The 1915 history published in the Offaly Independent (30.10.1915) is of interest for the recollections of the writer and those he mentions including Tom Pretty of Henry St., who recalled Pentland's distilling working at Market Square in the 1830s and early 1840s. Church St. was a vacant space in 1830 and so was Earl St (O'Moore St.). There were stocks in Market Square (now O'Connor Square) prior to the 1800s. Mr Pretty remembered hearing Daniel O'Connell in 1843. He remembered the first train to Tullamore. Pretty recalled the public execution of Jubey in 1844. William Lumley is quoted (from an 1889 publication) as remembering when the old Church of Ireland church was in the Shambles and the graveyard was exactly opposite the existing Methodist Church. Reference is made to the present Oisin O'Sullivan's furniture store as 'entirely in ferro-concrete' and unique in Ireland at the time; to the distillery; the burning of the tobacco factory in 1884; the building of Egan's Bridge House and Scally's now Gleeson's Mall. The 1915 article on Tullamore history is as follows:

O'Connell visited Tullamore

In the summer of 1843, a monster repeal meeting in the Market Square on the 16th July of that year. The meeting, to which thousands flocked to hear the Liberator, was presided over by Dr. Cantwell, the Bishop of Meath, who subsequently presided at the banquet. Mr. Pretty has a vivid recollection of the meeting, and of hearing O'Connell, the greatest platform orator of his time.

Grand Canal and railways come to Tullamore

When the Grand Canal was opened to traffic, communication between Dublin and the Midlands was established by means of flyboats, which, in their day, were considered a quick means of getting to and from the Metropolis, which is only a little over 50 miles distant from Tullamore. The flyboat, which was most luxuriously fitted up and beautifully painted internally and externally, was "propelled" by three horses in tandem, a rider being on the first and last. The journey was accomplished in six mile stages, the first boat leaving Tullamore at 9 o'clock each morning. At 3 o'clock a boat would arrive from Dublin, and the passengers having disembarked, it would continue the journey to Shannon Harbour. The night boat for Dublin usually left Tullamore at 10 o'clock, and oftentimes had numerous passengers on board, who enjoyed the trip, no doubt; in that day, as something more of a novelty. The mail coach road from Ennis to Dublin was via Tullamore, and at the Spring Assizes in 1837 the Grand Jury memorialised the Lord Lieutenant for £7,500 to make nine miles and seven furlongs of what was known as "Mosses Road". In the same year, and at the same assizes, a presentment was made for £1,547 the King's County proportion of the cost of the bridge over the Shannon at Portumna. With the coming of the railway to Portarlington, came the death-knell of the flyboat and the stage-coach. The Tullamore people no longer travelled by it, but, instead, went to Portarlington, whither they took the train for the city. The railway innovation spelt ruin for the Canal hostelry, which is now the parochial residence. It was not until about the year 1853 the railway reached Tullamore, the stationhouse building at Clonminch, a considerable distance from the town. The first appearance of the train was on a Sunday, and its arrival was witnessed by a large concourse of the people of the town and district.

The Jail

At the Spring Assizes in 1822 the Grand Jury recommended the erection of a new jail at Philipstown, the old one there having been condemned. Eventually, it was decided that the new prison should be built in Tullamore, and at the assizes in the spring of 1824 the project took shape. The presentment was not made until the following year at the summer assizes, when £17,444 was voted. In 1830 the new jail was completed. Three years afterwards Philipstown ceased to be the capital of the County, the Assizes being transferred to Tullamore, which then became the premier town. In 1844 the old jail at Philipstown was taken over by the military authorities who used it as a barrack. In '52 it was handed over to the Government, who converted it into a convict establishment. It is now used as a reformatory for juvenile criminals. There were several public executions in Tullamore in the 'thirties and 'forties. The scaffold was erected in front of the prison over the entrance door. In 1844 a soldier named George Jubey, belonging to the Fifth Regiment of Fusiliers, which were stationed in Birr, was hanged for the murder of his adjutant, Captain Robertson Mackay, who was shot while on parade by Jubey on the 11th August, 1843. A great crowd witnessed the execution, many of whom had travelled all the way from Birr. Mr. Pretty, the old Tullamore resident to whom reference has been made, was one of those who witnessed the soldier's tragic ending. Jubey came out on the scaffold with a firm step, and scanned the crowd, which thronged the road and crowded on the railings in front of the jail lawn. The hangman, a peculiar-looking individual, Mr. Pretty says, pinioned the condemned man on the scaffold, then adjusted the noose of the rope, and pulled a white cap down over his head. Then he pulled a lever and the unfortunate man disappeared through the trap-door, and the body was seen to dangle from the rope underneath the platform or gallows. A peculiar incident in connection with the tragic affair was caused by a crowd of chimney-sweeps who had assembled and who set up an unearthly wailing as Jubey was launched into eternity. The same morning a man named Watt Whelehan was executed for the murder of his wife. The last person executed in Tullamore jail was Mrs. Mary Daly, who suffered the extreme penalty of the law for the death of her husband, whom, it was alleged, was the victim of a conspiracy in which she was the principal participator.

