February 14, 2013

Date Published: 13-Feb-2013

1913

Fierce storm

On Friday last, a fierce gale swept over Kinvara and district, and continued with unabated fury for hours. As evening approached, it blew a regular hurricane.

The tide, which was at the height of the spring, was ebbing and flowing for a few hours, which denoted that the weather was very unsettled in the bay. As night was falling, mountainous seas broke over the pier and flooded the roadway to a height of five feet.

Hookers were actually floating over the level of the quay and in a time the houses of the poor people were flooded. The beds and furniture of the unfortunate people were floating about the houses.

It was very heartrending to see the young children carried out on the shoulders of their parents to a place of safety in some more favoured part of the town.

In the neighbourhood of the quay, the streets or thoroughfare was like an angry ocean. In the district of Duras lambs were caught by the in-rush of the tide and drowned, and several minor accidents happened. At the much-talked-of “cush” at Aughinish, connecting Clare with Galway, and exposed at all times to the full fury of the Atlantic, huge stones a ton weight were lifted out of their berths and broken like matchwood.

The roadway is almost impassable, and enormous accumulations of stones were washed on to the roadway. The plight of the unfortunate people of Aughinish is sad in the extreme, as they have no other way of reaching the mainland.

1938

Shopkeeper fined £1

Derreen District Court was held on Friday before Mr. Sean MacGiollarnath, D.J. A man from Pollsillagh, Ardnasodden, was prosecuted for selling intoxicating liquor without a licence.

Sergeant McDonagh gave evidence of having found a quantity of drink in a shed at the back of defendant’s dwelling. There were two quarter casks of stout, two bottles of stout, empty bottles and some drink measures.

One of the quarter casks was practically full of stout and apparently had been recently tapped. Defendant had admitted that he had no licence. Three years ago, he had a licensed premises in Ardnasodden.

Mr. O’Donoghue (solr) said the defendant was evicted three years ago from the publichouse he had, but negotiations were in progress to redeem the premises. Defendant and his family were in poor circumstances since they lost their licence by which they got their livelihood.

To the Justice, Mr. O’Donoghue said the licence still existed in the name of the Receiver, but the licensed premises were closed. The Justice fined the defendant £1 and ordered that the liquor be confiscated.

First aeroplane

There are not many, if any, people living in Galway today who can give the exact date on which the first aeroplane passed over the city. While some repairs were being carried out recently in Dillon’s, the well-known jewellers, in Williamsgate-street, Galway (now the property of Mr. C. MacCormack), workmen found a label pinned to a beam on which was written: ‘First aeroplane over Galway, Saturday, February 2, 1918, at 3.20p.m.’

Mr. Willie Dillon, the former owner of the shop, had a habit of writing little items such as the above on labels and keeping them. The above item, which was written in ink, is clearly legible.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.