Old Athlone businesses

lt_cmdr_worf

This is a thread to remember pubs, shops, and otherwise which have closed up,moved out, or changed in Athlone over the past 20 years or so.

From memory:

Staunton's Intersport - Golden Island - which later became Elvery's
Thornton's Chocolates - Golden Island
Roger's Restaurant - Golden Island
Quinnsworth - old Athlone shopping centre (ASC)
Compustore - PC shop in Belhavel which closed around 2004
Another PC shop which also sold PlayStation 1 games - can't remember the name, it was beside the Golfworks shop in the Belhavel area, 1999
Paramount Cimema - old ASC, saw "Aladdin" there, 1994
The Ritz Cinema - beside Burgess dept store, demolished in the mid 1990s
Hardiman's Bicycles - old ASC
Red Hot Records - in Northgate St, then Mardyke, which sold a lot of underground heavy metal
Attitude - heavy metal clothes/accessories shop in the old ASC
Easons Golden Island!
Music World, Easons in the Church St area
The Royal Hoey Hotel
Newsagents - in the old ASC, gave up the ghost in 2007
Heartbeat City - old ASC
Texas - old ASC (see dedicated thread in this forum)
Rose Finlay Pharmacy - old ASC. There were already 12 pharmacies in the town. People didn't want to shop in the 13th - especially when cosmetics were available for cheaper a few steps across...
Dr & Herbs - Athlone Town Centre (closed recently, but could be on a temporary basis)
Diesel Discount Sports - old ASC

whyulittle

Heatons in Church Street.
Chipper that was demolished for Supermacs, Big Snack?
Easons in Church Street where Centra is now.
Xtra Vision in Dublin Gate Street.
Athlone Book Store in Belhavel.
The old Newsfare in ASC.
Lifestyle Sports in ASC.
The old kind of pound shop that was on the corner across from Dunnes before John Broderick Street was created, can't think of its name.
Londis on Dublin Road beside McCormack Centre.
Old ESB shop on Church Street.

neaideabh

Cormicans in ASC.
Athlone Meats
QUINNSWORTH
Tesco where Dunnes Montree is...Yonks ago
The old Prince
Royal Hoey
Showcase 4 screen Cinema at ASC
The Bawn Amusements
The Dell bar
The old swimming pool RIP

neaideabh

Murdocks chipper at sweeneys corner (was only open for about a week!)

whyulittle

The Joke Shop where Beanies is now.
The whole block at the Bawn which was demolished, including Blacoes, John Francis Waldron?
What was on the site of Rayners, before the building literally started to fall down.
Credit Union in a small little office behind the BOI Church Street.
BOI on Pearse Street with the cool neon lettering.
Pearse Street!
The hardware store before the Palace expanded into it, name?

Saint_Mel

whyulittle wrote: »

The hardware store before the Palace expanded into it, name?

PJ Byrnes ... many a wasted weekend going in there to buy pen knives and gaffer tape ... I think he thought we were kidnapping people every week

Add to the list:

