Kilbeggan, County Westmeath is barely five miles west of Tyrellspass, but the two places couldn’t be more different in character. Both have a crescent but that in Kilbeggan occupies one portion of a bleak traffic roundabout and has suffered badly from neglect and mistreatment. The building dates from c.1830 when constructed in the then-popular Tudor-Gothic style as an hotel, indicating the prosperity of the period and the amount of traffic then passing through the village. The gables on the left-hand portion have been removed, as have the cut-limestone hooded doorcases, replaced by a brutish cement-rendered opening that makes nonsense of the composition. Alas, elsewhere things don’t get much better, with many buildings standing empty and neglected. Typical in this respect is the former Bank of Ireland, dating from c.1890, which closed early in the present century and presents a forlorn face on Market Square.
Understanding your concern for the buildings discussed (I too bemoan the excessive use of macadam to cover areas), some context to the town seems warranted. They should get credit- from what I understand on their own without outside funding- for restoring the historic distillery and making it an employment opportunity also bringing tourism to the area. Too bad its been taken over by Suntori Beam meaning that other than local employment, much of the profits head out of Ireland That money might have provide a boost for the rest of the town’s architecture
maintenance or restoration.