Carrick-on-Shannon

Two banks and two counties

Lewis places the town chiefly in Kiltoghert parish, County Leitrim, with a smaller part in Killukin parish, County Roscommon. His 1837 account describes an eleven-arched bridge built in 1718 and a suburb across the river. The modern county label alone cannot resolve a historical Carrick address. The bank, parish and original spelling of the locality may be needed to decide which records or property descriptions to consult. ^[2]

Waterborne and road trade

The directory places Carrick on the Dublin–Sligo coach road and describes Shannon navigation newly extended towards Lough Allen. Grain and provisions came substantially from Roscommon, while butter travelled to Dublin and Newry and yarn was sold locally. ^[2]

Edward and Mary Costello’s memorial

The small Costello Memorial Chapel on Bridge Street was commissioned by local shopkeeper Edward Costello in memory of his wife Mary Josephine, who died in 1877. Completed in 1879, it occupies the site of a former Methodist chapel. The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage records its ashlar stonework, carved decoration and carefully made entrance gates. The building is an unusually concentrated expression of personal commemoration within a commercial street. ^[3]

Mary’s coffin was placed in a sunken space to the left of the entrance; Edward was buried on the right after his death in 1891. A chalice commissioned for the chapel’s dedication is preserved at St George’s Heritage and Visitor Centre. The centre’s account connects these objects with the couple’s memorial project. The chapel’s interest lies in those named lives and surviving materials without requiring an unverified claim about its worldwide ranking by size. ^[4]