The Town Commissioners

The Towns Improvement Act was adopted in 1860, and the first meeting of the old Town Commissioners was held on the 3rd September of that year. The late Mr. Dawson French, J.P., was chairman, and the Board comprised the following, all of whom have long since passed to their reward:- Henry Manley, Captain Pierce, J.P., Constantine Molloy, Robert J. Goodbody, Patrick Aylward, Robert Gunning, James Jackson, Patrick Egan senr., Michael Mulready, Thomas Stirling, Alexander McMullen, Michael Moynan, James Minnock, and Henry J. B. Kane, C.E. From that period until the town became an Urban area, the destinies of the municipality were presided over by Captain Pierce, Dr. M. J. Moorhead, father of the present eminent Tullamore physician; Henry Egan, Constantine Quirke, and William Adams, the latter gentleman being Chairman for a great number of years. The first town clerk was Robert English, who held the position until 1872, when the late Mr. Stephen Lynam succeeded him in office. The old Town Commissioners who were keen shrewd business men, displayed a deep concern in the welfare of their town, which, in their day, was considerably improved and beautified. They also provided a water supply, several pumps having been erected, from which a supply of very good water was obtained. When the new supply from Clonaslee was introduced these wells were closed, and the metal pumps taken away, the last one, which was at the junction of Earl Street and Charleville Parade, being only removed a few years ago. The public lighting was also improved, gas taking the place of the old oil lamps.

The Workhouse

The erection of the Tullamore workhouse was completed in 1841, and the first inmates were admitted on the 9th June, 1842. There were 28 guardians appointed, of which John Hussey Walsh, of Kilduff, was chairman, the other guardians being P. Aylward, R. Delaney, M. Dunne, John Walsh, J. Berry, James Walsh, S. Robinson, J. Bryan, Wm. Mulready, T. P. O'Flanagan, father of Mr. A. P. O'Flanagan, M.E.; W. Wallace, J. Jackson, C. Baggot, S. W. Handy, J. Kennedy, A. Molloy, M. Conroy, G. Delamer, M. O'Loughlin, O. Colgan, D. Molloy, J. Blackney, M. Haughran, W. Molloy, E. Cantwell, W. Scully, and A. Andrews. The Board was presided over in after years by Major Fox, Annaghmore; Captain Bury, George Ridley, Michael Corcoran, Pallas Park (the residence now of Mr. E. J. Graham, M.P.); James Lynam, Ballincloghan, and Wm. Adams. Mr. Thomas Ryan was the first Clerk of the Union, his successor being Mr. Robert Davies, who was succeeded by Mr. James McKenna whose successor was Mr. E. J. Graham who resigned the office three years ago when the present Clerk, Mr. T. J. Kelly was appointed. There was no outdoor relief originally, and the Union was run on very much more economic lines than it has been for the last 20 years, when a much more luxurious dietary scale was devised. The institution was originally maintained by a rate of 10d. in the £1, on each division in the Union. It is now almost costing five times that amount.

