Two Buildings:Menlo Castle & Eglinton St Garda Station

Ok I'll bite: where exactly in Eglinton St was the garda station? What is there now?

[quote]That building was such a central part of the street I can't imagine anyone not knowing where it was (Or, and this is much more likely, I'm past past it myself...!) [/quote]

Well I've lived here for almost 15 years, and am a sticky-beak who takes keen interest in what's around and what used to be in places.

And this is the first time I've ever heard of the building.

TBH, I'd see the red bricks as making it a historical aberration, not something which fits the grey Galway stone look.

I've zero memory of it, can remember bits of Eglinton St from being a kid in the 80s eg Buck Rogers but never knew there was a barracks there either.

I was in it twice. First time I was seven or eight and I'd found a bird in the Square with a broken wing.

The lad on duty was brilliant. Took the bird and told me he'd make it better (yeah, I copped on a few years later). He brought me out the side and told me to take a bike as a thank you 🏆

Second time was when I went for my first passport. Gang of the lads sitting on a couch away from the hatch gave me a wave. One of them eventually stubbed out his cigarette, got up and signed the form.

It really was a lovely building. If I remember correctly there was a campaign to turn it into either a hostel or a training centre. I was in England at the time so not sure what happened. When I got back it was gone.

Lived near there in the 70's, there was a disused handball alley out the back and a billiard room upstairs in an ancillary building.You could see the the row of victorian era cells with their heavy wooden doors and filthy mattresses on the ground.There was also lots of bikes stored around the place.Sometimes the sergeant used to let us see the cells and tell us we'd end up in there.😀

Buck Rogers was on prospect hill, thought he had a branch on Eglinton street at one stage, then it became Abrakebabra, Kaspers on Mary street was nice in the mid 80s

I definitely remember walking out of GPO staggering slightly to my right and ending up with a cheeseburger on a few occasions.

It's such a pitty the Garda Barracks was demolished. What an ugly eye sore stands in its place, not even painted. I was only a child but remember it. Why was there so little appreciation of period buildings. Even the building to the right of McDermot&Allen Solicitors on St. Francis Street was destroyed by the addition of a new entrance and extra floor about 20 years ago. Also the ornate reveal plasterwork of upper floors of Colonial buildings were removed and the facade of the Post Office was " modernised" in the 1960 s or 70s and destroyed. I also remember the chip shop across the road. From Garda Barracks,For some reason I thought you went down steps as you walked in. I also seem to think the counter was well back from the entrance. That's a long time ago and I was only about 12.

The former staff houses opposite the Magdalen building on Foster street/ college road or the limerick steamship building in the corner of the docks. Albeit it has a very modern office block above it.

The Magdalen building is on St. Mary Magdalen Terrace. College Road does not begin until you pass Forster House, the spectacular period property on its own grounds ( owned by the Ryan family of Ardilaun Hotel and Ryan's Shop) at the top of the hill.

Further up on the street was the Savoy amusements ,under the skating rink upstairs ! Roller skating discos..going back a bit.