Galway in Days Gone By

Galway In Days Gone By

Published

5 years ago

March 22, 2018

Enda Cunningham

Participants in the Clarenbridge Fancy Dress competition in April 1967.

1918

Strange story

A strange report which comes from a village near Loughrea says that last week, a baby declared in a clear voice half-an-hour after its birth that there would be dreadful battles soon, and that the war would end in April, without a decisive result, and died soon afterwards.

‘Black Rain’ in Connemara

A curious phenomenon is reported from Connemara in a fall of black rain. A lady resident at Rosscahill, writes that on last Wednesday, black rain fell in that district. A bucket into which it fell, she states, was twice rinsed out, and each time the rain, as it fell was of this dark colour.

There appeared to be no sediment, but as if the rain itself was black. Several householders at some distance also noticed it. About a year ago, the same thing occurred, and clothes spread out to bleach had to be rewashed. There are no factory chimneys anywhere near to account for it.

Great Prelate’s death

We announce with profound regret the death of Most Rev. Dr. John Healy, Archbishop of Tuam, which occurred at the Palace, Tuam on Saturday morning, at 5 o’clock. The distinguished Prelate had been in failing health for the past few years, and in October 1916, His Grace’s condition grew worse, necessitating his confinement to the palace.

He rallied at intervals, but only for short periods, and on Wednesday, a serious change for the worse came. From that day it was evident that he was rapidly sinking and on Saturday morning, he peacefully passed away.

1943

Salthill Pavilion

The action of the Salthill Citizens’ Association in securing a lease of The Dance Pavilion (“The Hangar”) for a year from next September is indicative of the energy and enterprise that is eventually going to put the seaside suburb prominently on the tourist map with, or without the assistance of the I.T.A. and the I.T.B. [Irish Tourist Association and Irish Tourist Board].

If the town organisations mentioned with this alphabetic brevity are inclined to be too dictatorial as to the manner in which the Salthill of the future should develop, or too laggard in lending their assistance, it looks as if the Salthill Citizen’s Organisation could be relied upon to do the job with complete satisfaction to all concerned.

Nobody here wants Salthill to be exploited on the lines of Blackpool or Margate, but we really fail to see why there should be an objection to a typical seaside resort pier with a pavilion on the end of it. The pier is badly needed if the place is to develop materially, and if we are going to build a pier, it might as well be designed to bring in all the money possible. There is no use in building a sort of concrete boat slip and expecting marvellous benefits to result from it.

Notice to readers

Owing to shortage of newsprint, it is necessary to curtail the number of copies of our papers printed to absolute requirements. We would, therefore, as readers, in order to avoid disappointment, to place a standing order for The Connacht Tribune and The Connacht Sentinel with their newsagents.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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Galway in Days Gone By

Galway In Days Gone By

Published

5 days ago

January 26, 2023

Stephen Corrigan

Taking part in the West of Ireland Bridge Congress at UCG in April 1983 were Phil Carey, Newcastle, Eileen Murphy, Taylor's Hill, Carmel Howard, Cross Street and Claire Burke, Salthill. This year’s Bridge Congress is taking place next week at the Ardilaun Hotel from February 3 to February 5.

1923

Islanders’ distress

A correspondent sends authentic particulars of distress prevailing in the Islands of Aran. There is extreme poverty in Inishmore, especially in Killeany; large numbers in the village are on the verge of starvation, kept alive by the charity of neighbours, with scarcely a healthy child amongst them.

The people own no land, notwithstanding that the Congested Districts Board has a large tract; they fish and labour when the former is profitable or practicable and when the work can be found. To-day they are without either.

Similar stories come from other island villages. Yet last October Mr. Blythe stated in the Dáil that £1,000 had been granted for the relief of distress on the islands. The money was placed at the disposal of the Galway Rural District Council, which refused to have anything to do with the scheme.

Accordingly, the grant was never made. It is alleged that the inhabitants of Inishmore have refused to pay rates, but islanders state in reply that rates were not collected for some two years, nor were demand notes issued. The whole position is so grave that it should be looked into without further delay, and we understand that all the circumstances have been referred to Deputy O’Connell for this purpose.

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

January 19, 2023

Stephen Corrigan

Students Yvonne O’Byrne, Edel Comer, Janice Butler, Orla Casserley, Lisa Small, Sinéad Irvine, Emer Burke, Alva McManus and Ciara Hanley who took part in the Dominican College, Taylor's Hill, production of the musical 'My Fair Lady' at the Rosary Hall in January 1998.

1923

Narrow escape

A party of four men, who arrived in the village in a motor-car, engaged in a murderous attack on the barracks occupied by the unarmed Civic Guard at Ahascragh, Ballinasloe, about three a.m. on Wednesday.

Shots and bombs were fired through the windows, and some of the sleeping guards had narrow escapes from bullets, and subsequently had to dash through the petrol-inspired flames for safety.

The village is a peaceable one, and the Guards have recently been carrying out their work in it with quiet efficiency. During the recent warfare, there had been no disturbance in the neighbourhood.

The Guards retired as usual on Tuesday night, and about three a.m. on Wednesday morning they were awakened by the crash of rifles.

A moment later flames sprang up, and it was seen that the barracks had been sprinkled with petrol and fired. Bombs were first fired through the windows, then petrol was thrown in, and the place was set on fire.

The small body of four Guards found themselves compelled to seek shelter from the bullets, and then they had to make a dash to escape the flames that were springing up around them.

Sergeant Rodgers had an exceedingly narrow escape, a bullet grazing his head. Guard Grimes was sleeping beneath a window when it was broken and petrol thrown over his head.

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

January 12, 2023

Stephen Corrigan

Taking part in the Coláiste Iognáid production of A Tale of Two Cities in the Jesuit Hall, Sea Road, in February1998 were Cathal Cunningham, Michael Roche and Richard Curtin.

1923

Education is key

This week or the beginning of next, Irish boys and girls return to school. On the work that they do there during the succeeding years will largely depend the future of Ireland, for as the plant is bent, so shall the tree become.

Judged by the present day standard of ethics and conduct, something has been sadly lacking in the spiritual and secular training of the past.

Recently, a controversy – if it could be dignified with the name – has been running in the correspondence columns of the “Tribune”, on the future of education. It seems a thousand pities, if, indeed, it is not a definite national drawback, that intelligent men like national school teachers cannot discuss a subject that is of vital interest to them and their country in temperate language, without getting lost in a miasma of irrelevant abuse.

Yet it must be frankly and sadly confessed that those who have entered into correspondence on the subject have added little to the discussion. The controversy was begun by a contributor, who had very definite views, with which we did not altogether agree, but if the points at issue had been adhered to, it might have served a very useful purpose.

Teaching journals are clamouring that the general public do not take any interest in education. If to take an interest in education is to bring a hornets’ nest to one’s ears, then surely the invitation is a little ungracious.

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.