Charleville Castle

The Irish seat of Lady Emily Howard Bury, is about an English mile from Tullamore. It was built in 1802 on the English baronial style, the designer being the famous architect, Mr. Johnson. It is a magnificent pile, built of limestone quarried from the neighbouring quarries of Ballyduff. The wall tops and roof are castellated and is dominated by a round flag-tower springing from an octagonal tower which gives the whole edifice the appearance of a formidable keep. There is a magnificent arch of finely worked limestone, over the massive entrance door, the family arms being beautifully worked on a glass fan of the door window. The gallery which extends the entire length of the South front, contains a splendid collection of very valuable oil paintings, one of which was on view at the last international exhibition in Dublin. The dining room also contains some splendid oil paintings. The apartments which are numerous and lofty, are elegantly and luxuriously furnished throughout. There is a charming view of the surrounding country from the top of the flag-tower, the scene of wood and dale being most enchanting. Attached to the Castle is the Chapel, which was erected by the first Earl, who formed an artificial lake on its southern side. The demesne, the entrance to which is from Tullamore, comprises 1,500 acres. The gate lodge, which is one of very handsome design, was erected by the fifth Earl, who also built a number of other comfortable dwellings including the gardener's and the head gamekeeper's residence which are both spacious, ornamental, and commodious. The demesne contains one of the oldest oak trees in the kingdom. It stands about a hundred yards from the main entrance on the north side of the avenue, and covers a very large area, having a spread of about 130 feet. This majestic oak has withstood the storms of generations, and escaped the blast in 1839, when it is said over 5,000 oak trees succumbed to the hurricane. There is a superstition attached to this old oak, which is rather remarkable. It is that a death by the Charleville family is foreshadowed by the falling of one of its branches. The present owner, Lady Emily Bury, had not resided in Charleville Castle for some years, having had her residence in the Austrian Tyrol, until the outbreak of the war, when she removed to Venice. Her son and heir, Captain Charles Kenneth Bury, however, has been a frequent visitor at the Castle, and has shown a keen interest in the ancestral home.

Tullamore 1911

The population of Tullamore at the last Census [1911] was enumerated at 4,920, the figures at the previous census being 4,639. Within the ten years which have just passed, the town has developed extensively, and to-day it may be regarded as the queen of the midland towns. It is one of the most important commercial centres in Ireland, and can boast of having as its leading merchants men of remarkable business acumen, whose object has been to develop the industries of the town, and make it a place second to none in the Irish Midlands. Though of such importance, the town cannot be said to be very well served by the G. S. and W. Railway; the service to and from Dublin might be better, and the station accommodation could be amplified. The town is accommodated with three banks - the Bank of Ireland, the Ulster Bank, and the Hibernian Bank, all of which in latter years have undergone internal and external improvements. In former years Messrs. Goodbody carried on an extensive tobacco manufacturing industry in the town; the factory, in which a large number of hands was employed, was burned down in the 'eighties, and the loss to the town was irreparable. The business was never resumed in Tullamore, in the vicinity of which there are several tobacco fields, but was transferred to Dublin.

The present day Tullamore contains a number of fine public buildings. The Courthouse, which adjoins the prison, is a most imposing structure, nothing like it as far as spaciousness is concerned, being in any other provincial town in Ireland. The prison was completed in 1830, and the previous year the project of the erection of a new Courthouse was entered upon. The old County Courthouse was at Philipstown, and the local palais de justice was the Town House. In 1830 a presentment for a sum of £11,350 was passed by the Grand Jury of which in that year, Colonel Bernard was foreman, and a Mr. John Killaly appointed as architect. The present[ment] was traversed. Two years later £200 was presented for the plans of the building, and at the spring assizes in March, 1833, the Grand Jury passed the presentment for £9,890. The money was borrowed from the Board of Works, and was repaid in yearly instalments of £490 10s. The courts are contained within a circle, and are well lighted, spacious and commodious. The building contains the offices of the County Council, the offices of the Clerk of the Crown and Peace, the Petty Sessions Clerk's Office, and the County Surveyor's office, and, until about two years ago, the official business in connection with the King's County Insurance Society was also transacted there. From the dock in the Crown Court to the prison there is a subterranean passage through which, since the Courthouse was erected, not a few poor wretches passed with the sentence of death on their heads.

