No.1 & 2 Togher Road

Togher Road is the main arterial route through the district and begins at the junction of the present day Pearse Road and Glendalough Park. Known in centuries past as the King's Highway or the Lough Road , it is not known when it acquired its titular name. This article looks at two houses which bear the numbers 1 and 2 Togher Road.

1951 aerial photo showing 1 & 2 Togher Road
Centre plots right of Togher Road near The Lough

 

* Initially both houses had long gardens to their rear as shown in the 1951 aerial photo , but it would seem that some horse trading ensued during the housing schemes of the 1950s and Number 1 ended up with a reduced rear yard which now wrapped around Number 2 whose land was reduced to a small enclosed back yard.

1 & 2 Togher Road
Numbered houses right of Togher Road

 

Although the houses in question are situated in the townland of Croghtamore a.k.a. the Lough R.C. Parish , they are included because of their strong historical Togher  association , as will be mentioned below. In 1852 , the plot of land as designated by Griffiths Valuations lists the landlord as Alicia P. Sheers. It would appear she leased it out to Richard Ambrose who in turn as well as residing in the big house i.e. No.1 Togher Road himself sublet some land and smaller holdings out to several tenants. The cottage immediately to the south and right of the big house ( future Buckleys ) was leased out to John Mahony while of the remaining two other cottages , one was leased out to John Keane with the other cottage unoccupied at the time of the valuation ( both of these now long gone ).

Plot 19 1852
1 & 2 Togher Road

Griffiths Valluations 1852
No.1 Togher Road valued at £2/5s!

HANLEY

No.1 Togher Road
Harris/O'Brien/Hanley

Number 1 Togher Road was most probably built at the turn of the 19th Century as it is marked on OS maps dating back to 1830. Usually 2 storey houses belonged to more affluent members of the community. Originally an adjacent structure , possibly stables were on the site ( see below ) , which is now a grassy knoll.

Hanley house and adjacent structure back in 1830s
Top right off Togher Road

Grassy knoll as seen from Pearse Road
Location of stables in 1930

The 1901 Census shows the Harris family in situ and self employed as market gardeners. Thomas , 45 and Bridget Harris , 38 ( Bridget is listed as selling vegetables ) had 8 children. Their two eldest Daughters  , Julia , 17 and Bridgie , 16 are listed as domestic servants. The rest of their children were Mary , William , Nellie , John , Madgie and Katie with ages ranging from 12 to 1. The Harris' niece , Mary Ahern , 8 was present in the house on the night of the 1901 Census. The family are present again in the later 1911 Census , so it would seem their pedigree as per testimonials stretched right up to the 1960s.

Helen Carroll ( Pouladuff Road )  has stated that she remembers a Marie O'Brien living there for some time , perhaps as a temporary renter before ownership was transferred to the Hanley family. Bizarrely , it is the only house in the region which has sported advertisement boards on its gable end ( see below ) for many decades. The present one indicates the nearby Hanleys service station located on the opposite side of the road near SuperValu. The service station most likely opened in the mid 1960s and occupies the former orchard land of Minnie Curtin. It has been a focal point of Togher Road for well over 60 years now.
 

Billboards on gable end of Hanley house

Hanley's garage a.k.a. Texaco
Late 1960s ( Note old Garda Station )

Hanleys garage 2025

Planning application 2022
No.1 Togher Road

Aerial view of both houses

Rear view of both houses

Currently , as of 2025 , a Planning application ( see above ) lodged in 2022 is in place though no discernible works have been carried out as of yet. It would include a new vehicular access to the right of the house as well as additional fenestration changes ( * arrangement of windows ) to the building.

BUCKLEY

* Initially both houses had long gardens to their rear as shown in the 1951 aerial photo , but it would seem that some horse trading ensued during the housing schemes of the 1950s and Number 1 ended up with a reduced rear yard which now wrapped around Number 2 whose land was reduced to a small enclosed back yard.

No.2 Togher Road

 Buckley

The 1901 Census shows Daniel , 40 ( labourer ) and Ellen Sullivan , 31 resided in the old cottage to the right of the big house with their daughter Katie , 3. The 1911 Census shows a Murphy family living there which highlights the mobility of labourers as they moved from district to district. By the 1950s , the Buckley family were living there with their daughter Jane Buckley , born January 1951. Jane lived there for 52 years moving out in 2003 to take up residence in Sycamore Place.

Sullivan family 1901 Census 

Jane Buckley

" I was born in January 1951 and reared in Number 2 Togher Road. It was the second house from the Lough lights ( Bungalow still there ). I left 52 years later in 2003 and now live in Sycamore Place. It had an outside toilet and no hot water. It had dampness all over and nothing done by the Landlord.  Some builder bought it and was doing it up and promised me he would bring me in to take a look but he ran out of money. His cabin is still there inside the wall. I remember a Mr.and Mrs Harris owned the big house next door ( Number 1 ). They also had a vegetable garden. "

 

Original stone wall to right

Break in wall and builders hut

The above photos show the original stone wall of the Buckley household as it was before the builder knocked a section of it to gain access to the enclosed yard to the rear of the house. Initially a timber fence was constructed to deter intruders with a proper gate being erected later on. The builders shed can be seen with work apparently at a standstill for some time.

********************************************************************************

 
* The Angleton and Hillard families lived in the remaining two cottages on the plot as per the 1901 Census. Modern development has eradicated those cottages.

 Acknowledgements : 
 

Jane Buckley
Helen van Lakum ( nee Carroll )