Galway in Days Gone By
Galway In Days Gone By
1920
Dire city roads
The state of the roads within the borough boundary has become a by-word and a reproach. The surface is altogether worn away, and our principal public highways are intersected with deep water channels and dotted all over with dangerous pot holes.
The Urban Councillor who had the hardihood to declare that the road to Salthill was in good condition must never have mounted a bicycle or sat on a car or motor. Had he done so, he would speedily have discovered that the condition of the roads within the boundary bears most unfavourable comparison with the county roads.
The latter have improved in leaps and bounds in recent years. However much our country cousins may depreciate smooth highways for rubber tires, few can appreciate a good surface for horses and carts as they do. The county officials realise this fact and turn it to account by giving excellently-surfaced roads for the expenditure.
In the city it is far otherwise. Discussions on the roads do not seem to serve any purpose. Decisions are never translated to action. Where an attempt is made to fulfil instructions, it is only of the most half-hearted description and the work appears to be relinquished altogether on the smallest excuse. That essential quality of stick-to-itiveness seems altogether lacking.
The result is deplorable highways which, it is safe to say, could scarcely be exceeded for their bumpiness in any town in Europe.
Draining the Swamp
The reclamation of the Swamp is one of the few encouraging marks of recent progress. With a little improvement added year by year, it would now have been available to the citizens as a profit-bearing venue for sporting and other fixtures.
All things local, however, appear to suffer from a lack of continuity of effort. Some project is started and abandoned within sight of completion. Public attention is diverted elsewhere.
We do not wish to revive unpleasant memories, but we do wish to congratulate the Urban Council upon deciding to utilise the South Park money for the purpose for which it was intended and to proceed with the work without delay.
Work is necessary in Galway. The money was obtained for the express purpose of providing work and improving South Park. We would add a note of helpful criticism.
Why obscure the view of the Bay by a high wall when a high railing would be much more artistic and would serve the purpose intended? Mr. Binns’ estimate of £600 for the erection of the wall is unlikely to be realised in practice, and we fancy – subject to the correction of experts – that a suitable railing would be erected more cheaply.
At any rate, it would preserve one of the prettiest views in the city, and would enable a “gate” to be made when necessary.
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.
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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
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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.
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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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