Shamrock, 31 Soho Street, Bolton

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This view of Soho Street dates from 2008 (copyright Google Streetview) and shows Section Street on the left leading to Newport Street with Morrisons supermarket in the distance. That part of the railway bridge on the left just past Section Street marks the site of the Shamrock Tavern. Further railway works as part of the electrification project in the Bolton area means the street has been blocked off just after Section Street.

Not to be confused by a similarly named pub that existed in the nineties on St Helens Road, the Shamrock Tavern was situated on Soho Street, a thoroughfare that once connected Crook Street with Great Moor Street. The street took its name from the Soho Ironworks situated on Crook Street and which later became Hick, Hargreaves & Co. Sainsbury's supermarket has stood on the site of the old ironworks since 2004. What remains of Soho Street runs down the side of the Griffin but only as far as Morrisons.

As its name might suggest the Shamrock served Bolton's Irish community most of whom lived in the Newtown area which is now covered by Morrisons. Newtown was regarded as one of the roughest parts of Bolton.

The pub dated back to the early-1860s.

When all Bolton's beerhouses had to re-apply for their licences in 1869 there were objections from the police. The landlord at that time was Michael Reddy who had taken over as licensee the previous year. At the hearing the police complained that there were three entrances to the pub. More entrances meant more chances of people sneaking in for illegal drinking – usually on a Sunday morning when people were expected to go to church. Police Sergeant Rhodes complained of there frequently being a crowd hanging around near the pub on Sunday mornings and whenever the police approached someone would shout “th' bobby's coming” and whistle. Sergeant Whittle said people frequently hung around outside Reddy's back yard.

Despite the complaints Reddy's re-application was successful largely because he'd had no convictions against him. He had spent 14 years working at the Hulton coal depot next to Great Moor Street railway station and W. F. Hulton, Esq gave a reference in Reddy's favour saying he had risen from labourer to head salesman and always had a good character.

Reddy left the Shamrock in 1870 and James Durkin took over. But in March 1871 Durkin was injured during a knife attack at the house of his father-in-law, James Foley, on Barrow's Court, off Newport Street. (The street existed until around 2013 when it was demolished as part of the development of the Bolton Interchange). Durkin went round to the house one Tuesday evening after hearing that the 63-year-old Foley was drunk and was beating his wife. On his arrival Foley took out a knife and told Durkin he would “stick either Durkin or the old woman”. There was a scuffle in which Durkin sustained a wound near the rib cage of some five or six inches in length [Bolton Evening News, 9 March 1871]. Four months later Foley was tried at the Manchester Assizes. Durkin said he was reluctant to press charges and the judge dismissed the case urging Foley to stay off the drink. [Bolton Chronicle, 29 July 1871] Foley left the Shamrock in September 1871 and moved four doors down to 39 Soho Street where he died in 1876.

Durkin was succeeded as landlord by Mark O'Boyle who spent five years at the Shamrock before moving to the Derby Arms at the bottom of Derby Street.

In 1893, the landlord faced a charge of permitting drunkenness at the pub but this was dismissed. [Bolton Evening News 30 August 1893]. Alterations were made to the Shamrock in 1898. [Bolton Evening News, 29 August 1898].

The Shamrock had already been closed and demolished by February 1904 when the town's chief constable announced at the annual licensing sessions that its licence and those of the Waggon and Horses on Moor Lane and the Temple Tavern on Dawes Street would not be renewed because of their closure. All three pubs had shut down during 1903 for improvements to the railway. The Shamrock was one of a number of properties demolished between Section Street and Wilson Street as the number of tracks on the line from Bolton to Preston was doubled. The railway bridge on Soho Street marks the site of the pub.

A Turbulent Fellow – Patrick Duffy, 17 Sydney Street, was charged with being drunk and disorderly and assaulting Police Constable Lewis on the 20^th inst. Whilst Police Constable Lewis was taking him into custody, the prisoner kicked him seriously on the legs. For the first offence he was fined 5 shillings and costs and for the second he was fined 10 shilling and costs. A further charge was brought against Duffy for striking James Lowe in the Shamrock beershop, Soho Street, on the same night. For this assault another sum of 10 shillings and costs was imposed upon him.

 - Bolton Evening News, 21 January 1875.