The many faces…
here are, of course, plenty of streets running in and around the heart of Greystones, but, when all is said and done, Church 
Road is sorta our aorta.
It’s where we head to get the train, to grab a hat, lick some Happy Pear hummus or simply hang out, people-watching.
It’s also a road where the landscape may have changed drastically over the past 150 years – especially after the arrival of the railway in 1856 – but, in many ways, the look, the groove, the feel of it being Greystones’ grand central station, really hasn’t.
And with the return of plants along our main thoroughfare, that deja vu feeling is getting ever stronger.
Sure, the trees lining that rise up through the town have gone, and pretty much all the houses that were once homes have been turned into cafés, shops, offices and the like. 
And sadly, what seems to be the very last one, Mount View, is currently being transformed from the Egan family home to, yep, a top-of-the-range restaurant and takeaway.
More recent landmarks, such as Tino’s, Frank Clarke’s Hairdresser and Murphy’s newsagents, have long gone, but the town’s centre has a whole new batch of main street goodies to love. And most of them have coffee. And ice-cream. And maybe even some booze.
So, here are all the images from our archives that relate to that section of Church Road where everybody knows your name, and your business. And how you like your frappawappaloobop-alopbamboom.
We’re hoping to put together a few more individual histories of those gone-but-not-forgotten landmarks – The La Touche Shop, Frank Clarke’s, O’Donoghue’s, Murphy’s, etc – in due course.
In the meantime, let’s do a little people-watching…Â
Church Road: The Muddy Waters Years
Greystones Railway Hotel 1890 Church Road
Railway Hotel & Church Road. Colourised.
Greystones Railway Hotel 1890 Church Road – In Living Colour
Church Road 1900 Before Shops Arrived. Source Unknown
A little closer for detail…
Train Station with McFarlands 1901
Church Road 1910. Source: Derek Paine
Greystones Railway Station Pic: Robert French
Church Road postcard c1939. Colourised by GG.
Joe Murphy walks his cows, 1960s. Source: Maude Tee
Church Road 1950s
Church Road RP postcard by Cardall 1961
Church Road RP postcard by Cardall 1961 colourised
Church Road 1960s Postcard
Church Road 1980s. Source: RTE Archives
Church Road c.1990. Source: Patrick Neary
Snow stops play… Pic: Luke McGuinness
Church Road circa 1990. Pic: Liam Clare
Greystones Main Street Pic Jay Griffin
Jack Doyle – The Patron Saint of Greystones Taxis Source Derek Paine
Donkey waiting on owner Edmond Evans, 1955
Main Street in mellower times, man. Pic: Luke McGuinness
Church Road: The Sepia Years
Signal Series postcard #19469 with a little colour in its cheeks
Church Road mid-20th century [with Mooch to your right]
Church Road’s Early, Early Days
Church Road circa 1900. Eason Photographic Collection
Later colourised…
Church Road Valentines Postcard 1895 No. 51594
Church Road postcard. Source: Sean Tierney
Church Road Late 19th Century. Pic Robert French
Church Road when it was just a dirty road
Church Road Late 19th Century. Pic Robert French
Church Road Source Patrick Neary
Church Road during the school run. Early 20th century.
Batey’s Garage on Church Road (where the Credit Union is now)
Bateys Garage on Church Road Colourised by GG
Church Road 1974 Pic Brian White
Groovy Church Road. Pic: Harry Acheson
Would have made a better sleeve, man.
Church Road with Central Garage. Pic: Harry Acheson
Greystones’ 1st Ever Gay Pride Parade
Deacon’s Tobacconists, Fruiterer & Confectioner. Now Cafe Gray & TSB
The Royal Navy stopping off for some cappuccinos…
Railway Hotel & Church Road. Colourised.
Church Road Fáilte Ireland Archives
Church Road Walker. Pic Fáilte Ireland Archives
Duffy’s Circus on Church Road 16AUG28 Colourised
A new slow food outlet opens…
Church Road from Doyle’s Corner 1900. Source Derek Paine
Church Road/Hillside Junction. Source: Tess Byrne
Watson & Johnson. Source: Derek Paine
Lower Church Road 1915. Source Derek Paine
Church Road Late 19th Century. Pic National Library of Ireland
Rainbow Main Street Rain Home 20MAR17
3 comments
Thanks for that. A great treat travelling in GG’s time machine down the sorta aorta. The eternal presence of the past reminds me of lacemaking. It’s the presence of the pieces that are missing that makes lace beautiful.
Great Pictures 🙂 Just a reminder though that Church road runs all the way down to the Centra Garage and there are still lots of trees and family homes down that end 🙂 Any pictures of the old Trenarren Court Hotel down that end?
Yeah, have shots above right down to Centra, and there are shots of the hotels of Greystones – including Trenarren – in our hotel archives here: https://www.greystonesguide.ie/you-can-check-out-any-time-you-like/