Galway in Days Gone By

Galway In Days Gone By

Published

3 years ago

August 23, 2018

Our Reporter

William Street in Galway in 1925 when motorised transport was still a relative rarity.

1918

Illegal hurling

At Loughrea Magistrates’, Joseph Connor, Joseph Ford and Tadh Scorry were charged with illegally playing hurley on July 31. Mr. Hogan, solr., who defended, cited Mr. Shortt’s declaration that the police had no right to interfere with games. Mr. Gillooley denied the Chief Secretary’s interpretation of the Order as correct. Hurling, he maintained, could not be played without a permit.

Mr. Hill, R.M., pointed out that Mr Gilooley had put in no evidence that the assembly was political. Mr. Gillooley replied that there were shouts of “Up De Valera”.

Mr. Hogan said the action of the police was audacious in bringing the case – they were more royalist than the King. If the Court interfered with the liberty of these men, the case would be taken to the Supreme Courts.

For the defence, T. Burke and M. Daley swore that Connor had been batoned on the head several times after arrest. Head-Constable Sweeney declared that a stone had been thrown. He did not see it, but heard it fall.

The magistrates, after a long consultation, adjourned their decision to Loughrea Petty Sessions.

Police charge

Sinn Féin demonstrations were held on Lady Day in many parts of the county, and the statement issued by the Executive was read in most cases. The Rev. Father O’Meehan, C.C., Kinvara, President South Galway Sinn Féin Executive, informs the Press that 35 Sinn Féin clubs held meetings in South Galway unmolested.

In Connemara meetings were held at Clifden, Claddaclithu, Ballinakill, Ballinafad, Cashel and Roundstone.

A Cumann na mBan meeting, at which Miss Cashel, B.A., was to speak, was not long in progress when a large contingent of police arrived and charged the crowd. Although some people, it is said, received nasty injuries, the assemblage kept cool.

At a quarter to 10 o’clock on Thursday night, Mr. P. Carroll, Sec. Ballinasloe Sinn Féin, was arrested by Head-Constable Crehan and Constable French. We understand the charge against him is for having used seditious language in the fair green, after a camogie match had been played. Mr. Carroll was taken to Galway, where he was handed over to the military authorities.

Mr. Timothy P. Killeen, D.C., a member of the Ballinasloe District Council and Clonfert Sinn Féin Club, was arrested by Eyrecourt police, and taken to Portumna to be dealt with by the military authorities.

1943

Overcharging tourists

The good reputation of the Galway and Salthill hotels and boarding-houses – second to none in the country for cleanliness, comfort and moderate charges – has been endangered during the present holiday season by the unscrupulous conduct of a few persons who have grossly overcharged visitors for very indifferent accommodation.

A well-known hotel proprietor, commenting upon the complaints of overcharging for accommodation, drinks and car hire, said: “If they keep up this sort of thing in Salthill, they will completely ruin the tourist trade.”

Phone service complaints

Complaints that the telephone service in Galway was very unsatisfactory were made at a meeting of the Chamber of Commerce. The Chairman (Mr. J.D. Whelan) said that several people had complained to him about the long delays in getting through.

He himself had an experience on the first Monday in August, which was a Bank Holiday. He had to wait almost half-an-hour to get through from Galway to Salthill.

Mr. MI O’Flaherty, P.C., said that he recently tried to make a very urgent call from one of the kiosks and when he did not get a reply, he rang up the exchange from a private number.

When he complained that he had been ringing from the kiosk and did not get a reply, the operator said that the telephone there must not be working.

He pointed out that he had been delayed and that a notice should have been put up on the kiosk to the effect that it was not working. To this the operator replied: “That is not my fault.”

Mr. J. Allen said that from what he had heard, the operators were not to blame. The whole trouble was due to the fact that the service was out of date and was not able to cope with the demand on it. Until the whole system was rearranged nothing could be done to improve matters.

Chairman: It is ridiculous paying a high rental if we are not going to get better service than that.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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Galway in Days Gone By

Galway In Days Gone By

Published

3 days ago

February 25, 2021

Stephen Corrigan

Teatime on the Morrissey Farm in Clonshee, Ahascragh in June 1951. Pictured beside the mowing machine and horses Charlie and Bly is John Morrissey with six of his 12 children, Joseph, Seán, Eileen, Michael, Annie and Willie.

1921

Growing neglect

The meeting of the County Galway National Teachers’ Association merits the attention of a considerably wider body than that which may be said to have a professional interest in education.

These meetings, which are held primarily for purposes of organisation, have an absorbing interest and a vital concern for all who desire the future well-being of our young people.

