The restoration of Lock 44 Keeper’s House on the Royal Canal was my mother Frances Kelly’s passion, being present for the reopening of the canal her dream. Family and friends wondered why she purchased what had become an animal shed. She had little as a child, led a frugal life and yet she gladly put every penny into its repair. But in the end no one questioned what was thought of as a fruitless effort: she was in the middle of treatment for cancer. Frances knew she wanted to bring an abandoned house back to life. As her health deteriorated she must have felt it therapeutic to watch a derelict structure transform back into a home.
It was by chance, while walking the towpath, that my brother Billy stumbled upon the house. Frances bought it around 1990. Billy did a lot of the initial construction work during the summer of 1992. A local contractor did the new construction work. Mom made contact with Mike Kelly, a cousin from Abbeyshrule we had never met before, and he was able to oversee the project. A window opening, which had been broken open to allow cattle and sheep to enter, was repaired. A local plumber was hired to install back boilers to provide for the luxury of hot water. Frances and Billy wanted all the repairs to keep in line with the character of the house.
Her final summer there was shared by me and my family. Although the restoration of the canal had not been completed, mom was quite content to sit outside watching the boys run up and down the towpath. She enjoyed reading children’s books by candlelight while keeping the turf fire going. Although family members dropped hints about electricity she preferred to keep the house as basic as possible. She seemed quite at peace with herself. At that time I hadn’t realized how precious those moments were to all of us, not knowing that it was to be our last time there together. A short time before her passing mom told me she only had one thing to ask of me. She asked that I look after the canal house that she loved so dearly.
Although she enjoyed her passion, mom never saw water back in the lock. In 2010 I became aware of the upcoming grand reopening of the Royal Canal slated for that September. I felt compelled to be present for the event. I knew mom would have urged me to do so. And so my son David and I made the journey back in honor of her long time dream – to see the boats pass through Lock 44. It was a joyous and emotional time. I felt certain closeness with mom as I watched the lock gates open for the first time allowing boats to pass towards the River Shannon.