We are walking up St. Gerard Street, heading for O'Connell Avenue. At the intersection, immediately ahead of us to the left is the Wolfe Tone Bar, and to the left of that is Sextons newsagents. This was formerly two shops, Counihan's general store and Tommy Walsh's tobacconist. All three shops are seen in this news photo from the forties. Let us cross to this side of the street. The shop fronts are certainly much the same as Frank McCourt knew them. It was in Counihan's shop that young Frank spent the penny given to him by Peter Molloy (the Champion Pint Drinker). He bought two slabs of Cleeves Toffee instead of lighting a candle to the Virgin Mary in atonement for being born in less that nine months!

So let's walk along together in front of these shops on O'Connell Avenue, and almost immediately on our right hand side we come to O'Connors Chemists[E3]. This is the O'Connors where Dad was accompanied by Frank to get pills to ease Angela's pain on Eugene's death. This photograph, kindly provided by the O'Connors was taken in 1933. The shop is still run by the O'Connor family; Teresa, Marie, Rita and Ita all serve there from day to day; they are daughters of the gentleman in the photograph. The shop had the same frontage for many years (the name "O'Connor's Chemist" was painted on the nameboard in 1945) but was recently modernised; however the interior remains unchanged from the day when Frank and Malachy went with Dr. Troy's prescription to get the pills for Mam. The original brown fluted bottles with abbreviated latin names are still displayed here. Just recently, in October 1998, the shop changed hands and the name "O'Sullivan's" is now displayed over the door. The website for this premises can be visited at http://welcome.to/osullivans

We pass O'Connor's, noticing St. Joseph's Street on the right. We crossed this street previously when we negotiated the laneways on our way to Roden Lane. We continue straight ahead and immediately come to St. Joseph's Church. The gas lamp on the street corner is long gone, but the church outline remains the same, except for the profusion of cherry blossoms which decorate the garden in April and May. It was to St. Joseph's that Frank was brought for First Confession and First Communion. In his confession he told the priest about the Great Bladdered Emer and how she won Cuchullain, and was reassured that he was not the worst of all the boys - indeed he had a long way to go!

Here too Frank was taken later by Dad after full tutoring in the latin reponses of the Mass, to be presented as an candidate altar boy. To the great disappointment of both Frank and Dad, they were told that there wasn't room for Frank. And Mam was equally disappointed when they returned home mission unfulfilled. "And what is he going to do with all that Latin?"

Once we reach St. Joseph's Church we are on Quinlan Street - said to be the shortest street in Limerick! Continue forward and very shortly, across the road is the front of South's pub. Here Dad drowned his sorrows on Eugene's death, here Pa Keating got coal for the McCourts on Christmas Day to boil the pig's head, here too Frank had his first pint in the care of Pa Keating, and his second too. This view of South's, though in colour shows Souths as it appears in the film version of "Angela's Ashes". Normally Souths has a rather better kept appearance!

Continue straight on towards the Crescent. This view on the left is looking northwards. It is a magnificent oval-shaped widening of the road, formed on each side by imposing arcs of Georgian town houses.

The Jesuit College occupied almost the full extent of this side of the Crescent, and extended beyond the church, fronted with gable and pillars. The Jesuit Church was Frank's first port of call after leaving Souths Pub with his first two pints of Guinness on board, seeking to have confession and clear his conscience before his sixteenth birthday.

These four-storey-over-basement red-brick buildings are carefully preserved, and are renowned throughout Europe for their elegance and their setting. Now they are predominantly offices, with public access or retail shops on the ground floor. However, the facades of the two terraces have not been spoiled by advertising signs, as these are oriented so as to be invisible from the opposite side of the street.

Note also the monument in the centre of the oval. This was raised in memory of Daniel O'Connell, an early nineteenth century parliamentarian who is honoured throughout Ireland for his work in abolishing the Penal Laws (which prohibited civil rights for Catholics). Just recently (early 1998) the Limerick Civic Trust have completed their work of restoration of the base of this monument.

Continue straight ahead towards the city centre along O'Connell Street. On both sides of the street are rows of imposing Georgian houses, now all business premises. One of these, on our left hand side was the Monument Cafe in Frank's time; now it too has been converted to offices. The long row immediately ahead on the left is the head office of Limerick County Council, while directly across the way is the Belltable Theatre and Arts Centre, which was formerly the XXXX Cinema, frequented by Frank as it was the nearest to his home.

At the next intersection we will turn left into Lower Mallow Street and admire the tasteful way in which the Georgian architecture has been maintained in extending the County Buildings to the rear. But first cross over Mallow Street (when traffic allows) so as to walk down the right hand side of this street. Straight ahead is the new Shannon Bridge which we have seen already, and in the distant left is the Bleeding Heart Memorial. But we will turn right into the first lane - Theatre Lane.

Some of the mews in this lane are well preserved, indeed several have been combined to form a restaurant. At the end of this lane turn left down Glentworth Street - and while taking care of traffic cross over to the right hand side of the street. Turn right into Henry Street, and shortly on your right hand side is a long high red-brick building - the General Post Office. This is where Frank took his first full-time job, as Telegram Boy, after having been scrubbed clean by Aunt Aggie.

We will walk all around this block, with right-hand turns, first up Lower Cecil Street, past the front of the public area of the Post Office, and then right again into Post Office Lane. At the end of this lane turn left up Glentworth Street for a few paces until we reach O'Connell Street again. At this intersection look diagonally across the road to the right to see the front offices of the Limerick Leader. This was the newspaper which the Ab Sheehan sold along O'Connell Avenue all of his life, occcasionally assisted by Frank. Take the left here and shortly we pass the ornate stained glass door of the hall of the Limerick Young Protestant Mens Association. Frank came here to sit the Junior Postman's exam at the age of sixteen. As we know, Frank came as far as the door but he didn't enter through it, instead preferring the possibility of a job at Eason's bookshop further down O'Connell Street.

Part V City Centre......

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