Galway in Days Gone By

Galway In Days Gone By

Published

8 years ago

September 25, 2014

Enda Cunningham

Revellers dancing to music by Herb Miller and his orchestra on the last night of dancing at Seapoint Ballroom in Salthill in November 1984. The venue was was a huge draw for decades after it was first opened in 1949 but the counter attractions of discos/nightclubs in the resort saw its popularity wane.

1914

United we stand

A review of a large number of Volunteers, composed of companies from Aughrim, Kilconnell, Derrymullen, Cappataggle, Mullagh, Kilreecle, Killoran and Kilmolaw, was held by Captain Cheevers at Aughrim, Galway last Sunday.

The men looked very smart, and displayed a good knowledge of drill. The reviewing officer, with Messrs. Reddy and Duffy, M.P.s, was entirely satisfied with the performance of the men.

Addressing the Volunteers after the march past, Captain Cheevers said he felt proud at being asked to review them on that historic height of Aughrim (loud cheers).

Now that Ireland was a nation once again, they should do everything to make that nation a pride to themselves and an envy to all her enemies (cheers).

Father Coghlan, said there was one company that was mentioned by Captain Cheevers for efficiency, and that was Cappataggle. He was delighted to see that day such a fine body of Volunteers. When the call was given, they obeyed like men. They were now about to enjoy the benefits of Home Rule, and that was due to Mr. Redmond and the Irish Party (cheers).

Mr. W. Duffy, M.P., next addressed the gathering and was received with ringing cheers. He said that within the last few days the wrongs of a century were wiped out by the placing of the Home Rule Bill on the Statute Book (cheers).

It was a long and hard struggle to have it done on account of all they had to contend against.

1939

Unlawfully keeping game

At Ballygar District Court, before Mr. H.C. Hamilton, D.J., Supt. Dunphy prosecuted Christopher Bannon, Castlefrench for unlawfully keeping game (grouse) confined by means of a wire netting, and also for taking game during the closed season (month of July).

Guard Armstrong stated that he visited the lands of Captain French on August 15 and he saw a wire netting enclosure there in which were being kept seven grouse. The defendant admitted that he had captured the grouse in the bog and that he was keeping them for propagation purposes. He could not get authority for netting game and keeping them in that way.

The defendant said that he wanted to preserve the game, and the birds laid more eggs when confined.

Justice: How many did they lay for you?

Defendant: I only got them this year.

Justice: Are they doing well?

Defendant: Very well.

Justice: What do you feed them on?

Defendant: Heather and grain.

Justice: Have you cocks and hens?

Defendant: Three cocks and four hens

Justice: That seems an overdose of cocks (laughter), but that is not in the charge.

The Justice said that this seemed to be an interesting experiment, but it was not legal. He was satisfied that the defendant had no intention of committing an offence and that he was only doing what he a good man could to increase the stock of grouse on these bogs. He would not give any direction as to what he should do in the future, but he would let him off in the present case, which was not a serious offence.

Netting grouse for the purposes of killing them was a shocking thing, but in this case, he was satisfied that defendant’s intention was to help to preserve the stock, though he believed it was difficult to keep the birds in captivity.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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Galway In Days Gone By

Galway in Days Gone By

Galway In Days Gone By

Published

1 day ago

March 23, 2023

Stephen Corrigan

Young participants during the St Patrick’s Day Parade in Athenry on March 17, 1996.

1923

Optimistic outlook

The optimism of Mr. P. J. Boland was a refreshing thing at the inaugural meeting of the Galway Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday. He saw great good in Galway: it was a delightful place to live and in a place worth working for.

It possessed the elements of greater good in the future; a prideful local patriotism; a desire to see things better done here than elsewhere.

That was a factor that should be availed of but was not. Why? Because men talked and talked of what should be done, but had no organised driving force to translate their ideas into action. Hence the present effort to establish a Chamber of Commerce.

This optimism is a heartening thing, and it will be justified if the new members enter the Chamber of Commerce in the spirt shown by the chairman of the inaugural meeting.

When the Sligo Chamber was being inaugurated of the 29th December last, a Senator A. Jackson, D.L., who presided, pointed out that there was scarcely an important town in England, Wales or Ireland, and certainly not a seaport town that had not a Chamber of Commerce in existence for many years.

He pointed to the significant, but fairly well-established fact in the matter of projected legislation far more importance was paid to representations from Chambers of Commerce than to representations made by municipal bodies or harbour boards.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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Galway in Days Gone By

Galway In Days Gone By

Published

1 week ago

March 16, 2023

Stephen Corrigan

Spectators outside Athenry Church awaiting the St Patrick’s Day Parade

1923

Post office raids

A series of wholesale raids on unprotected Connemara sub-post offices are reported. Lettermore and Cashel offices were raided and robbed on Friday night.

Carraroe, Costello and Kilkerrin were also visited by armed men and any money and stamps available were taken. The sums abstracted from these offices vary from £20 to £30.

Telegraph and telephone instruments were broken wherever they were found, and in consequence, the people living in these remote areas on the western seaboard have been much inconvenienced.

Costello bridge was blown up on Friday night last, when most of the raids took place.

1948

Telephone service

In the course of his address to the annual meeting of the Galway No. 1 branch of the Irish Transport and General Workers’ Union on Sunday Mr.

Everett made a statement regarding the telephone service at Galway which is of great interest to the business community in particular.

He admitted that the delay during busy periods of the day on the Galway-Dublin trunk service amounts at times to about two hours, and that this has on occasions been exceeded owing to one or more of the three existing circuits being out of order.

Delay on busy periods on the lines connecting Dublin with Tuam, Loughrea, Athenry, Clifden and Claremorris was also admitted.

The fact of these days is only too familiar to telephone subscribers in the West. Repeated protests on the matter have been sent forward by the Corporation and the Chamber of Commerce of Galway among others, but hitherto there has been no tangible result.

The facilities now available might perhaps have been adequate twenty years ago, but they are insufficient, to put it mildly, for present-day requirements and business is very seriously handicapped in consequence.

During the war years there was not only a shortage of the equipment which would be needed for improved facilities, but such equipment as could be obtained was more urgently needed for security purposes. It seems however that the war-time difficulties are well on the way to disappearing and the minister was in a position to make some promise of improvement.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App

Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.

Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.

Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.

Galway in Days Gone By

Galway In Days Gone By

Published

2 weeks ago

March 9, 2023

Stephen Corrigan

Young contestants taking part in the three-legged race during St Patrick’s Parish Sports at the Sportsground, College Road, on May 23, 1982.

1923

Food prices

The local committee appointed under the Free State Commission on Food Prices will hold its first public sitting in Galway next week.

The announcement should be received with general satisfaction in a town that, notwithstanding its natural advantages of lake and sea and fertile countryside, provides for its people little of the natural fruits of the earth except at prohibitive prices.

Mr. H. J. Reid, of 20, Dominick-street, Galway, is, as announced elsewhere, acting as secretary of the local committee. Those who desire to give evidence – and who does not desire to prove that life is a hard thing these days and that we could all be very well off if only the profiteer would have a heart? – should communicate with Mr. Reid at once.

Already, we understand, half-a-dozen citizens have expressed themselves willing and anxious to tell the committee how the problem of living affects them. We do sincerely hope that the cooperation of the people themselves will render it possible for the Galway committee to make the most exhaustive inquiries and to do effective work.

It should be remembered that it is our own committee appointed by our own Government – the Government not of the profiteer but of the plain man of Ireland – to do our work.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App

Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.

Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.

Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.