Galway in Days Gone By
Galway In Days Gone By
1916
Terrific storm
All last week, and for a greater portion of this week, the gale which swept all over Ireland blew with terrific force in Galway City. At times, indeed, it was with difficulty that pedestrians ventured on the streets.
In Bridge-street, some electric wires were broken as a result of the storm. The Corrib, owing to the torrential rains which accompanied the gale, rose to an abnormal extent.
In the Bay, choppy seas prevailed, which rendered it dangerous for the pookauns trading along the coast. The material damage done on the whole was small, and the people of Galway have reason to be grateful for this fact.
Motor accident
On Sunday last, a serious motor accident which took place in Shop-street as a result of which, a little girl’s life was seriously endangered.
The facts are as follows: about 12.30p.m., the motor in question, which is the property of Dr. R.B. Mahon, Nile lodge, was being driven along Shop-street by Dr. Mahon’s chauffeur, a man named John Crean, when the child in question, Josephine Dolan, of Bowling Green, was in the act of crossing the road.
Before the car could have pulled up, she was struck and knocked down, becoming unconscious. The chauffeur immediately placed her in the car and drove to the County Hospital, where she was detained. As we go to press, we learn that the little girl is progressing favourably.
1941
Prepared for attack
Galway Corporation on Thursday expressed indignation and resentment at the allegation made at the meeting of the Finance Committee of the Galway County Council to the effect that they were doing nothing to protect the citizens in case of attack from the air.
It was pointed out that the Corporation were vitally interested in this matter, but that they were debarred from building up an A.R.P. scheme [Na Seirbhise Reamhcuraim in Aghaidh Aer-Ruathar, which enforced blackout regulations] inasmuch as the A.R.P. powers for the city, as well as for the county, were vested in the County Council and not the Corporation.
The Mayor, Ald. J.F. Costello, H.C., read a statement vindicating the Corporation. He said that at the County Council meeting the Corporation was made the scapegoat for matters over which they had no control, and this was a poor conception of how to prepare for an emergency.
It was decided to ask the Regional Commissioner to vest A.R.P. powers for the city in the Corporation.
Boil water notice
No reply has yet been received by the Galway Corporation to their appeal to the Local Government Department for approval of the completion of the Rishworth plan for the provision of a full and pure water supply for the city, and financial aid for the work.
Prof. F.S. Rishworth, Consulting Engineer in regard to the comprehensive water supply scheme for the city, wrote stating that he considered it essential to put in the main across the river at Terryland and the reservoir at Clifton Hill to supply the western part of the town at the same time as the filtration plant was bring installed.
Dr. B. O’Beirne, County Medical Officer, wrote stating that the citizens should be advised to continue boiling the water.
Mayor: We will get plenty of publicity from the Press about that matter.
Mr. Faller: The Press are always looking for headlines.
Grow wheat campaign
300,000 acres of wheat more than were grown in 1940 will be required to meet the national bread supply, according to a statement made by Mr. Lemass, Minister for Supplies, in a letter to every member of Dáil Éireann, inviting active cooperation in the “grow more wheat campaign”.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
1922
Violent assault
At Loughrea Quarter Sessions, before his honour Judge Doyle, K.C., Mrs. Anne Lowry, Carhoon, Tynagh, claimed £100 compensation for the alleged kidnapping of her daughter, Julia Goonan (under age), by armed and disguised men, and for the cutting of her hair on the night of October 6 last. Mr. Mulcair, solr., appeared for the applicant.
Julia Goonan, examined by her solicitor, stated she was seventeen years of age, and the daughter of Mrs. Annie Lowry, who resided at Carhoon, in the Portumna district. Witness was at her service with a man named Patrick Harte, Athenry-road, Loughrea, for about six months.
On the night of the 6th October last, four disguised men came to Mr. Harte’s door and knocked. They were admitted by Mr. Harte and coming in around the kitchen asked if he had a girl in the house. He replied he had, and witness, who was in a room off the kitchen at the time, was preparing to go to bed.
“The men, who were looking about everywhere,” proceeded witness, “saw me in the room and they pulled me out. They took a shawl that was hanging on the door and wrapping it around me took me to a motor that was outside and put me into it. I saw another man standing beside the driver when I came out to the car. They then drove me up as far as Nonie Ryan’s house at the other end of the town and on arriving there, took out Nonie Ryan and put her into the motor.