Military

The building used as a police barracks was formerly an infantry barracks, a battalion of infantry having been stationed in it during the early days of the land agitation, when excitement ran high in Tullamore and district. The barrack, which contains the residence of the County Inspector, and which was renovated some time ago, has a splendid ball alley attached. ].

The association of the Leinster Regiment with Tullamore is a very old one, and at present a great number of men from Tullamore and district are serving at the front in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd battalions. The 1st battalion, known as the "Old Hundredth", was raised as far back as the year 1760 - the year in which George the Third came to the throne. During the Anglo-Spanish war it took part in the capture of Martinique in the West Indies, shortly afterwards, and on its return to England at the close of hostilities was disbanded. The regiment which was again raised in 1780, was for over four years in the field when, as now, there was a fierce conflict between the European powers and England. The regiment was again in England in 1785, and was once more disbanded only to be raised again twenty years later, when it proceeded to Quebec, and took part in the hostilities which ensued between England and America. At that time England and France were at war, and the former claimed the right of search of vessels coming from America. The Americans insisted on the doctrine of the neutral flag making free goods and passed what was known as an non-intercourse Act, by which all British goods arriving in America were to be seized unless the British Orders in Council, but in the meantime the Americans declared war, and despatched troops to Canada. Accordingly, we find the Leinsters present at the storming of Fort Magra under General Drummond. In 1818 the regiment was disbanded for the third time, having served through the American war with great distinction, the title "Royal Canadians", having been conferred on it about this time. After a lapse of 40 years it was revived, and has remained embodied ever since. The regiment formed part of the 8th Division during the Boer War, many Tullamore men falling in that memorable struggle between Boer and Briton. The reputation of the regiment for valour has been well maintained in the present titanic struggle in which practically all the nations of the earth are engaged, King's County men in general, and Tullamore men in particular, earning distinction in many a desperate and bloody conflict with the Teuton and the Turk. The 3rd battalion of the Leinsters is mostly composed of men from Tullamore and district, many of these have fallen, and have found a grave on the plains of Flanders and Northern France or on the rugged slopes of Gallipoli, while others are still in the fighting line. Who is it has not heard of the pluck and dash of the gallant Leinsters, Munsters, Dublins, and Connaughts, in all of which regiments are Tullamore men, and yet, when one glances over the official despatches of either Sir John French, or Sir Ian Hamilton, one cannot but wonder why it is such bravery and pluck is not recognised as it undoubtedly deserves to be.

Town House and Post Office

The Town House contains the offices of the Tullamore Loan Fund Society, and the reading and recreation rooms of the Y.M.C.A. It is also used as a Chapel of Ease in connection with St. Catherine's Church, Hophill, and in the winter months, when the Sabbath afternoons are cold and gloomy and when the walk to Hophill is not by any means inviting, the evening services are conducted in it. The building is surmounted by a clock tower, in which there is a splendid clock, the gift of the Charleville family to the town, which is remarkable for its correctness in keeping the time. Opposite the Town House is the new Post Office, which was completed some years ago. It is a spacious building fitted up on the latest principle for the transaction of public business, and has every accommodation for the receipt and despatch of mails.

Schools

The principal schools are those in charge of the Sisters of the Convent of Mercy, and the National (Boys') School, the principal of which is Mr. John Lavin, B.A.   In 1912 the new Christian Brothers' School, erected by Father Callary, was completed, and opened, and there are now about one hundred pupils attending the school, the superior of which is Rev. Brother Guthrie, and which is rapidly becoming famous in the Midlands. Attached to the Convent of Mercy is a select school controlled by Rev. Mother Aloysius, where children are trained and educated for commercial and other pursuits. The school, which has a large roll, has become very popular since its establishment, and bids fair to be an important centre of religious and secular education in the Midlands. There are also the Charleville Schools, which are under the management of Rev. R. S. Craig, the principal being Mr. Anderson, an educationalist wide repute to whom the training the children of the Episcopalian portion of the population has been entrusted for many years, and who discharges the important function with the highest efficiency and distinction. The attendance of the children at all the schools is well maintained, averaging something about 500.