Galway In Days Gone By

1920

Lighting up Portumna

Mr. Joseph P. Martin presided at the district meeting of the Portumna Rural District Council on Saturday. Also present: Messrs. J. D. O’Kelly, M. J. Lyons, John Banfield, Patrick Burke, John Daly, Patk. Martin, Thomas Abberton, Con. Tully, Patrick Sellars, Jerome Maloney.

A deputation from the Electric Light Company, consisting of Mr. A. E. Moeran, Dr. Kelly, Mr. J. J. Kearns, solr., and Mr. M C. Stronge, came before the council in regard to the striking of a rate on a certain area in the district for the public lighting of the town.

Mr. Hynes (Clerk) read the letter from the Local Government Board which stated the procedure as follows: To undertake the lighting the council should be invested with the powers of an urban authority. Before application for powers is made, the council should publish notices in the local Press and put up posters setting forth the application, giving particulars of the proposed area of charge, estimated cost of providing and maintaining lamps, estimated cost of providing and maintaining lamps, estimated annual poundage rate on the affected area.

The notices should specify the area of change as delineated on a map which can be seen at the clerk’s office, and any objection should be lodged with the clerk within a specified period. A map and tracing showing the position of the lamps and the proposed area should be indicated.

Ambushed at noon

While on patrol duty at Caltra, Ballinasloe, at noon on Wednesday, Constable Howley and Constable Donnelly were ambushed and seriously wounded by a party armed with shotguns.

Constable Howley received terrible injuries in the head and body, and his recovery is not expected.

County Inspector Taylour, and a party of military, accompanied by a Red Cross ambulance, left Ballinasloe in the afternoon and conveyed the wounded men to Ballinasloe infirmary. Constable Donnelly was wounded in the side and legs.

On Sunday some gunshots were fired from a wood at two constables at the cross roads, Prospect, Oranmore.

On Friday while Constables McCormack and McGovern, Loughrea, were serving jurors’ summonses for the assizes in the Peterswell District they were held up twice by masked and armed men who deprived them of their revolvers and ammunition.

Constable McGovern’s cape was also taken, but the money found on the police was returned. In the first raid the attackers numbered about twelve, and in the second it is stated that about eight took place.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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