1924

The West’s awake

The victory of Galway in the 1924 All-Ireland hurling semi-final in Dublin on Sunday last following their victory in the 1923 All-Ireland championship a few months previously, is an achievement of which every Galwegian should be proud.

The victory was all the more remarkable when it is stated that the Galway men had no serious training for the match since winning last year’s final.

Their preparation for that remarkable game, however, stood them well, and demonstrated its value in a game like hurling, where skill as well as stamina is required.

That it was possible to train at all was due to the enthusiastic Gaels in the county – a very limited number, indeed – who responded to the appeal for subscriptions to support the men who gladly left their usual avocations to help to bring their county into an honoured place in the world of Irish athletics.

Healthy sport where brawn and brain are employed makes for manhood, and therefore, from a National and patriotic point of view, everything should be done to stimulate interest in our Irish games.

Pictured: Galway West Fine Gael candidate, Pádraic McCormack TD, with Sr. Evangelist while on a visit to the Dominican Convent in Taylor’s Hill during his canvass for the General Election on May 9, 2002. Pádraic’s daughters Róisín and Mairéad are past pupils of the Dominican College.