Galway in Days Gone By
Galway In Days Gone By
1919
Sinn Féin outlook
To an American journalist, Mr. de Valera gave a few days ago the clearest definition of the Sinn Féin outlook on English policy in Ireland that we have yet seen. That outlook is shared fully by five-sixths of the Irish people.
“England,” he said, “never intends to give Ireland anything that would be deserving the name Dominion Home Rule” – that is, England would never give Ireland a constitution such as that of Canada or Australia or South Africa.
“They imagine they will be willing to give up their title to the whole loaf in order to get half; but the moment they got them ready to accept half, they imagine the time has come to cut it down to a quarter; and when they have reached the stage at which they are likely to accept the quarter, they will cut it down to an eight. As there is no sincerity in any of England’s offers of Dominion or Colonial Home Rule, I refuse to discuss them further, except to tell the people of America that these offers are simply devices of Englishmen to divide, if they can, they Irish People.”
Football surprise
The Co. Galway football team’s display on Sunday came as a surprise to Gaels everywhere in Ireland, and not the least to many of their most ardent admirers in this county.
Forebodings of defeat were mainly due to the fact that for the past seventeen years Galway had not appeared in an all-Ireland semi-final.
Since 1901, when it went under to Tipperary, things had not gone well with the G.A.A. in the county. The unfortunate split that occurred some years ago in the Co. Board brought much adversity to the clubs and teams; and a period of listlessness seemed to have set in.
This was augmented by the conditions brought about by the war, and things appeared to have gone from bad to worse when the association, through no fault of its own, lost the services for prolonged periods of its most active members, such as Mr. Stephen Jordan, its secretary; Mr. G. Nicolls, solr., president, and many others.
In spite of these adverse circumstances, things began to improve latterly, and Ballinasloe deserves no small credit for being foremost in preserving the county’s honour in football during those dark days.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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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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