Whilst conditions of employment must naturally be an important concern for primary teachers, Saturday’s meeting revealed the fact that their minds are exercised by the deplorable and growing neglect of primary education.

The statement of the outgoing chairman that out of seven hundred thousand school-going children, there are two hundred thousand absentees from the national schools every day; this compels immediate attention and demands effective action on the part of all whose duty it is to enforce attendance at school.

That means that nearly one-third of the pupils are absent from school daily. There could be no graver reflection on the parent, the public bodies and their school attendance committees and the spiritual directors than that thirty out of every one hundred pupils are absent from the schools every day.

“Do the people,” as the chairman asked, “realise the havoc such a state of things works amongst us as a nation? Is it any wonder that so many of our countrymen and countrywomen are condemned to a life of drudgery, bordering upon a condition of slavery, at home and abroad.”

In recent years we have heard much of the attractiveness of school programmes, but the obvious inference from this lamentable disclosure would appear to be that children dislike that “dry drudgery at the desk’s dead wood,” or that they are neither encouraged nor compelled by their parents or guides to thread the path of learning.

Whatever the cause, the fact is a national scandal.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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Galway in Days Gone By

Galway In Days Gone By

Published

1 week ago

February 18, 2021

Stephen Corrigan

Flooding in front of the Spanish Arch and Galway City Museum on November 11, 1977.

1921

What the public wants

Apart from the fact that to permit young children to remain up late in the heavy atmosphere of a picture theatre is detrimental to their health, there can be little objection to children seeing pictures – provided always they are the right kind of picture.

Recently, we have had a surplus of war propaganda pictures. The world is heartily sick of the game of killing and all its hideous trappings. We want to turn the young minds to the victories of peace, to the ways of high endeavour and moral greatness, to replace sordid meanness and intrigue with sterling honour and openness of the soul.

Stories of the crude justice of the Wild West are scarcely calculated to do this, any more than the hectic and neurotic ethical standard set up in silly serials may be supposed to direct the young idea along the paths that are best in life.

And we want happy, healthy laughter. The comedy pictures are perhaps the least objectionable. Bud Fisher stands alone, perhaps, in the great work he has done for humanity. But why should not filmmakers and scenario writers gather more from the old classical novels and the best stories from modern writers, from all that is noble and of good report, and less from the ugly things in life?

We suppose, as in the case of the yellow Press, so long as war and tragedy are “good selling lines” the film producers will “play them up”. In other words, they will give the public what it wants and therefore, what it deserves.

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

2 weeks ago

February 11, 2021

Stephen Corrigan

A dog joins in the action during and AIB League game between Galwegians and Bective Rangers at Crowley Park in 1998. Photo: Joe O'Shaughnessy.

1921

Money drying up

In calling the quarterly meeting of the Galway County Council for Wednesday next, February 16, the secretary makes the grave announcement that “if the rate is not struck it is unlikely that any further payments can be made to boards of guardians, district councils, asylum, or labourers – in other words, the machinery of local government in County Galway will have completely broken down”.

The statutory meetings of the proposals committee and council called for Wednesday, the 2nd inst., fell through for want of a quorum, this being the third occasion within two months in which the premier body of the county failed to hold a regularly-constituted meeting.

It is but fair to point out, however, that upon the last occasion, a bare quorum would have been available but for the arrest of the members on their way to the council chamber.

On the day following the last abortive attempts to hold a meeting recently, the secretary issued a letter in which he stated that he was requested by seven members who had attended “to impress upon all members whose services are still available” the necessity for attendance, “even at great inconvenience”.

The Council on Wednesday next will find itself faced with a heavy responsibility, but it is a responsibility that grows heavier for every day that those charged with it refuse to face.

House burning

On Sunday morning the dwelling-house of Mr. Mtn. Coyne, farmer, Kiltrogue, Claregalway, was burned to the ground.

Miss Coyne (sister of the owner), a servant boy, and three children of Mrs. Frank Hardiman, Galway (another sister), were the only occupants of the dwelling at the time.

They were suddenly awakened at about 1.30 a.m. by a loud knocking at the door. When the door was opened a party of men rushed in and ordered them out, adding that they were about to burn the house.

Partially dressed, the little household left, and the place was immediately set on fire. The occupants are since being sheltered by neighbours.

On the same night the dwelling-house of Mr. W. Mulroyan, Killtulla, Castlegar; the haggards of Thomas Fallon, Two-Mile-Ditch, Castlegar, and Luke Ryan, Castlegar, were also destroyed.

The burnings are variously stated to be a sequel to the Kilroe ambush and to the raiding of the Galway-Tuam mail car.

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.