Galway In Days Gone By

1916

Thrilling escape

Galway seems to be acquiring a reputation for motor smashes. On Monday afternoon at 4 o’clock in Salthill, Mr. John O’Connor, Mountbellew, crashed into a 10-year-old young lady named Anne Kilroy, of Ballygar. It appears that Mr. O’Connor was motoring towards the city.

In front of the Ballinasloe House he observed that a tram car was pulled up, and simultaneously he noticed that a motor was coming in the opposite direction going to Salthill. In order to avoid this double accident, he shot the passage between the tram track and the Ballinasloe House.

At the very moment that he was manoeuvring this extrication, Miss Kilroy, unfortunately, debouched from Beach Avenue in time to be caught by the car. She was dragged for some distance along the ground, and the heels of her shoes were actually wrenched off.

She, furthermore, sustained injuries to the head, which was stitched at St. Bride’s Private hospital, Sea-road, by Dr. Sandys. She is at present detained there.

On Wednesday afternoon, a rumour gained currency that she had succumbed to the shock, but inquiries elicited that the report was groundless.

She is progressing favourably under the skilled and sympathetic treatment of the efficient nursing staff, who are fast adding to the reputation of this institution.

1941

Eyre Square turf dump

A dump of about five thousand tons of turf which, Mr. G. Lee, B.E., Co. Surveyor, told Galway Corporation would make Eyre Square Park “cosy and snug” rather than spoil its beauty, is to be built on the level lawn between the flower dais and the railing opposite the Great Southern Hotel. The turf is to be held as a reserve for the citizens in case transport should break down completely.

Plea to E.S.B.

The position of the tenants of Corporation homes which were not connected with the E.S.B. mains was referred to at a meeting of the Galway Corporation by Ald. Miss Ashe. She held that in view of the fact that these people were unable to get candles or paraffin oil, the E.S.B. should be approached with a view to seeing if it would connect up these houses on the tenants agreeing to pay the cost by instalments, if not in a lump sum.

A number of houses in the Claddagh were not electrically lighted and the people were hard-hit by reason of the fact that they could not get any other means of illumination.

Ghouls in business

Nearly a year ago we urged that the Government should take prompt and effective steps to combat profiteering. Measures have been taken by the Executive Council, but they are not proving effective.

In some cases, customers who are rich enough actually connive at the extortion, cheerfully paying more than the ordinary man can afford in order to obtain extra supplies.

Where the Government has ordained fixed prices for commodities, drastic action must be taken against all offenders. Fines are virtually worthless as a check upon this modern form of piracy – the offenders can pay such small sums as are imposed and still have a handsome profit left. Nothing will discourage the profiteer so quickly as imprisonment.

Galway Gala star

For their ninth annual gala, held at the New Pier, Dun Aengus Dock, Galway, on Sunday last, the Blackrock Swimming Club hit upon an entirely new idea. They availed themselves of the occasion to stage a “Learn-to-swim Drive” and the bright particular “star” of the city’s proceedings was a non-swimmer, nine-year-old Judy Conroy, the youngest member of the club.

Plucky little Judy was taken into the water – which was about thirty feet deep at the time with the tide coming in rapidly – by Club Captain Harry Flattery and calmly demonstrated the different positions in which a non-swimmer can keep afloat.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.