The Mans Shop St Peters Square
The Tatch Pub St Peters Square
Pudding Lane Restaraunt Behind The Tatch
Jims "The Mod" Barber Gleeson St
McFarlands Gleeson St
Ice Cream place Old SC
Post Office Maradyke St
Goldsmith Tavern Now O'Neills
Moody Blues Now Durty Harrys
Rhinos Chipper
Munchies
Carollans (sp?) Video Games/Amusements in The Bawn
Row Inn Row Chineese, The Bawn
Pat Manns Bar Sean Costello St
Gordon Clarkes (now The Sound Factoy but once had a shop in St Marys Place)
Abrakebabra Mardyke Street /Church St
Texas Hot Spot Chipper, Dublin Road ... went under a few name and ownership changes
Shellys .. Chipper (see above!)
The Left Bank & Le Chateux changes premisis
Roffs Steakhouse
Foodies on Castle St/Bastion St? has changed into a Leboneese
Brothers Arms pub (think that was its name) near the top of Parnell St.
McGuires pub Connaught St
Cantec ... Changed to Click and moved to ATC
Bruce & Bounty Bookies, Old SC
Athlone Library Just over the Town Bridge
Heavins moved from McCormack Mall to Dublin Rd.
Brendans Bar changed to Charlie Brownes
St Marys National School
? National School Across from The Cresent, Never knew the name
Pockets Snooker Hall
Snooker Hall (name?) where Paramount Cinema was
Stephen Kellys Pub ... Now Bar Metro
Omnitron (Breakaway company from Ericsson) Dublin Rd?
Ward International Moydrum Rd?
William Hill Dublin Rd
McCormacks? Sweet Shop Northgate St
Tapas Bar Northgate St
Conlons ... Now PlanB
Gills Now Potters
Hardware Shop (name?) across from Old SC
Video Shop (?name, run by Mick Silke) across from the old SC
Ladbrooks Sweeneys Corner
Madge Models Irishtown
??? (name) Music/Guitar shop Irishtown, beside Durty Harrys
Athlone Observer offices at the Station
The Paddock Hotel
The Paddock Nite Club, Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club, Knights, Knights II, Blinkers, Club Blinkers
Ginkles, Pearls, Banafish Park, Club Ginkles, Cklub Ginkles 2000
The SGS Blue LAgoon Hotel/Niteclub

Is Coyle & McGerr still open on Northgate St?
The Arden Bar?
The shop in The Bawn that Jackie Gaylard used to run, sold T-Shirts and knick-knacks
Seamie Hayes video shop (name?), Old SC
Paddy Loverns shop (name?), Old SC where the Post Office is now, sold clothes, badges, patches etc
Is Jolly Mariner still there?

Onikage

Pretty sure the Row Inn Row is stiill there.

Saint_Mel

Onikage wrote: »

Pretty sure the Row Inn Row is stiill there.

Could be, I just assumed it was gone with the redevelopment around there.
Never actually ate in/from there

whyulittle

Jolly Mariner is well gone, apartments on the site now.

Movie World on the corner opposite ASC.
There was another video store around St. Peter's Square.
Town Hall behind Prince.
Old Town Hall at bottom of Northgate Street.
St. Mel's Park.

Onikage

Wasn't there a clothes factory where the Radisson is?

Loaves & Fishes in the Bawn... mmm, cajun chicken.

Saint_Mel

Onikage wrote: »

Wasn't there a clothes factory where the Radisson is?

Yep, The Apparel

yknaa

Some 'blasts from the past' in those lists.
I went to college for 3 years in Athlone. Loved it.
Is Joe Browne's shop still a going concern?
There used to be a chipper across the road and
the Paddock Hotel up the road.

Onikage

Saint_Mel wrote: »

Seamie Hayes video shop (name?), Old SC

Next to the butchers? Was that not the first Music World?

Saint_Mel

Onikage wrote: »

Next to the butchers? Was that not the first Music World?

Thats the one. Wasnt sure if that was the origional name.

I think that Deisel Discount Sports was in some way connected to Texas

Not 100% sure but I think Joe Brownes shop is a Chineese Take Away now!
Is the little sweetshop in the middle of Willow Park still in business?

Just had another flashback ...
Europa Express ... Now Alfredos
Cloonans Bar ... Now Biddy Mulligans
McCarricks Cash & Carry
The Hooker ... Now Gertie Brownes

Onikage

Saint_Mel wrote: »

Not 100% sure but I think Joe Brownes shop is a Chineese Take Away now!
Is the little sweetshop in the middle of Willow Park still in business?

Joe Browne is still there but half the shop is a take away.

Franks is gone.

The willow sweet shop is long gone.

yknaa

Onikage wrote: »

Joe Browne is still there but half the shop is a take away.

Franks is gone.

The willow sweet shop is long gone.

Wow! Forgot all about Franks. Did he have a northern accent?

Joe wasn't exactly generous with the heat and light back in the day as he
shuffled around with his big coat on. Remember going in to find him clipping his toenails behind the counter - glad I wasn't buying any fresh ham that day.

