There is no mention of this building in the 2008 architectural survey of the town.
The house that stood here
- owned by the aforementioned John Delany - in 1850 was vacant at the time,
but later occupied by publican Judith Brophy. She was succeeded by Peter Fitzpatrick, a baker and
confectioner.
On Census Night 1901, he was here with his wife Sarah, sons John and Peter (baker and shop assistant respectively) and daughters
Anne 'Nannie', a seamstress, and Bridget, a domestic servant. It is poignant to note that John and Bridget were both deaf and dumb.
There were also two boarders in the house; John Waters, a painter from Waterford and
Patrick Dunne, a plasterer from King's County.
A decade later, Anne was classified as Head of Family and boarding-house keeper. Her sister Bridget was also still living here and the house had four lodgers:
Patrick Barnes and Patrick Finnegan, both grocer's assistants; John Fitzpatrick, a carpenter, and Peter Keane, a horticulturalist.
I don't know if there's any truth in the adage "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach", but Peter must have been impressed by Nannie's
cooking; he ended up marrying her.
In 1909/1910, these premises also housed G.A. Hipwell's Watch Repair business (Complicated watches have no secrets for me)
and, from the 1920's well into living memory, it was owned by Frank Gowing Victualler
(Prime beef and wether mutton a speciality), Auctioneer and Valuer.
From the 1980's, there was a succession of butchers here: Goodwin's (who also had a shop in Mountrath), Sean Conroy
(When you buy from us, you buy the best), Seán Donovan (1992) and Pat O'Connor. The latter was replaced (2003) by Tony McCormack's Delicatessen
which, after nearly twenty-one years in business, closed in December 2003. After the premises were refurbished, Gaire's Cafe opened here in 2024.
