Eason, Athlone

Located on Level 3, Eason is a one stop shop for books, newspapers, magazine, stationary and of course, The Lotto! Eason was originally founded in 1819 as Johnston & Co. Since that time it has existed through some of the most exciting events in Irish history and has grown to become the main supplier in Ireland of books, newspapers and magazines. It was in the heady days of Parnell and the Land League that Charles Eason and his son acquired the business from W.H. Smith in 1886. During the 19th century, the company was directly involved in the industrial and literary revolutions occurring throughout the country. Our railway bookstalls became popular, but this depended on a growing literacy rate. More people could read and so written information became much more important to the country as a whole. (Ref.: Eason & Son — A History by L.M. Cullen, 1989.)