Lilith306

lt_cmdr_worf wrote: »

Another PC shop which also sold PlayStation 1 games - can't remember the name,

Byte-life

SoupyNorman

Blinkers...*sniff, sniff*

lt_cmdr_worf

neaideabh wrote: »

Tesco where Dunnes Montree is...Yonks ago

Yep, I remember seeing that about 20-odd years ago.

lt_cmdr_worf

Saint_Mel wrote: »

Hardware Shop (name?) across from Old SC
Video Shop (?name, run by Mick Silke) across from the old SC

The video shop was, I believe, simply called "Video Store"

The hardware shop mentioned is Athlone Home Improvements. One of the many casualties in the old Athlone SC.

Spar, old SC. We can now add that to the list....

lt_cmdr_worf

American Fry, in Connacht St around 2004
Temptin' Eve, clothes shop, old ASC
Mc Gorisks Pharmacy, old ASC, before that moved to the Crescent roundabout

tetra7

The sweet shop under the Bonnie Bouche Restaurant, it might have gone by the same name. the pub Ricks is there now. It was a lovely shop.

That restaurant is like stepping back in time, i love the idea of it. I havent eaten there in donkeys years but I love that it didnt try to modernise itself.

offaly1

just outta curiousity is there many shops left in golden island now?>

neaideabh

All taken, except rogers cafe is sold to tesco so they can try and make an entrance out of it. Easons now changing to lifestyle sport. Pennys now has 2 storeys!

whyulittle

Tesco own the entire shopping centre.

tubos

tetra7 wrote: »

The sweet shop under the Bonnie Bouche Restaurant, it might have gone by the same name. the pub Ricks is there now. It was a lovely shop.

That restaurant is like stepping back in time, i love the idea of it. I havent eaten there in donkeys years but I love that it didnt try to modernise itself.

That restaurant is brilliant, it's reminds me of my grannies sitting room!!! It's a great place to bring visitors to!

Onikage

yknaa wrote: »

Wow! Forgot all about Franks. Did he have a northern accent?

That's him. He's not a well man these days sadly. Much preferred his weird shop to Joe Brownes weird shop.

neaideabh

Regrettably, he passed away about 6 months ago! RIP.

Vas_Guy

Video Electric owned by Danny O'Donnel in Connaught Street, Video rental, photo development, photocopying

Hogans in Church Street became Easons then Centra when Easons moved to golden Island

Duffy's owned by John McCabe opposite the Friary

The cafe owned by Helen Corely beside Duffy's

Shelvins in Church Street which became Muchies and now a Buliding Society?

Joe Brown had a shop in Mardyke Street not the copy shop run by Danny O'Donnell you can still see the sign on the side of Griffin Street

Stanly's in Church Street which became xtravision

There was also a stanlys in the Bawn

There was a kitchen workshop in the bawn behind the Row inn Row

Count John's in the Bawn became the Row inn Row

Barnacles near St. Mels

Cases where the office centre is now

Is the Arden Bar still there

Conlons in Church Street

Dunning Butchers where Durty Harrys is now

The Moody Blues Club over Durty Harry's, Dunnings Butchers then

McCormacks in Northgate Street

There was a camera shop where Maries Mini Market in the connaught side

Sarsfield Stores closed down due to bring robbed by the locals one too often

Murtaghs Shop near Beech Park West

O'Hallorans Newsagents beside the Genoa Cafe in early 80s

Butlers shop in the square

The Man's Shop in Church Street

Tony's beside Claffeys

Newsfare

Gerry Carrolls butchers where Mary's is now

Gifts and Games beside Gerry Carrolls

Cost cutters where finalys is now opposite Dunnes

whyulittle

Vas_Guy wrote: »

Gifts and Games beside Gerry Carrolls

Gifts and Games, couldn't think of that name.

Onikage

neaideabh wrote: »

Tesco where Dunnes Montree is...Yonks ago

I think you mean Texas, shut in the mid 80's.