Galway In Days Gone By

1918

Daylight robbery

A daring robbery is reported to have occurred near Rahoon on Monday. Mrs. Mary Codyre, who resides in the village, was returning home on a donkey and cart from the city and overtook three youths at Leitriff. One of them asked her for seats on the cart, which she consented to do.

After traversing half a mile on the cart, the youths jumped off. Mrs. Codyre examined the cart, and found that a sack, in which she had two pairs of new boots, was missing. The youths had fled.

She returned to Dominick-street police barracks and, and Sergeant McGlynn and Constable Donegan immediately set out on their bicycles in search for the youths.

After a lengthy tour, they came upon a young fellow named John Badger, from Munster Lane, who was carrying a boot under each arm, inside his coat. He brought the police to Taylor’s Hill, where he pointed out, hidden in a wall, the other pair of boots. The search for the other boys continued until the next day, when they were arrested.

The three were brought before Mr. Young, J.P., who remanded them to the Petty Sessions, admitting Badger to bail, and ordering the other two, John J Hession and John J Kelly, both of whom reside in Raleigh-row, to be detained in custody.

Burned to death

An old man named Michael Hoban, who lived alone at Cloondariga, near Dunmore, was found burned to death in his house. It is supposed that his clothing must have caught fire and that he was unable to extinguish the flames.

Was it larceny?

The police state in connection with the reported theft from Messrs. Williams’ malting stores, Galway, that there are no grounds for presumption that the premises were broken into or that barley had been removed. They examined the premises minutely, and the only thing that could be suggested as an attempt at forcible entry was the absence of a few screws from the hinge of a door, the frame of which was decayed.

In their opinion, none of the barley was removed; the only theory suggesting such a depredation being the sinking of the large pile through its own weight.

1943

Potato market boycott

If the people of Galway boycotted the potato market in Galway for a few weeks, as was done in Sligo during the last great war, then the price would soon fall to a figure that the ordinary man could afford. This was one of the suggestions made to our representative who was making special inquiries into the exorbitant cost of potatoes at Galway market.

One man made the suggestion that the L.S.F. should be put on duty in the market to ensure that the fixed price of 1s. 8d. a stone would not be exceeded.

Potatoes went as high as 3s. a stone in Galway on Saturday. Many housewives who went to the market went home without any as they could not afford to pay the price demanded.

One lady told our representative that she would rather starve than pay the price asked, and a well-known Galway tradesman said that he had not eaten a potato for two weeks, nor would he eat any until they came down to a reasonable price.

Custard powder

Galway County Council prosecuted John Collins, Dunmore, for selling a packet of custard powder which was not of the nature, substance and quality demanded by the purchaser. Collins said that he sold the packet as he got it from the wholesalers.

Guard Keeffe, Food and Drugs Inspector, said that the custard powder was made from war flour instead of cornflour. The District Justice said that the analyst’s fee of 42s. seemed a lot. Really Collins was not to blame for selling the powder. He dismissed the case on Collins agreeing to pay £1 expenses.