The funeral of Fr Peter Dooley, Parish Priest of the united parishes of St Patrick’s and the Abbey from 1869 to his death in 1911. The funeral is pictured passing down the western side of Eyre Square. Born at Culliagh near Headford in 1836, Fr Dooley was a man of the people. He was instrumental in helping to found the Galway Woollen Mills in Newtownsmyth, as well as a hosiery factory in Francis Street, both giving much-needed employment to the area. He built the Temperance Hall in Lombard Street, and provided much social housing in the Woodquay and Sickeen areas of the city without any government aid.

Galway In Days Gone By

Enda Cunningham

Galway in Days Gone By

1917

Blown to atoms

About half-past five on Friday afternoon, the shock of what appeared to be a terrific explosion a considerable distance off was heard in Galway. It shook windows and doors, and many people mistook it for distant thunder.

At that moment nine men – peace-loving Connemara peasants and farmers – were blown to eternity on the seashore and Loughanebeg, about four miles beyond Spiddal and over sixteen from Galway, owing to the explosion of a German mine which they had fished ashore.

Hundreds of people from the surrounding districts visited the scene on Saturday, and a number of University students and others actually cycled all the way from Galway. Some of them took away gruesome relics of the tragedy.

As showing the superstitiousness of the people, or else the state to which their nerves have been reduced by the terrible ordeal through which they have passed, it may be stated that many stories are told of strange, wailing sounds from the sea – sounds like the Banshee call – the night preceding the occurrence.

After the inquest on Saturday evening, the remains were taken for internment, three coffins being provided. The assemblage of Connemara peasants, who formed the cortege, crowded the roadway for a considerable distance, and formed a most imposing sight. The anguished keening of the bereaved as they followed the remains, made an eerie accompaniment as the procession moved solemnly along, and lent a more poignant note of sorrow to the terrible tragedy. Many of the boys killed were the sole breadwinners of their relatives.

1942

Water supply danger

An annoying feature of Galway Corporation discussions is their inconclusiveness. They begin definitely enough, but they have a disconcerting habit of tailing off vaguely, leaving even the members themselves not always certain as to what happened.

This regrettable vagueness was very much in evidence at the discussion on relief schemes last Thursday. The alarming fact emerged that a breach in the Terryland embankment would endanger the water mains to the city. This, one might imagine, would rouse all the members of the Corporation to the necessity for immediate and decisive action in connection with the embankment.

But the discussion strayed off the embankment, strolled along the Promenade at Salthill, looked in at the public parks and considered the possibility of a new promenade from O’Brien’s Bridge to the Salmon Weir Bridge.

The upshot of it all was that “it was decided to renew their efforts to have the Drainage Trustees call a meeting to give the Corporation permission to undertake the improvement of the river embankment and to consider alternative schemes at a later meeting”.

If the condition of the embankment is a menace to the city’s water supply there should be no question of alternative schemes until it is repaired and the menace removed. The Borough Surveyor says that the menace exists and he expressed the view that “the strengthening of the river embankment should get first consideration”.

Sixth time Mayor

Ald. J.F. Costello, P.C., H.C., was unanimously re-elected Mayor of Galway at the annual meeting of the Borough Council to-day, and the gold chain of office was formally placed on his shoulders by Ald. Miss Ashe, who proposed the re-election of Ald. Costello and said that he had come triumphantly through a trying year.

The interests of Galway and its citizens, and especially the interests of the poor, were always before his mind and he was in all was a worthy Mayor of Galway.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.