Galway In Days Gone By

1918

Drowning tragedy

A sad drowning accident occurred in the Corrib, near Carrick Lodge, Clonbur, on Sunday. It would appear that three military officers, viz., Captain Lawson, Lieutenant Steward and another young Lieutenant, belonging to the King’s Own Scottish Borderers, left on a reconnoitering expedition per motor from their camp at Claremorris.

At Carrick Lodge, they met Captain Lamb, who is now resident there. Captain Lamb kindly lent the three officers a boat, as they seemed anxious to have a bathe from an adjacent island. They rowed to the island, which is about 60 yards from the shore, and proceeded to bathe.

Captain Lawson soon missed Lieutenant Stewart, and called to a gentleman on a fishing boat nearby. The boat came at once to the place, and the occupants saw the body at the bottom in about nine feet of water.  Everything possible was done to restore animation, but without avail.

Corpus Christi procession

The Diocesan procession, inaugurated by His Lordship the Most Rev, Dr. O’Dea, took place on Sunday at St. Mary’s College, Galway. Between eight and ten thousand people were in attendance at the imposing ceremony. The College and grounds were gaily decorated for the great occasion.

Religious banners were suspended from the windows of the College, and two triumphed arches were erected in the grounds. A large banner hearing the scroll ‘God Bless our Pope’ hung from the recreation hall of the College.

From four o’clock the grounds began to fill rapidly with people from all parts of the city and the surrounding districts, some having travelled from distant places such as Gort, Athenry and Tuam.

1943

Save the Irish language

Galway as capital of the most Gaelic-speaking part of the country held a unique position in the effort for the restoration of the Irish language, said Mr. de Valera, addressing a meeting at Eyre Square on Tuesday evening.

Every person in Galway should make it their business to try and get the Irish language spoken universally as the ordinary language in the shops and streets. Some people might think that was idealism, but it was nothing of the kind. Davis was an idealist; but he was a practically man, too, and he pointed out that a nation’s language was a surer safeguard in a country than fortresses or rivers. As long as they people came together in their own language, they formed a community that could not be destroyed.

Assault charge

At Spiddal District Court on Monday, John Hoban, Minna, was sentenced to two months’ imprisonment not to be enforced if he pays £5 damages to Martin Conneely, Inverin, whom he was charged with assaulting on May 23rd.

Dr. C. O’Leary, M.O., Spiddal, said that Conneely appeared to have received a bad beating. He had four cuts on the top of his head and had lost a lot of blood. The doctor stitched two of the wounds.

Conneely said that Hoban attacked him with a stick when the former questioned him regarding missing carrageen which Conneely had spread on Wallaces’ land.

Mr. W.B. Gavin, Galway, submitted that Conneely had encroached on Hoban’s currageen right.

Record lobster prices

Lobster fishermen along the Connemara coast have been deprived of a considerable amount of their profits in this year’s season owing to unfavourable conditions prevailing. The small quantities of lobsters caught so far have been sold at record prices – up to 28s. per dozen. In normal years the season would be in full swing by the middle of May.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.