Galway in Days Gone By
Galway In Days Gone By
1918
You can sing it
At the Tuam Quarter Sessions on Wednesday, before his Honor, Judge Doyle, K.C., Recorder of Galway, Michl. Costello and John Donohoe applied for £6 5s. compensation, for the alleged malicious destruction of a plough – Mr. A.J. Fallen, solr., Mountbellew, appeared for the applicants, and Mr. H. Concannon, solr., for the Mountbellew District Council.
The facts, as stated by Mr. Fallon, were that Mr. E.J. Concannon, Tuam went to set some lands at Waterloo to tenants for conacre. The men wanted the conacre for three crops, but Mr. Concannon refused to let it for more than two seasons.
The tenants then refused to take the land, and one of the men, who appeared to be the ringleader, said: “There is no fear of us starting. We are not going to till land and send the stuff over the feed the English.”
Mr. Concannon subsequently set ten acres of land to Michael Costello (one of the applicants), Pat Scanlon and John Kelly. There was much local feeling against Costello getting the land, and a song was composed in reference to the affair.
His Honor: I would like you to sing it, Mr. Fallon (laughter).
Mr. Fallon: No; but I will read it. It is not set to music yet (renewed laughter).
Mr. Fallon then read the song, amidst laughter.
His Honor: It is not a correct metre, I am afraid (laughter).
Mr. Fallon said the plough was taken one night, and no trace of it could be found. Mr. Concannon admitted malice.
The only question was whether the plough was maliciously destroyed or stolen. He admitted that it was a case of larceny.
His Honor reserved judgement until next Sessions.
1943
New mail sorting
No appreciable benefit has yet been conferred on Galway City by the operation of the scheme whereby the mails are sorted on the train from Dublin to Galway. Mr. J. Kelly, Superintendent at Galway Post Office, told a Connacht Tribune reporter that it would be unfair to look for an improvement so far in view of the fact that since the scheme came into operation on January 4th the incoming train to Galway has been running late every day.
Asked if the sorting of the mails on the train by men who are unfamiliar with the topography of Galway City had led to any confusion in the delivery service, Mr Kelly said that no confusion had been caused.
As Galway City is one of the most difficult places in Ireland in which to conduct a good delivery service in view of the duplicating and triplicating of street names – many streets have not been officially named yet.
Mr. Kelly thought that it would be unfair to criticise the work of the sorters on the mail train at this stage. Should the work be unsatisfactory after they had had a reasonable opportunity to become acquainted with the city topography criticism would be justified.
Road freight
Mr. J. W. Rattray, Superintendent of all the G.S.R. road and rail services other than passenger train services in the Galway area, has undertaken a vast reorganisation of the road freight services in West Galway.
Already, Mr. Rattray has prepared a scheme for a big extension of the road freight services, and has appointed agents in many country centres for the collection and delivery of goods.
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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