Pictures of Portlaoise: Lower main street

Portlaoise: Lower Main Street in the 1940's - 1950's

CLICK ON THE PICTURE FOR AN ENLARGED VIEW

Click on the picture for an enlarged view

The above postcard shows a scene depicting lower main street Portlaoise, possibly sometime in the 1940's or 1950's. What strikes me about this is how wide main street looks. Brays is visible on the left hand side, and also Eddie Boyalans in the distance on the right hand side at the corner of Well Road. This postcard was produced by Cardall LTD of Dublin. Of course, they not only produced pictures of Portlaoise, but different scenes from all around the country. For those interested, the national library of Ireland has Cardalls entire output for public view. Please contact them for more details. 

I am also adding some cropped images from the postcard above, to give a clearer view and, on the off chance that someone visiting might recognize those in the pictures pictures, and the show of the group walking up Main Street on the left is particularly good!

Do you recognize anyone? (Click to enlarge)

Second group on right (Click to enlarge)

The Old Swimming Pool in Portlaoise

What follows are a few pictures of the Old Swimming Pool in Portlaoise, County Laois, before it was demolish to make way for the new upgraded leisure center. These pictures were taken around 1999-2000. Of course, the quality of the images does not compare to today's high resolution digital cameras, but the nostalgia is there for anyone who remembers this building.

These pictures were probably taken just before the demolition. At the time the old running track was still accessible at the back of the pool. These first few pages will be expanded upon with both more pictures and information in the near future.

The pictures below shows a patch of grass that you would 'cut through' on your way to school to save precious minuets if you were late or to avoid the rain - and both were a frequent occurrence ! Also visible in the background is St. Brigids place. 

The picture below also shows the Ridge Road in the background