Galway in Days Gone By
Galway in days gone by
1914
Violent assault
Mr. Flynn, manager for Mr. James Lee, grocery and spirit stores, Dominick-street, Galway, was arrested on Saturday night, charged with having committed a violent assault on a man of the labouring class, known as Patsy Owens.
It appears that Owens and several other men were drinking in Lee’s bar and loud talk ensued. Mr. Flynn several times expostulated with Flynn for his conduct in annoying other customers, and eventually jumped over the counter and put Owens out on the street.
When outside the door of the premises, Owens struck Mr. Flynn in the face, and the latter retaliated by striking his assailant in the face. Owens is alleged to have fallen on the edge of the flags face downwards, and sustained a bad wound to his forehead.
Medical opinion was that the man was in a serious condition.
Mr. Flynn was conveyed to the barracks, where he was kept in custody for some time. Late on Saturday night he was released on bail. Owens regained consciousness on Sunday morning, and is reported to be improving.
Exciting sequel
An exciting sequel to the fracas in Lee’s pub occurred last night when Patsy Owens escaped from the Galway Workhouse hospital. Immediately, the authorities were notified of the occurrence.
Sergt. Golding had all his men of the Dominick-street barrack detailed to make an exhaustive search of the surrounding country. It appears that Owens left the hospital some time after 11 o’clock.
There was comparative quiet in the House at the time, and evidently Owens had judged the details of his escape to a nicety. He was first seen at Nile Lodge, or a distance of 400 yards from the Workhouse.
Wearing only a nightshirt, his appearance at midnight created quite a sensation, and many ladies who were returning from the theates had serious nerve shocks.
Sergt. Golding, with half-a-dozen constables, searched the road from Galway to Barna, while others were despatched to the Rahoon district, and in fact to every habitable village within a radius of four miles of the city.
The search was continued during the night and the men, weary and tired, only returned to barracks at 8 o’clock this morning to refresh themselves.
A wire was received at Eglinton-street barrack at 2 o’clock today, stating that Owens had been traced to Oughterard, where he was taken into custody.
1939
Shark battle
A three hours’ battle between a basking shark twenty-five feet long and six men in two curraghs was watched by a crowd of people gathered along the shore at Mynish, Carna, on Tuesday evening.
The men were out fishing for Pollock when they observed the shark sleeping in a cove at Mason Island. Stealing up close to it, they managed to ‘harpoon’ it with a grappling iron attached to a long rope, the end of which they had made fast to the curraghs.
The shark immediately made a dash for the open sea, dragging the curraghs after it at a terrific speed. One of the men had a shot-gun and he fired several shots into the shark’s body.
After each shot, the shark leaped into the air and then took off in a different direction. On one occasion, it doubled back towards the curraghs and half swamped one with the wash of its tail. Only the expert handling of the curraghs by experienced oarsmen averted a disaster. By this time, the people on the shore were becoming quite nervous, and they shouted to the boatmen to let go the rope and give up so dangerous a chase. The latter, however, were loth to forego their prize, and the chase continued in a shower of spray.
Not until they had been dragged over two miles out to sea did the young men decide that discretion was the better part of valour and accordingly loosed their hold of the rope.
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.
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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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