Galway in Days Gone By
Galway In Days Gone By
1918
Arms raid
Another raid for arms is reported from the Headford district, where, in the village of Ballyconlaght, lying on the shores of Lough Corrib, the house of Thomas Connell was entered by two masked men on Sunday night week, and a shotgun taken away.
Connell, who is a small farmer and lives alone with his sister, was not home at the time of the raid, having left to sell a horse at Claremorris fair, which was held on the following day. Along with Miss Connell in the house were four young men from the neighbourhood, who had come in on a visit and a young lady named Miss Jennings.
They were all sitting at the fireside, chatting, about 8.30, when the door was opened, and two men, with masks, and handkerchiefs ties on their heads, walked in.
One of them carried a gun, which he presented at Miss Connell, while the other mounted a chair and took down Mr. Connell’s shot gun, which was placed over the fireplace.
Miss Connell remonstrated with the man, but the other moved closer to him, until the gun muzzle was almost touching her, thus frightening her to silence.
While in the house they did not speak a word, and were not spoken to by any of those present except Miss Connell.
House fired into
Early on Friday night, a moon-lighting party made an attack upon the house of Thomas Molloy, at Belville, about four miles from Athenry, and riddled the kitchen and bedroom windows with shot. In all, nine shots are reported to have been discharged at the premises, but, fortunately no one was injured.
Molloy is a herd in the employment of Patrick Raftery, Woodlawn, who some time ago acquired lands in the Belville district, which are said to be claimed by the people in the vicinity. This supplies the only motive for the outrage.
1943
Three robberies
Galway City was the scene of three burglaries on Friday night when the following premises were broken into: The Estoria Cinema, Irish Shell Ltd., The Castle Hotel. The robberies were reported to the Galway Gardaí early on Saturday morning and investigations started immediately.
Excellent work by the Galway Gardaí led to four arrests on Saturday night and at a special court on Sunday before Mr. R. Powell, P.C., at Eglinton-street Barracks, four men were charged in connection with two of the offences.
Salthill on the wane
At a meeting of the Galway Branch of the Irish Tourist Association, Mr. O’Neill, Eyre-street, referred to the condition of the ladies’ bathing pool at Salthill and said that a stranger who saw the condition of that pool would say that Salthill was on the wane.
That pool should be repaired within the next three months. The men’s bathing place at Salthill was without sanitary convenience or a shelter and there were no sanitary conveniences at the women’s bathing place.
Ald. Owens agreed with Mr. O’Neill that it was a disgrace that the bathing pool at Salthill had been left so long in a bad condition.
Murder charge
At a Special Court in Eglinton-st. Barracks, Galway, on Monday, before Mr. S. Lee, P.C., Martin Griffin (48), Bushypark, Galway, was charged with the murder of his wife, Bridget Griffin (53), at their home in Bushypark between the hours of 10pm on Feb. 28th and 7am on March 1st.
The inquest into her death heard her face was markedly bruised, there were twelve separate deep wounds on the forehead and head, and the injuries were consistent with being struck with a hatchet. A blood-stained hatchet was produced.
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
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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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