by Tom Kenny

This photograph was taken from the far side of the docks c.1900 and shows New Docks Road in the distance and Bonham Quay on the right.. None of the buildings we see were on the 1820 map, most were built in the mid-nineteenth century outside the old city walls and many of them were once part of the Burbidge or Chambers estates.

The dark archway to the left of picture was where Jack Dolan’s fruit distribution business was later sited. Next door to that was Flaherty’s pub, later Heaneys and later again Brennans. The famous English painter, Augustus John lived upstairs here for some time just before the First World War, and did a lot of studies and paintings of Galway’s stone buildings and especially of the traditional types of dress worn by Claddagh men and women. The house next door to the pub also belonged to Patrick Flaherty who was known as ‘Gas Tank’ for some reason. Next door was Margaret Keane’s, later to become Mrs. Lydon’s and later again Sailor Kavanagh’s. The house on the corner was once occupied by Teresa Skeuse, then Joseph Mullan and subsequently Michael Kavanagh.

The houses to the right were occupied by Tom Sullivan and Michael O’Sullivan, with McDonogh’s warehouse next on the right.

Among those who lived in St. Nicholas’ Street at the time were Tim O’Shea, Annie McNally, John Finnegan, Francis MacAllister and the Lally sisters. The houses on the other side of the street were occupied by Jeremiah Ramford, Daniel Doherty, Thomas Kilmartin, Daniel Lyons and Michael King.

This scene has changed utterly since this photograph was taken, and  is about to undergo major change again shortly with the development of what is now a vacant site on the right. Part of it was once occupied by the Gas Works and later by huge oil tanks and more recently by occasional fun fairs.