second if given the opertunity. Driving ther can be a nightmare because the roads are narrow or just one lane away from the main roads and no knowing whats around the next bend coming at you. LOL

Charles T Canty