Galway In Days Gone By

1920

Kinvara invaded

On Sunday night Kinvara was invaded by a crowd from Kiltartan and Ardrahan returning from the Bellharbour sports who kicked up such a noise that the people were in fear and terror of their lives all night.

The crowd made a swoop on a Connemara hooker that was lying at the quay, and commanded the skipper, with a loud shout of: ‘Hands up,” to hand over a jar of poteen which he had in the boat.

On getting it they carried it off in triumph. After imbibing a bit too freely on the contents, a row arose over the division of the spoils and the jar was smashed into atoms.

The owner of the boat took a bicycle from the fellow who captured the poteen, and in throwing the machine into the boat, he missed the mark and it fell into the tide. The owner of the bike and his confreres cycled to Duras to intercept the boatman ‘homeward bound’ and after chartering a small boat they were informed that the bike had been thrown in the sea at Kinvara.

They returned to Kinvara and kept shouting and singing at intervals until seven or eight p.m. One of the two of the party took possession of a ladder and went on the roof of a thatched house, and with lighted candles threatened to set it on fire.

Another batch of them threw cars and everything they could lay hands on into the tide, and did a lot of damage, while broken bicycles were found on every road.

Meeting as Gaeilge

The first meeting of the members of Galway Rural District Council was marked by the most important and most unique step yet taken by any public board in Ireland – the decision to conduct the proceedings in the Irish language. This also applies to the Board of Guardians.

Practically all the members were present, for the most part young men; the old familiar faces were missing. Mr. Tom Ruane, Co. C., took the chair at the meeting of the District Council and introduced a deputation from the Gaelic League, consisting of the Rev. M. Griffin, C. C., Galway; Professor T. O’Maille, Galway, and Mr. Philip Waldron, organiser.

Fr. Griffin, speaking in Irish, as the chairman had done, dwelt at length on the objects of the Gaelic League in asking to have the proceedings at the meetings conducted in the National Language. He was followed by Professor O’Maille and Mr. Waldron.

After a little discussion (in Irish) it was unanimously decided that the proceedings at the meeting in future be in Irish, the chairman of the day to translate the decisions arrived at to the clerk for record on the minutes.

The remainder of the business of the meeting (which lasted for close on two hours) was then conducted in Irish.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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