Galway in Days Gone By

Galway In Days Gone By

Published

6 years ago

October 27, 2016

Enda Cunningham

Enjoying the Tulira Castle fete in Ardrahan in May 1965.

1916

Letters to the editor

Sir,

Referring to the presentation of a gold wrist watch, etc., made in the Town Hall here on Saturday last by Lady Clonbrock, on behalf of the “ladies and women of Ballinasloe and the County Galway” to Sergeant Michael Ward, I was compelled to say what I felt – namely, that the ladies and women of the town and county had put the men of Ballinasloe and of the county to shame.

Is it, I now ask, possible that these men are dead to all sense of chivalry, and so apathetic as not to recognise, in a substantial manner, as other towns and counties have done, the gallantry, grit and bravery, in the face of death, of this Irish soldier and hero, whose devotion to duty courage and dash, have brought honour to the land of his birth, and particularly to his native town and county.

I am convinced that the matter only needs to be brought to the notice of his fellow town and county men to have his bravery and devotion to King and country suitably acknowledged. This humble but brave man has been decorated for his pluck not only by the King, but by the Emperor of Russia and the President of the French Republic.

Will the men of Galway – I make no class or political distinction – permit it to be said that they alone failed to honour the only living Galway man who has up to the present during this dreadful war, conspicuously brought them honour and fame?

I extremely regret that it should be left to my feeble effort to move in this matter, and should any success follow, I shall, until more formal arrangements are made, gladly accept and acknowledge any subscription that may be sent me.

Rothwell, Ballinasloe.

1941

Waiting for drink

An application brought by Peter M. Kelehan to have a new hotel at Newcastle-road, Galway, licensed was refused by his lordship, Judge Martin J. Connolly, S.C., at Galway Circuit Court.

Objections to the granting of the licence were made by the Very Rev. P. Canon Davis, P.P., St. Joseph’s (Rahoon), Parish Priest of the parish in which the hotel is situated; by the Garda authorities; and by local members of the Licensed Grocers and Vintners Association.

Mr. C.J. Conroy (for the applicant) said that these premises were situated on what was one of the main roads coming into the city from Connemara and they were located some sixty or seventy yards from the Central Hospital on the opposite side of the road.

The hotel was built by the applicant’s family by direct labour and was completed sometime in 1940 at a cost (including furnishings) of £2,500. The applicant, who was brought up in a public house and therefore had experience of the trade, was, with the help of his sister, running the hotel, which catered mostly for middle-class people – and catered well.

In July, 1940, continued Mr. Conroy, it was opened for hotel business. At that time a shop was carried on in a front room which had now been converted into a dining-room. Since that time, visitors staying at the hotel had been mostly people from neighbouring counties – relatives and friends of patients in the Central hospital who stayed for a day or two days – and also people holidaying in Galway.

The nearest publichouse was Mr. Peter M. Cooke’s on one side, which was 300 or 400 yards from it, and on the other side, the applicant’s father’s publichouse, which was two miles distant. There would be evidence that people staying in the hotel from time to time had asked for drink which had to be gotten for them from other places. The nearest licensed hotel was the Hotel Enda, about half-a-mile away.

Superintendent Seamus O’Neill said that he was objecting to this licence on the grounds that the premises were unsuitable and that there were already too many licensed premises in Galway.

The Very Rev. P. Canon Davis said that he objected to a licensed premises so near the Central Hospital because of the danger of intoxicating spirits being brought into the hospital.

In reply to his lordship, Canon Davis said that he was afraid, too, that the facilities for getting drink might be abused by people waiting for funerals to leave the hospital.

Giving judgment, his lordship said he would have liked to grant the application, but he could not because he was not satisfied that the premises conformed with the requirements of the Act.

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

4 days ago

September 29, 2022

Stephen Corrigan

1922

Scabs warning

An exciting incident in connection with the postal strike occurred at Mary-st., Galway, at four o’clock last Saturday afternoon.

An official of the Galway Electric Lighting Company, Ltd., accompanied by another official, had gone to the central post office at Eglinton-street to collect the letters of the company. Shortly after he had left, it was alleged that he had taken other letters for delivery in Mary-street on his way back to the works.

The strike picket immediately gave chase, and an exciting scene, which was witnessed by a number of people in the street, followed.

The officials of the company were chased into the licensed premises of Mr. J. S. Young, but it could not be found that they had delivered any letters.

“We did not see them delivering any letters,” said one of the strikers. “Anyhow, an undertaking has been signed now not to attempt to deliver any to other people.”

A few national soldiers in uniform were standing at the Eglinton-street end of Mary-street during the incident. Four lady members of the staff at the Galway central office returned to work on Saturday and were understood to be engaged upon sorting of letters recently delivered by road.

It is stated that letters are also being posted at the central boxes. Meanwhile the picket remains almost continuously “on duty” outside the office, in front of which two boards have been place, one stating, “Don’t take letters from scabs”; and another “Restricted Services – Four do the work of forty-two”.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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Galway in Days Gone By

Galway In Days Gone By

Published

2 weeks ago

September 22, 2022

Stephen Corrigan

Children examine the carcass of a 40-foot sperm whale, beached in Loughaunrone near Oranmore in September 1997. The whale was later burned on the beach as Council engineers were concerned about the danger of seepage if the giant mammal was buried.

1922

Connemara raids

The Publicity Department, Railway Hotel, Galway, issues the following: – Mr. Richard O’Toole, Lettermore, Connemara, has been forced to leave his home as a result of a raid made upon it by irregulars and subsequent threats.

A few nights ago, a party of men came to Mr. O’Toole’s home and demanded his motor bicycle. He refused to give it. The leader of the raiders, tapping his gun, said: “Do you see this?”

“Shoot away,” was Mr. O’Toole’s reply, and the raiders are then said to have gone to the garage to look for the machine. He managed, however, to get the machine, and to make his way to Galway. The men threatened that they would return to his house on the succeeding night and take him.

He was obliged to leave some men to mind his mother, who is very nervous, and falls into a faint when a raid takes place.

The house of Mr. Cloherty at Roundstone was also visited and about £40 worth of stuff taken. Mr. Cloherty is the father of Mr. J. J. Cloherty, a well-known County Councillor, and is a strong supporter of the Treaty.

A shop in Kilkerrin was also raided, and a considerable quantity of goods taken.

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

3 weeks ago

September 15, 2022

Stephen Corrigan

Thatching one of the houses on Shantalla Road, just up from Cooke's Corner, in the 1970s.

1922

The third Dáil

The first meeting of the third Dáil held on Saturday morning last at Leinster House, Kildare-street, the premises of the Royal Dublin Society, recalled for a few minutes some of the stormy scenes at Westminster when Irish affairs were being discussed.

On Saturday, as then, Mr Laurence Ginnell was the central figure. He is apparently always cast for the role of obstructionist in politics, and on Saturday he made full use of his opportunity, with the result that, as at Westminster, he was carried form his seat by three stalwart attendants and expelled from the Assembly.

The Dáil met in the theatre of the house, a semi-circular room with seats rising tier upon tier from an open space in the centre. At the back of the last row of seats there is a promenade, and for some time before the Dáil was due to open, Mr. Ginnell, black band in hand and slouch, hat on head, marched round and round, speaking to no one, but apparently, like an arch conspirator, deep in thought.

Probably he felt lonely, for he was the only one of the anti-treaty members elected to the Dáil who put in an appearance. Miss MacSwiney and the rest, who were known to be in Dublin, have presumably decided to observe a policy of abstention.

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.