Galway in Days Gone By
Galway In Days Gone By
1915
Street hurlers
At the City Petty Sessions, before Mr. Joseph Kilbride, R.M., and Sir James O’Donohoe, three young men named Griffin, King and O’Connor were summoned for hurling on the street.
A boy named Patrick Griffin, who stated that he was employed at the boot repairing shop of Mr. MacCarthy, Market-street, gave evidence of having seen the defendants play hurley.
Cross-examined by Mr Nicholls (defending solr.): Did you actually see Patrick O’Connor hurling there and hitting the ball? – I did.
Did you see the others on the same evening? – I did.
Were they walking out to practice at the time and hitting the ball before them? – I could not swear, they were hitting the ball from one to the other on the street.
Do you know anything about hurling? – No.
You have heard the kind of game it is? Must you not have a goal at each end before you can have hurling? – Certainly.
Were there any goals on the street at that time? – No.
And must you not have fifteen men on each side? – I am not well up in the game, but I think so.
Mr. Nicholls submitted that the case must fail because the defendants were charged with playing a game of hurley on the street, but that could not be so since they had no goals up, and had not fifteen men aside.
The Head-Constable asked that the full penalty of 10s be inflicted on the defendants, as complaints had been made as to the practice. He asked Mr. Nicholls what was the weight of a hurley ball.
Mr. Nicholls: It is not for me to tell you.
Head-Constable: I thought you knew a lot about the game of hurling?
Mr. Nicholls: And so I do (laughter).
The Chairman, replying to Mr. Nicholls, said the defendants might not be playing a hurling match, but they could be playing hurling. Each of the defendants was fined 2s. 6d.
1940
Lemonade prosecution
Stated to be the first case of the kind brought in Galway, Martin McIntyre, Upper Bohermore, was fined £1 (without expenses) by District Justice Mac Giollarnath for “unlawfully keeping a refreshment house without being licensed contrary to Section 9 of the Refreshment House and Wine Licences (Ireland) Act, 1860.
John Kelly said that in April last, he was attached to the Customs at Galway. On the 18th of that month, he visited the defendant’s premises, a small shop, at approximately 10.15pm, and called for a bottle of lemonade, paid for it and consumed it on the premises.
He asked the proprietor if he had a refreshment house licence, and he said that he was not aware he had to have one.
Cross-examined by Mr. O’Donnell (solr.), the witness said that he believed this was the first case of its kind to be brought in Galway. There was no entertainment provided on the premises.
Mr. O’Donnell held that the case would be decided on the interpretation which would be put on the word ‘Entertainment’. A lot depended on the case because it would come as a great surprise to many people to find out that they had to pay revenue in certain circumstances to sell lemonade.
He asked the Justice not to impose any penalty until they got in touch with the Revenue Commissioners. This shop had since been closed.
Unprecedented drought
Many rivers in County Galway have reached their lowest level within living memory, water supplies are being anxiously watched, and in many districts, water in barrels is being carried for miles and cattle driven long distances to drink, following a summer of almost unprecedented drought.
The real gravity of the situation was disclosed at the monthly meeting of the Galway County Board of Health, where it was stated that ‘six months’ continuous rain would be wanted in many areas.
The meeting had before it a letter received from the County Secretary, Mr. C.I. O Floinn, urging the necessity of making alternative arrangements for pumping water in cases where pumps are at present operated by electricity from the Shannon scheme, so that in the event of a breakdown of existing electricity supplies, the continuity of water supplies may not be affected.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
1923
Gloom after war
The special correspondent of the “Independent”, who has been writing of the aftermath of civil war in the West, notes that a feeling of apathy, due to the uncertainty of events, exists amongst the sorely-tried people of Connemara; that politics are referred to only with disgust and that not more than fifty per cent. of the people would vote at a general election; that poverty and unemployment are rife, and there is a growing tendency towards emigration; and that there are bitter complaints of the huge impost of rates and taxes.
It is only too true that there is enough of material for the pessimist to brood over, and that a feeling of gloom permeates country towns. But it is a poor tribute to patriotism that has survived such horrors to encourage this gloom.
It is the duty of all of us to get this pessimism out of the national body and to rid ourselves of the notion that we have not enough Christianity and moral sense left to restore our people to cheerful and ordered progress and industry.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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1923
Peace negotiations
As we go to press, An Dáil is discussing the Peace negotiations between the Government and Mr. de Valera. It was announced on Wednesday for the first time that such negotiations were begun following Mr. de Valera’s “cease fire” proclamation of April 27, and that by the 30th of the month Senators Andrew Jameson and James Douglas were asked by him to discuss proposals.
They said it was for the Government to discuss; they could only confer. Into the ensuring conferences the Government declined to enter personally, but on May 3 the senators placed before Mr. de Valera the Cabinet’s terms, which were that future issues should be decided by the majority vote of the elected representatives of the people, and that as a corollary and a preliminary to the release of prisoners, all lethal weapons should be in the custody and control of the Executive Government.
Mr. de Valera relied to this on May 7 with a document in which he agreed to majority rule and control of arms, but added that arms should be stored in a suitable building in each province under armed Republican guard until after the elections in September, that the oath should not be made a test in the councils of the nation, and that all political prisoners should be released immediately on the signing of this agreement.
“You have brought back to us,” wrote President Cosgrave, “not an acceptance of our conditions, but a long and wordy document inviting debate where none is possible”.
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.
1923
State of the parties
Speculation as to parties after the next Irish elections is exceedingly interesting, especially in view of the enlarged franchise.
In Dublin, the view appears to be held by a number of people that Labour will make a great bid for power.
Dublin, however, has a curiously insular habit of thought where matters that concern all Ireland and in which Ireland has a say are concerned. We hope this insularity will rapidly disappear under the new conditions.
The country as a whole is backing the Farmers’ Party, and has not the smallest doubt that it will be the strongest combination in the next Dáil, and that it will oust the purely political parties, the one because it has resorted to force, the other because it has been compelled to use force to supress force, and the Labour Party because Ireland feels that at the back of its policy lurks the danger of Communism.
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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