“I noticed some men outside Ryan’s house when the car stopped. They then drove us away up the Ballinasloe road, and when we had gone about three miles they blindfolded us. One of the men gave me a few slaps across the face.”
To his honour: Witness did not know the men. They were masked and blackened.
Continuing, witness stated the men, who apparently went astray, drove them around the roads from twenty minutes to twelve on Wednesday night, October 6, until three o’clock on the following morning. At Knockbrack witness was ordered out of the car and taken away about twenty yards, still blindfolded. She was “hung up” by the hair by one of the men and another shaved her hair in to the bone.
His honour: Don’t girls “bob” their hair to make themselves look attractive? (laughter).
Witness: They do, your honour. – His honour: Did they “bob” your hair or cut it off altogether? – Witness: They cut it off altogether.
Mr. Mulcair: It is apparently growing now. When I saw her after the incident, she was very bare.
In further evidence, witness said the men told her wile in the motor they would take her to Athlone barracks and get two nice Black and Tans for herself and her companion. They subsequently stated they would take them to Ballinasloe barracks, and finally left them at her mother’s house in Carhoon in the morning.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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1921
No port like home
We produce this message in full, because it contains its lesson for the people of Galway – a lesson which if not read swiftly and acted upon promptly may be lost and may lose for the home port the one feature around which a great city could be built in the year to come.
In the years of peace and progress which lie ahead, trade will be rapidly developed between Ireland and America, and a considerable stimulus will be given to passenger service. Galway is the nearest port to the United States and Canada.
Its claims in this connection are incontestable. Indeed, we believe that those claims are accepted by men like Mr. Arthur Griffith who knows the country thoroughly.
Money to develop the country will assuredly be available in the near future, and one of the first schemes of development is likely to be the opening up of our long-disused ports.
In the future there will be no hostile Liverpool trade interests to content against. We shall be free to develop our own resources in our own way. But theirs will be rival ports on the western coast. Cobh is consolidating its position.
The Galway Port has yet to be made. The people of Galway should see that its claims are kept well in the foreground, and the representatives of Galway in the new government should have all the facts in connection with Galway placed at their disposal.
Establishment robbed
Mr. Murty O’Leary’s grocery establishment, Wood-quay, was raided at about twelve o’clock on Saturday night by burglars when tobacco, cigarettes, polish and other goods, with £5 or £6 in notes and silver were taken away.
Mrs. O’Leary had gone to midnight Mass at the time, and the door was locked when she left. Mr. O’Leary was upstairs at the time the raiders entered, and when he heard some noise at the door a few minutes after his wife had left he did not suspect that anything was wrong.
How these burglars succeeded in getting in, considering that the door was locked, remains a mystery.
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.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
1921
Prisoners’ memento
Some of the Galway prisoners took home with them on their release from Ballykinlar a little camp publication run off on a cyclostyle, entitled “Barbed Wire”, on which the tedious hours were passed.
The spirit of the men in the camp was revealed in this little publication which gives us a more intimate glimpse into camp life than, perhaps anything published. We reproduce some of the principal articles. The “leading article” says: –
“The phenomenal success achieved by ‘The Barbed Wire’ is a splendid tribute to the intelligence and culture of our readers. To say that the advent of our precious little periodical set the world agog is a very mild way of describing the effect which it created in all the courts and alleys of Europe, America, Asia, Africa, Australia, Ireland and Carsonia. While it had a sobering effect on the wider sprits in our midst, we have reason to believe our high-explosive magazine staggered humanity.
“Our first edition was sold out in a few minutes, and the editions which were ‘run out’ afterwards were sold as quickly as they were ‘run off’ the machine. In spite of our colossal labours, we were unable to meet the demand. Apologies are, therefore, due to the untold millions who were unable to procure a copy of our very August number. We had hoped to render apologies unnecessary on this occasion but owing to the vital part of our machinery – the silk – going on strike we must again apologise – this time in advance to the millions who will be denied the pleasure of buying the September issue of ‘The Barbed Wire’.
“S.O.S. – Appropriately enough, our line operator has sent a wireless message to us asking for a new machine, which we hope to let him have in good time for our magnificent Xmas number. Our policy this month is the same as it was last month. In this, as in many other matters, we differ from the majority of publications. Hence the unique position to which we have attained in the journalistic world.”
While a few people may dislike The Barbed Wire, all will admit that it has some good points.
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.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
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