History of Balbriggan Town Council

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History of Balbriggan Town Council (formally Town Commission)

The year 1860 saw the establishment of Balbriggan Town Commissioners.
They set up when the town’s inhabitants held a meeting in the Courthouse on 23rd of May 1860, at which they resolved to implement the Town Improvement Act of 1854 in respect of public lighting. At a subsequent meeting about one month later a communication from the Under Secretary, Dublin Castle, was read stating that the Lord Justices had sanctioned the application from the people to put in force the aforementioned Act in respect of Balbriggan. Today as a consequence of this balbriggan Town Commissioners are the oldest Statutory Local Authority in County Dublin.

The first meeting was held on 4th June 1860, with George. A. Hamilton in the Chair and the first Commissioners were: George A. Hamilton, J.P. Bankhead. S.S. Moss, F.F. Blackburne, E. Murphy, T. Cumisky, J. Hamlet, B. Sharkey and J. Archbold. For many years their main function was the selection of sites for erection of gas lamps and negotiation with the Gas Company re, public lighting and payments for gas.

As far back as the 1860’s vandalism existed in the Town as the minutes of the Commissioners detail a reward offered for information leading to the incarceration of those breaking lamps and interfering with the gas supply. They also detailed a loan of £300 from the Board of Works for the erection and maintenance of a market place in George’s Square. This loan was to be repaid by imposing tolls on the stallholders in the market. The minute read as follows: The Town is not provided with any public market for the sale of agricultural produce, meat, fish, eggs etc in consequence where the parties attending the market are obliged to stand in the open streets with great inconvenience to themselves and to the public.

At a meeting on the 8th of October 1871, a request was made that a Coastguard should be left on duty day and night at Balbriggan harbour as cholera had now come to our shores.

On 2nd of July 1876, a motion pas passed seeking full application of the Town Improvements Act of 1854. This was accepted and later sanctioned giving Balbriggan full Status under the Act.

In 1883 the minutes give details of a loan application of £1050 from the Board of Works for the purpose of erecting a Town hall in Balbriggan. This loan was repayable over 30 years and the Town Hall was not officially opened until 3rd May 1900. There were minutes at the end of the last century applying to the Post Office to have letters send to the more important streets including George’s Square, Bridge Street and Drogheda Street and also a request from the rent collector, Michael Slevin, for a salary increase. It read: “I beg to add, that in consequence of the Commissioners not having struck a rate last year I was paid no salary for that year”.

At the turn of the century the minutes dealt with the proposed establishment of a Carnegie Library in the town. They also mention the need to have the R.I.C. introduce measures to control the speed of traffic in the town. The minutes also dealt with the drainage of the town and the problems with water pumps and an outbreak of Diphtheria.

Around 1909 the minutes deal with the proposed improvements to the harbour including an application under the Governments Development Scheme for Small Harbours. But the minutes of the Commissioners as far back as 1866 draw attention to the sorry state of the Harbour. The Commissioners refer to the various nationalities of fishermen using the harbour and how convenient Balbriggan is to the markers.
Later in the 1920’s the Commissioners attempted unsuccessfully to take over the harbour from the Port and Docks Board due to its bad state of repair. There was also a minute dealing with the adoption of part three of the Housing for the Working Classes Act of 1890 with a view to promote a scheme to erect Artisan Dwellings in the Town. But more interesting was the minute passed when a Mr. D’Vine called for dancing classes. Permission was granted under the following conditions:
“That he attends personally and gets the services of a lady of mature age to preside on each occasion that the classes were held”.

Another interesting resolution passed at this time was the agreement to place posters at Black Rock requesting bathers to wear clothes while bathing, after a tourist complained that he saw a gentleman bathing at Black Rock without any costume.

At the time of the First World War the minutes dealt with the proposed housing scheme for the town and the financial constraints imposed by the war. For this purpose a loan of £400 was secured from the Northern Bank, balbriggan, repayable over 10 years. The minutes also note the cancellation of the evening mail delivery to Balbriggan, which was a result of so many Post Office staff being called to military duties.

There was also a circular around this time from Cumann no mBan requesting signatures form women for a resolution demanding that rebellion prisoners be treated as prisoners of war.

In the 1920’s there was a malicious injury claim to the Commissioners arising out of the Sack of Balbriggan by the Black and Tans on the 9th September 1920.
There was a visit by relief delegates from U.S. to inspect the burned houses and later indicated their willingness to build 30 houses and possibly rebuild a factory destroyed by fire.
There was also a reference to dealings with Michael Collins in his capacity as Chairman of the provisional Government on rebuilding the town.

A resolution was passed from the Commissioners requesting the Minister of Foreign Affairs to communicate with the U.S. Consul and help bring about the release of Jim Larkin “Whom we believe to have been the victim of British intrigues”.

The Commissioners dealt with the proposed housing scheme at Hampton Street and Skerries Street and they erected 8 houses at St. Peter’s Terrace. They were unsuccessful in an attempt to secure a loan for further housing. In 1924 eighteen houses were erected at S. Mologa’s terrace. In 1925 they passed over their powers re. Local Government Housing Act 1925, to Dublin County Council, in order to avail of the new housing scheme being put forward by the County Council.

The late 1920s saw the Commissioners attempt to bring about the reconstruction of Balbriggan Baths. This was eventually brought to fruition in 1932. They also proposed the introduction of electric lighting to the town including building a transformer station in George’s Square.

In the mid 1930’s there was a proposal to extend the Town Hall. The minute reads: “say 50 feet wide of Murphy’s garden from the Town Hall to Mr. Rooney’s boundary wall.” The terms for purchasing the site from the owner Mr. Sharkey were minuted.

The extension to the town hall was not officially opened until 1937. By this time decisions were made as to whether to have internal electric lighting in new houses being built on Hampton Street and to name some of the houses in memory of Gibbons and Lawless who were shot on 20th September 1920. A memorial plaque is erected on the wall above the Bracken River at Bridge Street. Eventually 34 houses were erected.

An interesting letter from Superintendent Garda Walsh states that he would give attention to the annoyance caused by wandering goats in Hampton Street. By the end of the decade the Town Hall was leased in part to Rev. Fr. Hickey for use as a cinema known as the Strand. A minute also noted the need to purchase a piano.

The minutes on the 1932 Housing Act show discussion took place with Dublin Board of Public Health re the demolition of slum houses and their replacement with new cottages. This board erected 34 houses at Clonard Street and Chapel Street in 1935.

Tin 1947 a further 110 houses were built in Hampton Demesne. There was also a note from the Board that they had begun a dumping ground at an old quarry on McNally’s land at Coney Hill.

During the Second World War the minutes dealt with the implementation of measure to black out the Town Hall windows and to control the lighting of the town’s lamps. A vote of support to the Taoiseach for maintaining our neutrality was also passed. By the late 1940’s a decision was taken to implement the School Meals Act due to the curtailment of bread and tea supplies.

Although their powers have been diminished somewhat in recent years the Commissioners/Town Councillors continue to demonstrate their civic spirit and they provide the town with a platform to air its view.

References: Balbriggan Town Commissioners Annual Report, 1997
Draft of records of Balbriggan Town Commissioners, 1860-1997
Drogheda Independent, 1960