Thriving ‘Kanturk Memories’ page a means to connect

OVER recent weeks during the current lockdown a Facebook page entitled Kanturk Memories, which was set up by Richard Norton, has gone from strength to strength with many members contributing photographs, both personal and otherwise.

The group was set up on 28th January 2017 and has grown to have over 2260 members this week.

While many local people have joined connections with Kanturk, natives in the USA, England and Europe have reconnected through the private members page.

Old class photographs from the Kanturk boys national school have cropped up among the many items and pictures of interest. While the Facebook page is not a historical site in the truest sense, so interesting requests have cropped up in recent days.

The late Denis Fitzpatrick, who owned the corner shop and a store in O’Brien St, ran an ice cream factory. Can anyone shed light on the ice cream factory, where it was, how long was it in existence and are there photographs that could be shared on the group of the factory?

Many have shared about buying the ice cream from the late Babe Mulchinock from the corner shop where Central Shoe Stores is now. Others mention that the ice cream factory was behind the old Fitzpatrick’s shop on O’Brien St where O’Brien’s & Angland’s Spar shop was in more recent years.

This writer often heard it said in the past that the late Denis Fitzpatrick was a man ahead of his time such was the visionary he was in the business life of the town.

Another item that came to my attention is to the premises where the local Fire Brigade was over the years. An old photograph appeared on the Facebook page of the street joining Strand St with lower Watergate St, with the late Dick O’Connor’s forge in the back ground.

Contributors have recounted the site on lower Watergate St where the Fire Brigade was prior to moving to St Theresa’s Place, and the alarm button to call the Fire Brigade was positioned on the front of Looney’s on Strand St.

It would be lovely if any photographs and other information of these two items could be shared with us on Kanturk Memories. If you can share any items of interest please feel free to email Francis at centralstoreskanturk@gmail.com.