In the days – and nights – before the roof of the ‘Blue Hall’ blew in

The roofless ‘Blue Hall’ in Coolcappa, standing against the blue skies of winter in West Limerick (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)

Patrick Comerford

The ‘Blue Hall’ is in the middle of the countryside in Coolcappa in West Limerick, almost the same distance from Creeves, Rathkeale, and Kilcolman.

In its present state it may be looking ‘blue’ but its walls could hardly ever have been painted blue. And I wondered how it got its present name and why an early forerunner of nightclubs and discos was built in such an apparently remote location.

Tom Aherne, who writes a weekly local history feature in the Limerick Leader, describes this as one of the ‘Ballrooms of Romance’ that could be found all over Co Limerick from the 1930s to the 1950s. Its ‘catchment’ area stretched to Askeaton, five miles away, Ardagh, four miles away, and to Shanagolden and Coolcappa.

It was built as a venue for meetings and fundraising events after Fine Gael was formed in 1933. The then Editor of The Irish Times RM Smyllie, once described its predecessor, Cumann na nGaedheal, as a party ‘who one wished would be open to ideas, until one saw the kind of ideas they were open to.’

The links with Fine Gael and Eoin O’Duffy and his fascist ‘Blue Shirts’ gave the ‘Blue Hall’ its nick-name in the 1930s. ‘Due to its political connections,’ Tom Aherne told me, ‘Fianna Fail supporters would not be seen dead in it.’

In time, however, the image of the ‘Blue Hall’ changed. Its name was changed too, and by the 1940s, it was known as the Casino, O’Duffy was dead, people of all political backgrounds cycled from places miles around to enjoy summer evenings in the Casino at the crossroads near Coolcappa.

In reality, it was no more than a shed, measuring 90 ft by 50 ft, with a galvanised, half-round roof that was more suited for a hay barn or a farmyard shed. A gallery over the door provided the small place for visiting bands and musicians, who included John McKnight and his band, the Glenside Ceili Band, Darkie Devine, Austin Glorney, Eamon O’Shea and many others.

Romance blossomed to the tunes and words of ‘The Isle of Capri,’ ‘Roll along covered wagon,’ ‘Just a little love,’ ‘Play to me Gypsy,’ ‘South of the Border,’ ‘Goldmine in the Sky,’ ‘Buttons and Bows’ and ‘MacNamara’s Band.’

But emigration in 1950s and changing fashions combined to mark the beginning of the end for the ‘Blue Hall.’ The showbands emerged on the scene, large halls sprang up in big towns, bicycles gave way to cars, and the days of the dance halls were coming to a close.

In recent years, in the last roll of the dice for the Casino, the roof of the ‘Blue Hall’ blew in. Today it is exposed to the blue skies, with late night revelries there now no more than a distant memory for an older generation.

Visiting two old mills and a lovers’ seat on a bridge near Creeves and Askeaton

The former Nutgrove Flour Mill, also known as Donovan’s Mill, near Creeves, Co Limerick (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)

Patrick Comerford

In recent weeks I have visited two well-preserved remains of formr mills within easy reach of Askeaton in west Limerick: the former Nutgrove Flour Mill, which was also known to older generations as Mullagh Mills or Donovan’s Mills; and Altavilla Mill, which was built by the Bateman family in the late 18th century.

Creeves is the name given to the five crossroads, and means branches. It is on the main road between Rathkeale and Foynes. The roads also lead to Askeaton to the north, Newcastle West to the south, Rathkeale to the east, and two roads lead to Shanagolden in the west.

The Nutgrove Mill or Donovan’s Mill is just west of Creeves Crossroads, in the townland of Mullagh, off the road between Askeaton and Shanagolden.

The mill was operated by an overshot wheel (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)

The Donovan family, who gave their name to the mill they owned at Nutgrove, lived nearby at Millview House.

The mill was built close by the banks of a millstream and was operated by an overshot wheel.

The stream was diverted from the Ahacroonane River (Áth a’ Chrónáin). Frome there, the river flows north, under the main Limerick-Kerry road, and into the Roberstown Creek.

The mills at Donovan’s Mills near Creeves, Co Limerick (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)

The men who worked in the mill in the early 19th century travelled long distances to work on foot, and they were paid a wage of three pence a day.

It is said a man in the Donovan family met his death in the mill due to a floor collapsing, although some local people suspected he had been killed deliberately.

The former Nutgrove National School is now a family home (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)

Close to the mill, the former Nutgrove National School is typical in form and size to the many national schools built at this time in Ireland. These schools were often single-storey in design, with separate entrances for girls and boys, and in Nutgrove there are two entrances in the porch.

The former school is built in simple style with regular form, a pitched roof, end chimney-stacks and tall windows.

There are two inscribed plaques: the plaque at the front reads, ‘Nutgrove National School 1869’; a second plaque reads, ‘Erected 1870 Very Rev J Synan.’

The school closed in the 1960s or 1970s, and is now a private, family home.

The post box at Creeves with Queen Victoria’s monogram (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)

A little further east, at the crossroads in Creeves, an attractive wall-mounted cast-iron post box has a motif with a crown and Queen Victoria’s monogram ‘VR’ and crown motif.

This post box dates from ca 1880, and it is mounted in a rendered wall with a brick surround.

Altavilla Mill … built in 1790 and was working until 1928 (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)

Further east, Altavilla is off the main road between Askeaton and Rathkeale. Altavilla Mill, with its striking splayed form, was built ca 1790 by John Bateman and was a working mill until a century ago, when the mill wheel ground to a halt in 1928. The building is large in scale and forms an imposing feature on the River Deel.

The mill is associated with Altavilla House, once the seat of the Bateman family and later the home of the Griffin family.

This multiple-bay splayed U-plan former corn and tuck mill has an eight-bay, two-storey centre block, a six-bay, three-storey block to the west and a six-bay, two-storey block to the east. Some of the square-headed windows have timber lintels, and some of the square-headed door openings have timber battened doors.

Interesting features at the mill include an elliptical-headed carriage arch in the east block, and a round-headed carriage arch in the centre bay, and square-profile roughly dressed limestone piers with double-leaf cast-iron gates.

The four-arch, humpback bridge over the River Deel at Altavilla was built in 1747 (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)

The four-arch, limestone humpback bridge over the River Deel at Altavilla was built in 1747. It is interesting because of the skill displayed in its design and the high-quality craftsmanship seen in its building. It has an attractive balanced arrangement of arches that which contribute to a well-proportioned overall appearance.

The pedestrian refuge on the south side of the bridge is known locally as the ‘lovers’ seat.’ The date stone reads: ‘This bridge was built by a presentment from the county George Greene and John Bateman Esq appointed overseers finished by Mr John Murphy in the year 1747.’

The former creamery at Altavilla (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)

Nearby, the former creamery at Altavilla was built ca 1840 and still retains much of its original form, including the timber sash windows.

The three-bay, two-storey building is simply designed and evenly proportioned. It is strategically located on a road next to a river, bridge and former mill, with easy access for creamery carts.

The creamery was an important structure in the area, and also served as a meeting place and a social centre.

The pedestrian refuge on the south side of the bridge at Altavilla is known locally as the ‘lovers’ seat’ (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)