We have just walked from the Railway Station, through the Peoples' Park, down Barrington Street and Newenham Street, turning left for just a few yards, to reach Windmill Street [map reference F2] on the right.

Turn down this narrow street towards the River Shannon [G1] visible in this photograph at the far end of the street. It is where Frank's Aunt Aggie, and her husband Pa Keating lived. This photograph was taken in 1932, just a few years before the start of the story. The street is decorated as was every street in Ireland, for the Eucharistic Congress, held in Ireland in that year. The view is the same as the first glimpse young Frank has of his first home street in Limerick. The far end of Windmill Street has access to the Dock Road, but only by means of a steep flight of steps. The street had an elevated view of the river and in this photograph some houses of County Clare can be discerned in the distance on the far side of the river. That view is now obscured by the tall buildings recently built on Steamboat Quay.

It was here too that Frank's Grandma found a furnished room for Angela and Malachy McCourt as their first home in Limerick. It contained a table, three chairs and a bed, as well as a fireplace for heating and cooking; Grandma paid the rent of ten shillings for the first two weeks. Ten shillings in old money exchanged for two dollars in those days; it was the equivalent of fifty pence in today's decimal currency.

Twenty years ago, the houses which comprised the tenement homes of the Keatings and McCourts still stood in Windmill Street. Now that area is within the urban renewal zone which has attractive tax exemption status, and it is being gradually cleared and rebuilt. However, many of the small houses still stand and you can see them on your visit there.

Continue down Windmill Street; the first lane on the left is Little O'Curry Street, and the second is Cogan Street. Turn left into Cogan Street, and you will see some traces of the houses which stood there. Straight ahead is O'Curry Street, and on the far side of that, across the wall, the remains of old Gas Works buildings still stand. Off Cogan Street to the right, is Crossley's Row, a cul de sac of little tenements, now replaced by a commercial premises. At the end of Cogan Street turn right, and look down O'Curry Street [F2], across the Dock Road; County Clare is visible on the opposite banks of the River Shannon.

Walk down O'Curry Street just 50 yards, until you reach the Dock Road. Before turning right, observe on the left the remains of the Gas Works [F2], which manufactured town gas by coking coal at this site.

The frontage of the Gas Works is visible on the extreme right of this photograph; this faces onto the Dock Road, which extends into the distance on the right. The intersection with O'Curry Street is just visible, at the nearest of the four isolated vehicles on the road. It is the road which disappears to the right.

Indeed, all along the Dock Road were many coalyards which were the distribution points for coal shipped in to Limerick docks. The names Suttons and Tedcastles still survive in the Limerick fuel business today. The ship in the foreground is the "Garryowen", and behind her on the left is a coaster which plied daily down the Estuary into Kilrush - remaining sheltered from the full force of the Atlantic throughout her voyage.

Turn right along the Dock Road, and after about fifty paces again turn right up the second flight of steps, steep and wide, which bring you back into Windmill Street.

This litle walk of perhaps two hundred yards still retains some of the air of the tiny world in which the residents of Windmill Street lived - possibly best characterised by the black damp limestone of the steps and the adjoining high walls.... always damp.... from the mists of the "always damp Shannon river that kills". (Right now, January 1999 these steps are being replaced by concrete steps at a less severe slope; little if any of the damp limestone will remain.) The McCourts spent their first months in Limerick in these environs. It was a sequence of unhappy experiences for the family, with Angela loosing her fifth child, followed by the death of Oliver, the twin of Eugene. It is no wonder that Angela could not get out of here quickly enough. Our route takes us shortly to the site of their next home in Hartstonge Street.

But first let us go back down these steps and continue along the Dock Road. The first street to the right is Mount Kennett Place; the space from there to the next intersection was occupied by Tedcastles Coal Yard. The next intersection is with Mallow Street on the right, and on the left is the Shannon Bridge, which was built in the 1980s and has effectively shifted the docks down-river of it.

The street rising to the right in this photograph is Mallow Street. The main view is of Russell's Mills which processed grain for export. The granary, the tallest building in the photograph, is also visible in the photograph above. The street in the foreground is the Dock Road. the site of Russells Mills is now occupied by a 1960's office building which seems out of place in the grand architecture of Limerick! In the space just off the right hand side of the photograph now stands Jurys Inn. Our walk takes us up Mallow Street, passing the front of this hotel.

As we walk up Mallow Street take note of the new monument in front of Jurys. it is in the form of a broken bleeding heart, and was erected in honour of the many thousands of emigrants who left Ireland for America from this port. Continue uphill to the next intersection and turn right, into Henry Street. As you round the corner an abandoned Prebyterian church is at your right hand. It is commonly known in Limerick as the Sinking Church.

Continue along Henry Street, and at the next intersection turn left into Lower Hartstonge Street. This leads us to an intersection with the main thoroughfare of Limerick - in the left (i.e. north) direction is O'Connell Street; on the right (i.e. south) is The Crescent.

In this photograph of the Crescent, taken from the middle of the street, looking southwards, the bow shape of the row of Georgian houses on each side is quite evident. it is dated approximately 1950, and looks just as it was when Frank McCourt finally left Limerick. Later, we will walk the length of this street and admire the grace and beauty of these buildings. For the time being though, we must continue across the road into Upper Hartstonge Street.

As soon as you enter Upper Hartstonge Street, Leamy's School comes into view on the right. This imposing red-brick building retains the Leamy name. It housed seven large classrooms dominated by seven masters who all had leather straps, canes, blackthorn sticks; amongst them Mr Scallon, Mr. Benson, and Mr. O'Dea. It still has a heavy Victorian air about it. Nowadays it has been rearranged into offices, with a snooker club in the lower floor at the right hand side.

Hartstonge Street mainly comprises of four-storey Georgian houses, many of which have now been refurbished. They were built in the first half of the nineteenth century as chique residences in "Newtown Pery"; this was the first planned urban development in Limerick and in modern parlance was "a very desirable location". One hundred years later, in the nineteen-forties many of these houses had fallen greatly in desirability, and were let out as tenements on a room-by-room basis. After a further fifty years the wheel has turned full circle, and now almost all are used as expensive city centre offices.

It was in one of these houses that the McCourts' had their one roomed home, but the house cannot be identified. It was here that the McCourts suffered their second loss in six months - the death of Oliver's twin Eugene. Poor Angela took her loss very hard and could not stay on in that room. But before we leave Hartstonge Street, let us walk up toward the Peoples' Park, 50 yards or so as far as the Mechanic's Institute [F4]. This is where Aunt Aggie and Uncle Pa Keating used to go to play cards. It is the headquarters of some of the older trades guilds in Limerick, and its hall is used by clubs such as drama groups and gymnastics teams for weekly rehearsals.

This view shows the Mechanic's Institute on the left; separated from that by a lane is Ozanam House, the premises of the St. Vincent de Paul Society and to the right of that is Leamy House. It was on the charity of the St. Vincent de Paul Society that the McCourts and many families in similar circumstances throughout Ireland depended, especially for clothing and foodstuffs. Recall in particular, how Mam went to Ozanam House to get boots for Malachy and Frank. After a thorough inquisition with the severe Mr. Quinlivan, Angela came away with dockets for tea, sugar, flour and butter at McGrath's of Parnell Street, and another for coal at Suttons of the Dock Road. Even today, the SVdP perform a similar charitable role, albeit much more discretely.

Now let us venture into the lane between Ozanam House and the Mechanic's Institute, and experience some of the laneways which were to be the haunts of the McCourts for many years to follow.

Onward to the Roden Lane Area......

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