School: St Columba's Abbey, Navan (roll number 882)
- Location:
- Navan, Co. Meath
- Teacher: Br. Abban O' Donoghue
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0700, Page 135
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- Crafts
Dr. Walsh's house, Watergate St., was once a boot, shoe and leather stores. It belonged to Ignatius Smyth till it was closed over twenty-five years ago. Boots and shoes were made and repaired there, some by hand and more by machine.
They had their own tanneries and they made the best of leather. The tan pits could be seen till Dr. Walsh reconstructed the house. I don't know if there are any of the old tanneries alive now, but a man named Paddy Lynch, who died on September last, worked there. he kept up the trade in his own house and sold the leather to the neighbouring cobblers until he got sick.
Shoe-makers, machinists and tannerers had their own different departments. My father and two of my uncles were employed there as shoemakers. At one time there was over forty people working there on different jobs.
Foreign boots, shoes and leather were coming into the country at cheaper prices, before the war, which destroyed the trade of Smyth's Stores. Smiths were adjudged bancrupt + were only able to pay 12 1/2/0, There are none of the Smiths left now in Navan. Ne being the last.
