To the Eason Colllection for today's image and the "Midland Great Western Hotel, Recess, Co. Galway" which gives us a location but is it still standing? This is an unusual image in that the photographer has entered his shot complete with his camera!
Niall McAuley tells us that this hotel is no longer standing. Apparently burnt-out during the Civil War, it likely wasn't rennovated afterwards, and seems to have been demolished since....
Photographer:
Unknown
Collection:
Eason Photographic Collection
Date: Catalogue range c.1900-1939. Definitely after 1898 (built) and before 1922 (burnt)
NLI Ref:
EAS_4025
You can also view this image, and many thousands of others, on the NLI’s catalogue at
catalogue.nli.ie
Info:
Owner:
National Library of Ireland on The Commons
Source:
Flickr Commons
Views: 15827
ɹǝqɯoɔɥɔɐǝq
Mr French / Lawrence was there also; anyone for croquet . . . catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000316394
Niall McAuley
I love the shadows of the camera and bowler hatted photographer bottom left.
Niall McAuley
No Longer Standing, I think. Here is the 6" Cassini map showing the hotel (1930s), and a modern Google maps aerial shot showing quarry sheds here.
Niall McAuley
The (railway) company built a hotel at Recess, where King Edward VII and his party lunched in July 1903, during his tour of the congested districts of the West. Over the years the company advertising paid off, and the rich and famous came to Connemara to shoot and fish.
Niall McAuley
Per the DIA in 1897: The Recess hotel is now far advanced. The greater part of it had to be taken down and re-built. We are doing the whole work under the superintendence of Mr O'Neill, our own engineer. We have no architect for it, and from what I can learn I think it is going on just as well as if we had an architect.
abandoned railways
edit. The station opened on 01.07.1896, closed on 29.04.1935.The hotel had its own platform, seperate opening in June 1898 and closing in August 1922 when the hotel was burnt to the ground by the Republicans in the Civil War to prevent the Free-State Army from using it as a billet.
ɹǝqɯoɔɥɔɐǝq
I wonder if this photo is a copy of an original Lawrence one, and that is Mr French's shadow in his bowler? It is from the same position and the vegetation is at a similar time. Hmmm ...
CASSIDY PHOTOGRAPHY
The shadow of the Photographer could be a significant clue to his identity . . . IF you have other photos with the same camera and hat.
Niall McAuley
Am I first to point out that Recess is not on the coast per today's title?
abandoned railways
catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000333056 This shot shows the station in construction.
National Library of Ireland on The Commons
Thanks [https://www.flickr.com/photos/gnmcauley]! One for the No Longer Standing album then unfortunately....
Dr. Ilia
Well done my friend!
Inverarra
Great photo. A sad day for Recess when it was so wantonly destroyed and at such a cost to the locality.
Niall McAuley
French visited and photographed the hotel more than once, but I don't see this exact one. L_ROY_06143 is earlier, with lime still coming from the red brick and no climbers at the front. L_ROY_11085 is similar to this Eason, climbers on the front porch and near the windows, but not exactly the same.