In December 1843, work on the workhouse in Athy was completed. The first inmates were admitted to the workhouse on 9 January 1844.

"There's only one Frank"

A vibrant family friendly street 70 years ago

Athy is not regarded as a hurling town, but records show that as early as 1887 a hurling club was formed in the town

The story of the town hall in many ways tells the story of Athy

More local connections that you may think

The graphic novel is a medium with which I am not terribly familiar. As a young fellow, I eagerly perused the shelves of my local library in search of the latest unread detective novel.

Skills abounded with bicycle mechanics, garage mechanics, blacksmiths and pattern moulders working side by side in the huge Duthie Large complex.

The county council’s plans for the ongoing development and improvement of Athy are impressive and heartening.

'Having gone through the education system at both primary and secondary levels in the local CBS School, I knew little or nothing of the town’s history'

The ever-increasing death toll and the need to provide coffins for internments created demands on the finances of the Board of Guardians

Exhibition opens on 19 April

Frank Taaffe's also explores the town's earliest buildings

Edward Carson once defended him

Rev Samuel Cotton didn't turn up for Sunday service one time but that was the least of his offending behaviour

"We need more independent shops along our main streets"

Should we reconsider naming Athy's streets

The corridors which once echoed to the shuffling sounds of bare footed men, women and children, have been replaced by modern wards where the elderly and the sick are comforted and cared for with compassion and skill

The winds of 1839 brought a different type of devastation

A rare achievement for Athy players

Private James Barber was part Anglo Zulu War between the British empire and the Zulu nation

Illustrates the many changes wrought by time on Athy

Can you identify the people in the photo?

'Let’s hope that a more forward-thinking approach to this issue is applied in December 2025'

Children’s literature is now very prominent in bookshops, but that was not always the case

We as a community need to be innovative with the opportunities presented by events such as the Shackleton Autumn School

For the price of one shilling and six pence or nine pence, were treated to a film and a serial show

As a young man of 19, I wasn’t hugely focused or interested in politics in 1961. I have stronger memories of the opening of the Dreamland Ballroom on the Kilkenny Road, Athy

A busy weekend in Athy

For most of us, the Boer War has little lasting impact on our collective memory but there are little resonances here and there.

Athy is truly the center of the universe!

This colourful and attractive publication draws strongly on the spirit of the community at Woodstock and has chapters on sport, music, heritage, river, games, birds and community life

Perhaps the most important artifact will be the rent table from Kilkea

EYE ON THE PAST This evening (Tuesday 24 September) at 8pm, the AGM of Athy Historical Society will take place in the Community Arts Centre.

'It is disappointing to read of the need to remind anyone of how such an important cultural facility as the Community Arts Centre should be supported more fully than it is presently'

People with an interest in local history have a sense of place, a sense of identity and a love for their own town or village

The local talent created a famous line from Derry Girls

Betty was always associated with ‘The Gem’, a readily identifiable news agency, stationery and book shop adjoining the Garda Siochana station

A recent report commissioned by Historic England, the public body which promotes and protects that country’s historic environment, confirmed that the best way to boost a town’s ailing economy is to invest in its cultural past.

Maisie was an extraordinary, energetic and kind woman who more than anyone else personified the community spirit of Castlemitchell/Churchtown

WHILE browsing in a bookshop recently I came across a recent publication titledLetters of note. It is a compilation, by Sean Usher, as he describes it of the ‘World’s Most Entertaining, Inspiring and Unusual Letters’.

People on social media during the past week raised concerns about Athy’s Tuesday market.

DESPITE the fact that over 1,200 inmates of the local Workhouse died during the Great Famine I have been unable to find any references to these deaths in the minute books of the Athy town commissioners.