Galway in Days Gone By
Galway In Days Gone By
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.
1921
No show in Mountbellew
We have no doubt that the decision to abandon the Mountbellew Horse and Agricultural Show for 1921 was only arrived at by the committee after full consideration.
Possibly it was unavoidable in the present disturbed state of the country. It is nonetheless regrettable for since that fixture was first established in 1904 it has proved a most valuable factor in promoting agriculture and industries in one of the most extensive and important areas of County Galway.
The show ranked amongst the most important in Ireland. Year by year it extended its usefulness, and its practical value was marked by an increased grant from the County Committee of Agriculture.
For the present season this grant is lost. We may hope that in the happier Ireland of 1922 the show will be revived on a greater and grander scale than ever. The committee closes its accounts this year with a surplus credit of £182, and a record of public service that cannot be gainsaid.
The tribute to Mr. J. Moran upon his laying down of the office of secretary will be cordially supported by all who have had experience of that energetic worker, whose advice and assistance in an honorary capacity will, we hope, still remain at the service of the society.
First aid training
It is a little astonishing that an elementary training in first aid has not formed part of the curriculum of our primary and secondary schools.
Accidents happen in the best regulated families and communities from one cause or another, particularly nowadays because of heavy motor traffic and other causes. If a little knowledge of first aid were more general, a life could, perhaps, be saved if immediate assistance were available pending skilled medical aid.
It is, unfortunately, true that very few people know how to treat temporarily a fractured limb, to stop the bleeding of an artery, or to deal with a patient in case of sudden collapse. Instead of many subjects now taught, some at least of which are but little practical value, all school-going boys and girls should get at least an elementary course in first aid.
It is a desirable and necessary subject which our education authorities should give serious attention, as the training given remains of practical value all through life.
“What greater aim can man attain than conquest over human pain?”
It is a great and privileged gift to be able to bring useful relief to a poor sufferer in an accident – perhaps to staunch ebbing life blood and to save a life. Yet the knowledge could and should be acquired in our national schools.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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1921
Bad buying policy
It is interesting and useful to speculate how far the conditions that prevailed at Galway great annual fair on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week were due to its postponement on the one hand, and to the circumstances of our time on the other.
No doubt, the enforced adjournment and the uncertainty as to when the fair would be held combined to reduce the attendance.
It is possible that stock which, in the ordinary course, would have been taken to the fair had it been held at the appointed time, were disposed of by other means. Against this we have the fact that the fixture in point of attendance and sales was smaller than a normal monthly fair.
The truth is that cumulative causes contributed to its partial failure. Of these the postponement was only incidental. Only 159 wagon loads of stock left Galway during the two days against 259 at the annual fair last year and 360 the previous year.
Whilst the Midland Great Western Railway Company did all that could have been expected in the circumstances to assist in making the fair a success, the Great Southern did practically nothing at all. Six wagons were placed at the disposal of purchasers by the latter company on the Limerick-Sligo branch.
This is illustrated by the fact that most of those who attended Galway fair arrived on the evening before; few ventured to make the journey on the actual morning of the fair. Again, buyers report that owing to the difficulties of transport, and the recent unnecessary foot and mouth scare, they cannot tranship cattle to anything like the same extent as formerly, and owning to the prolonged drought, there is a shortage of grass for grazing in the rich midland counties where extensive buyers keep their stock from one fair to the other.
Apart from these causes, another much more interesting explanation is given. It is suggested is that the country farmer has not yet realised that there is a considerable drop in prices, and has not adapted himself to the new conditions.
This fall, it is clamed, is likely to be retrogressive under present conditions. The cost of living is falling, and must fall still further in order to restore “the economic balance”. Yet farmers prefer to hold back their stock in expectation, apparently, that something like old prices will be restored, rather than part with them. This, a cattle-buying expert informs us, is bad policy.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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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.
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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
Careless farmers
The unfavourable spring and summer of 19230 were not altogether accountable for the partial failure of last season’s potato crop. Planting was deferred until three or four weeks after the usual time, and the spraying of the crop was very carelessly carried out.
Not more than half the usual quantities of spraying materials were sold last year in County Galway. The wagon loads of potatoes which County Galway consumers were obliged to get from other parts of Ireland to go to prove the care and attention taken from growers in other counties.
To meet the increased cost of labour and manures farmers must grow heavier crops, and avoid risks as far as possible. To do so, spraying must be carried out efficiently.
County Galway, with 24,000 Irish acres of potatoes, is the second county in Ireland in respect of area. The total yield in 1920 was about 100,000 tons below that of an average year, which was a serious loss to the farmers and a hardship on the townspeople.
We hope that the lesson of 1920 will not be forgotten, and that farmers will this year spray in time and thoroughly.
One of the farmer’s chief difficulties is keeping of his crops free from weeds. Unfortunately in this important matter some of our farmers are rather careless. They do not realises – probably through lack of education in the matter – that where a crop is allowed to get weedy, the material resources of the land are being doubly taxed, and the crop which it is intended to grow cannot be a viable, much less a financial success.
The farmer has no power over some of the circumstances which determine the success or failure of a crop, and it is, therefore, a short-sighted policy for him not to use every means in his power to check weeds over which he has complete control.
Our attention has been directed to this matter by the number of cornfields in some districts, which are covered with the weed well-known to farmers as “Baráiste”.
We cannot estimate the extent of the damage caused year after year to our corn crops, but it must be very considerable. The yield of gran is greatly reduced, and the quality seriously impaired.
Modern science has given us a simple, effective, remedy involving little labour. This remedy has been used successfully for some years past by the best of our farmers, but we deeply regret the lack of enthusiasm displayed by many of our tillers in connection with the destruction of this objectionable weed.
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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