Galway in Days Gone By
Galway In Days Gone By
1916
Regulating traffic
At the Galway Petty Sessions on Monday, Head-Constable Killacky had a summons against Albert R. Cooke, J.P., Clonkea House, Eyrecourt, for driving a motor car on the public highway without a licence. Defendant was not in Court, but it appeared he had communicated with the Bench by letter.
The Head-Constable said the defendant, when challenged, drew himself up on the street and said: “Do you know whom you are talking to?”. At this point each listless person in Court pricked his ear and there was a dramatic pause in witness’s evidence, after which he added: “Well, I looked at him, and then told him that I did not see anything particularly striking about him” (loud laughter in which the Bench joined). “I also said: ‘Show me your licence, and I’ll know all about it’. He showed me his licence at it was out of date since the 13th September. To-day, I understand that he is a magistrate of this county.”
Mr. Kilbride, R.M., chair (consulting a letter with mourning edges): Yes, he is a new magistrate. Mr. Cooke does like to say that it was unintentional, and I suppose you would not say that it was not, Head?
Complainant: No, your worship. In fact, I would not have summoned him at all, only for the attitude he took up. He then got up on the car and drove away without a licence, although he could get one in the town.
Complainant: The fact is, sir, we are trying to regulate the traffic in this town a little.
Defendant was fined £1.
Eyre Square Fair
A fair for pigs, carrel and sheep was held at Eyre-square on Wednesday. About 300 pigs were for sale. Buying commenced at 6 0’clock and all were sold before nine. The price per cwt. was 80s to 90s. Sheep were well represented, but buyers were scarce
The highest price was £3 10s. There was a good demand for lambs, which were sold from 40s. to 45s. A fine lot of cattle were offered for sale, but it was late when buying commenced, with the result that many vendors had to sell at a loss. A buyer bought 36 cattle at an average price of £22 apiece. This price was considerably under that obtained at the May fair. A large number of calves were disposed of, but the prices were low.
1941
New hospital block
On the recommendation of Mr. A.E. Smith, Quantity Surveyor, Galway Hospitals and Dispensaries Committee, the tender of Messrs. W. and J. Bolger, Dublin, at £39,966 16s. 7d. – the lowest received – for the erection of the maternity block of the new Regional Hospital in Galway.
“The tender figure is definitely higher than the figure for similar work in 1939 before the European War commenced. On the face of the matter the increase would be about twenty-nine per cent.
“It is very strange that all contractors tendering – notwithstanding my written instructions to them all – failed to state on their tenders what steel and timber they had in stock. Reluctance to reveal these matters more or less publicly can be the only explanation.”
Mr. T.J. Cullen, Architect, told the members that all the steel for the building had arrived in Dublin on Wednesday morning last. Fifty tons of the 400-ton cargo were being reserved for this job so that there was nothing to stop them going ahead.
They estimated that it would take them seventy weeks from the date of signing of the contract to do the work.
Export ban lifted
The best news that has come out of England for many months, so far as this country is concerned, has been the announcement of the lifting of the ban on the exportation of cattle from Ireland. Nothing in the shape of idiotic official restrictions should be permitted to prevent the farmers from taking the fullest advantage of the new conditions.
As was made clear by the deputation which waited upon Mr. Sean Moylan during his recent visit to Galway, the West has suffered more proportionately than any other part of the country from the restrictions in force, despite the fact that the cattle pest had not obtained a foothold in Connacht.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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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