Galway In Days Gone By

1917

City potato supply

The supply of potatoes coming into Galway during the week was a record one – in smallness. The supply on Saturday was below the normal, and on Wednesday morning only two loads came into the market. Before the Food Controllers’ order came into operation, from twelve to fifteen loads of potatoes exchanged hands. The explanation is that the farmers are holding back their stocks in order to obtain higher prices. It has come to our notice that several carts of potatoes, while on the way to Galway market on Wednesday were stopped some miles from the town and bought at the rate of 1s. 3d. per stone.

Coaling incident

A few days ago, a Mine Sweeper, which had only five tons of coal left in her bunkers, put in at Galway port for fresh supplies. It was necessary that the bunkers be filled immediately, and Mr. Mackie, acting as Admiralty coal contractor, endeavoured in vain to get labour. Finding he could not get a sufficiency of labour, he employed one of his men from the cinema, who agreed as a matter of courtesy to help Mr. Mackie.

However, union officials intervened, and objected to this man rendering any assistance, and Mr. Mackie replied that if he could get Union labourers he would be only too willing to employ them. The skipper of the vessel had no time to listen to arguments, so he put his men on the work and the ship was speedily coaled by them.

1942

Threw hatchet at child

Allegations were made at Ballinasloe Court that the children were throwing hatchets while the mothers were jostling each other with clothes baskets in the archway of a tenement known as the “old barracks” in River Street, in a case in which a woman and her nine-year-old son summoned a husband-and-wife for abuse and assault.

The evidence was that the abuse and assaults had been going on for some months between the two women litigants, while the children were not able to agree and there were fights between the plaintiff’s child and the defendants five-and-a-half-year-old offspring. The plaintiff’s son was alleged to have a hatchet which he frequently threw at the younger boy.

There were ten families living in the tenement and it was alleged that there was constant disagreement between these two families. After hearing the evidence, District Justice Cahill dismissed the summonses, but warned the parties that if they were again in Court, he would put them under a rule of bail to keep the peace.

Derelict houses

It is understood that many owners of derelict houses in Tuam have agreed to sell tile stones in such buildings to the County Council and the County Surveyor will have the houses demolished and the material removed free of cost to the owners.

Some owners, however, have rejected this offer and the Town Commissioners have therefore decided to advertise for a contractor to have such derelict buildings demolished and charge the cost of same to the owners as they are entitled to do by law.

Ranges scrapped

Ranges which cost altogether £500 have been removed by tenants from Gilmartin Road houses in Tuam and are lying as scrap iron, which is now to be sold. This was reported at the monthly meeting, and the Chairman. Mr. Padraig Purcell, stated it was all the fault of the Local Government Department in having ranges instead of open grates put into those houses. Even if there was never a coal shortage, ranges should not have been put into houses in a large turf district like Tuam. It was decided to advertise the ranges as scrap iron.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.