Galway In Days Gone By

1916

Christmas gift special

The Royal Hotel

The Royal Hotel is one of the premier commercial and family hotels in the City. It is lighted throughout with electricity, and every convenience in the way of hot and cold water baths is provided. In addition to the commodious commercial rooms, there is a magnificently appointed ladies’ drawing room. The genial proprietress specially caters for the reception of fishing parties and tourists. In the bar attached, only first-class drinks are supplied.

Sanitary Engineer

The name of Robert MacDonald is something to conjure with in sanitary engineering circles in Galway City and County. Estimates are furnished by this gentleman for all internal household plumbing, including lavatories, wash basins, domestic hot water circulation, etc., and every modern convenience is fitted up in a manner consistent with the most recent and approved principles of modern science.

O’Gorman’s Cards

This old established form of stationers has a very interesting selection of Christmas and New Year cards on their artistically dressed windows this season. A visit is necessary to convince our readers that here exceptional value is to be had. As is customary, the stationery department is crammed with the current literature of the day, and the Christmas numbers and periodicals are plentifully stocked.

Tyler’s Boots

“Tyler’s boots” is almost a household word, but the phrase has a much more solid significance. Tyler’s boots mean long wear, comfort, dry and warm feet. During the present season, Tyler’s offer splendid bargains. Customers of all tastes are sure to be pleased with the extensive selection which is on display. This season they make a speciality of the Derby heavy nailed boot for farm and field. This is a boot which should induce a great sale amongst the farming community.

1941

Dire poverty in Galway

Never before was there such dire poverty in Galway as at this moment. This statement was made by the Very Rev. Canon Davis, P.P., when, accompanied by Dr. S. O’Shea, U.C.G., he appeared before the Galway County Board of Health with a request for help in providing sufficient nourishment for the poor.

Fifty per cent of the population are under-nourished, declared Dr.Shea, who advocated a scheme whereby meat vouchers or cooked meat could be supplied to the poor at one shilling per lb. It would cost £300 to supply 300 families for twenty weeks, and the cost, it was stated, would be saved in hospital and other expenses.

The Very Rev. P. Canon Davis said that he and Dr.Shea had been asked by a number of people interested in the poor of Galway to come before the Board and see if they could help in giving the poor of the city sufficient nourishment as it was felt that never before was there such dire poverty as at the moment.

Dr.Shea said: “The figures which have been obtained show that in one area in which there were 320 families, 6.6 per cent, or twenty of them had no meat meals; 19.5 per cent had one meat meal per week; 18.5 per cent had two; 17.5 per cent had three; 6.9 per cent had four; 6.2 per cent had five and 23.5 per cent had six meat meals per week.

In other words, 135 families or 44.7 per cent of the total had only two meat meals per week, while sixty-two per cent, had only three meat meals per week.”

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.