Galway in Days Gone By
Galway In Days Gone By
1918
Shooting
Another shooting outrage occurred on Sunday night at Kilroe, Drumgriffin, near the residence of Mr. J.G. Alcorn, J.P. On the night, after ten o’clock, William Burke, steward in Mr. Alcorn’s employment, was returning from his brother’s house in Kilcoona, and when about five hundred yards from Kilroe House, three gunshots were fired, inflicting two serious wounds on Burke’s right leg.
He shouted “Murder!”, “Help!” when the shots hit him. The shots were heard a mile away by a police patrol.
The shooting took place in a portion of the road which is thickly wooded, and when the police patrol arrived, they found Burke lying unconscious on the roadside and bleeding profusely from his wounds.
He was taken to Mr. Alcorn’s residence, where he was attended by the Rev. Fr. Nicholson, C.C., Annaghdown, and Dr. Goulding, Headford. He was removed to Galway Co. Hospital on Monday, where he lies in a precarious condition and reported not out of danger.
From the nature of the wounds, and the large number of pellets extracted, it is believed the shots were fired at about a range of ten yards.
No motive can be assigned for the affray beyond the suspicion of dissatisfaction at Mr. Alcorn’s refusal to set more of his lands on conacre to people in the neighbourhood.
1943
Increasing train discomfort
Recently, peeping somewhat apprehensively into the near future, we speculated on the plight of Galway citizens when the holiday rush of visitors crowds them off the local ‘buses. Nevertheless, we are not without hope that – shortage of petrol and scarcity of tyres notwithstanding – Mr. Rattray may be able to devise some means out of our difficulties in this respect when the time comes.
Another transport which is imminent concerns the train service between Galway and the Capital. We all know what an ordeal a journey between those two points proved during the height of the holiday season last year. It was not an uncommon experience to have to make the entire journey of 130 miles standing in a crowded corridor.
Four splendid steel coaches of the most modern type, a credit to the Irish builders and the company that owned them, had been employed on the Western run, but, when the number of trains per day was reduced, these vehicles were taken off and some of the oldest and most out-of-date rolling stock that survived the company’s yards took their place.
The only excuse that we have heard given for this curious action was that the moth-eaten dug-outs could carry more passengers in every compartment. The explanation never was very convincing.
Probably it is with the same idea that it is now proposed to abolish the dining car between Galway and Dublin. Somebody at Kingsbridge says: “Let us cut out the diner and we can put on another old shandrydan and carry another hundred passenger sardines.”
It cannot be argued that the diner did not pay. It must have paid because it was always crowded. It cannot be a shortage of food supplies because things have not yet come to pass in this country so far as catering is concerned.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
1922
State is recognised
At 3.30 on the morning of December 6, 1921, a Treaty between Great Britain and Ireland was signed in a room in London. In pursuance of that Treaty, the Government of the Irish Free State was handed over to Mr. Michael Collins on January 16 of the present year.
This week the Free State became a fait accompli, recognised by all the nations of the earth, ratified by its own Parliament and that of Great Britain. This is the great central historical fact which nothing can alter.
In other times under other conditions, this would be a week of general jubilation in Ireland. There can be no doubt about the feelings in the hearts of the majority of people. They feel with the late Mr. Arthur Griffith that “the substance of freedom” has been won, with President Cosgrove that the Irish Government “takes over the control and destiny of our people to hold and administer that charge, answerable only to our own people and to none other; to conduct their affairs as they shall declare, right without interference, not to domination, by any other authority whatsoever on this earth.”
For the Free State has the power, by right of international treaty, to maintain military, naval and air forces, to impose tariffs, to control its own finances absolutely, to make its own laws.
And there is firm hope that before long the green, white and orange of the tricolour will wave triumphantly over not twenty-six counties merely, but over all Ireland.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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1922
Posting poor returns
Postal rates and telephone charges in Ireland are at the moment probably as high as they are in any country in the world, higher than they are in most.
The penny post has been restored in Great Britain, following the wage cut, which was introduced without any stoppage in the public service.
And the postal facilities in Ireland at the moment are probably worse than in any civilised state in the world. This is not altogether the fault of those who control the post office.
But, while much of this is due to conditions over which postal officials can have no control, a very considerable percentage of it is due to a badly run post office.
There is something very rotten in a service that loses a million a year, and yet gives the public only very indifferent results; for not merely are the Irish people paying abnormal postal and telegraph rates, but they are paying for the deficit in the form of taxation, so that their letters cost them much more than twopence.
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.
1922
The ‘pay-nobodies’
The righteous wrath of members of Galway County Council very properly manifested itself against the “pay nobodies” at the meeting on Saturday last.
“I am quite satisfied,” declared Dr. Walsh, “that numbers of people who defend the policy of not paying rates are thoroughly dishonest.”
Mr. Kennedy said the policy to-day was to pay nobody and the people who were in debt themselves “wanted everybody else to be in the same position”.
Mr. Tierney invoked the dictum of the Irish Hierarchy in regard to the payment of just and lawful debts. Verily, “there are greater thieves than Cacus” – men who have such noble and patriotic notions that, to their mind, national freedom is synonymous with freedom from just and lawful obligations. It is time the people paid their rates and debts and gave up their outworn cant.
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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