Remembering other buildings which collapsed in Sligo

When I was a little girl in Pound Street playing in the 40’s, I came home from school to find the top end of the Street blocked with red bricks, glass, wood and a couple of broken slates.

The whole front of Stenson’s two storey house had collapsed. The old pair were taken into St. John’s County Home as it was then.

The rest of the building was secured for safety and life in the street resumed.

Then twenty years later in the 60’s I flew the coup, got married and low and behold when I returned a timber scaf- fold had been erected around my family’s home and the two adjoining three storey houses blocking the street except for pedestrians.

The blockage lasted a very long time. My family was re- located to Doorly Park. A fine Garage was established on the site .

And now 2018 Green and McNiece’s is for demolition.

When I was young Green and McNiece’s was the best Hardware shop in the West carrying everything from leather for soling shoes, called (half-soles, special little blue three-sided nails called tingles, to greaseproof paper sold by the ounce from a roll.

I got my first shop schoolbag made from brown canvass and cost seven sterling shillings and six pence from that shop.

Sadly, big bodies still move slowly so it could be a while before a decision is made for the future of the Green and McNiece site but parking sounds like the best option.

I hope it won’t be left at ground-floor level, Windows boarded, developing a dump for the next ten years.

Wooden Windows have become very popular in Ireland. I suppose the valley of the peeping windows is old fashioned, out-dated nowadays like everything else, and anyway the big difference is that there were people behind the Peeping windows.