Posted by PJ on April 04, 2000 at 16:41:40:
Many of my earliest memories of Castlebar are connected with Christmas probably because, being a Culchie from Breaffy, this was the main time I got to town as a kid. The other time was to visit the Clinic for an annual Dental Check Up and the old Jail Wing/Nurses Home was still standing (Each time we'd get to go to Cafolla's for Fish and Chips afterwards). I remember an excellent Toy Shop on Castle Street round about where Don Racine is now.
I do remember when Josie Burkes was still a garage though at the traffic lights where John O'Donnells Chemist (Formerly Farrells Newsagents circa early 1980's) is now (and the bike Shop which then moved down to Market Square where Hibernian Insurance is now, I believe Old Paddy Burke died fairly recently actually)
They demolished the Old Nurses Home/Jail Wing when building Phase one of the new hospital circa 1981 and Demolished McCormacks Yard to build the New Dunnes circa 1982 (Course the Old Dunnes/Bolgers/Bests was at the bottom of Main Street, Anyone remember the Resturaunt up on the top floor of Bests?
Course all these memories are pretty recent, in the last 30 years, not like the Real Old Timers writing in the Parish Magazine who can remember way back.