Galway In Days Gone By

1915

Deplorable accident

On Saturday last, a man named Thomas Nevin, who was employed in the foundry of Messrs. Beatty Brothers, was killed as the result of a deplorable accident.

It appears that the unfortunate man, who resided at Middle-street, was cooling some irons in the mill-race, when, in some manner unexplained, he lost his balance and fell in.

The sluice-gate was open at the time, with the result that he was sucked through, as is believed, under the big water wheel. Nevin was a young man about 35 years of age, and the father of two young children.

Curse the Germans

At the City Petty Sessions, Constable Kennedy charged Bridget Keane with being drunk and disorderly.

Defendant said she was after getting a letter from her son who was twelve months in the trenches at the front, and she took a drop of drink after it.

She met another woman who said something about the Germans, and she cursed her and the Germans. She was fined 10s.

New ambulance

At the meeting of Galway Urban Council, Mr. Young said he had seen the new ambulance and it was a fine vehicle. He thought the best thanks of the Council was due to Capt. Waithman and Lady Philippa Waithman.

Not alone had he taken all the trouble of getting an ambulance, but when he found that they had no harness, he offered to supply a set of double harness of his own.

Chairman: Certainly Lady Waithman took a lot of trouble in connection with the ambulance. It has already brought a case for Dublin from the hospital to the station.

Donkey cruelty

At Milltown Petty Sessions, Constable Guilfoyle summoned John Fleming for cruelty to a donkey. Patk. Nestor, the owner of the animal, was summoned for permitting the cruelty.

Complainant stated he was on duty at  Curraghan and saw the donkey lying in the bog. Fleming was kicking the donkey on the hips, and beating him with a stick on the    head.

Witness went to the place, and got Fleming to take the straddle off. He examined the tail, and found a red raw sore about the size of a penny with blood oozing from it.

Fleming told him the donkey belonged to Nestor, who was filling turf convenient to the donkey.

Nestor said he did not see Fleming kick the donkey, and Fleming denied having given any kicks to the animal. Nestor stated that the sore was not on the donkey when he harnessed it in the morning. When the donkey was removed from the bog, she appeared to be very weak. She had a foal at foot.

Chairman: The poor beast could not get out without assistance? – No, your worship.

He was fined 5s. There was no case proved against Nestor.

1940

Bridge blown up

Motorists and other travellers should bear in mind that on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday next, the Maam Cross-Recess road will be closed to traffic at Bunscannif bridge.

The bridge will be blown up by army  engineers on Monday morning. Many motorists who have often imperilled their no claims bonuses at this bridge will not grudge  its fate.

Hopes dashed

Kerry 0-7 Galway 1-3

Failure to win scores from promising opportunities which were presented by frees in the first half and the opportunism and quick thinking of Charlie Sullivan, which gave Kerry a point when extra time was being played, cost Galway the All-Ireland title at Croke Park on Sunday.

Watched by a crowd of 61,000 people, the game was not at all a brilliant exhibition. The sod was too slippery, the marking was too keen and there was too much roughness to allow much spectacular work to enter, but the closeness of the scorning

Kerry’s ability to swing the play in their favour from centre made them the aggressors for most of the period and judged on this their victory was deserved, but a Galway defence which brought back memories of the 1938 final almost levelled up the teams on the question of merit. Galway failure occurred in attack where there were a couple of weak points.

Amongst the attendance, which was roughly 8,000 down as compared with the record set when Kerry and Galway met in the 1938 final, were members of the Government and the Diplomatic Corps.

Galway: J. McGauran (goal), M. Raftery, M. Connaire, D. O’Sullivan, F. Cunniffe, R. Beggs, C. Connolly, J. Dunne (capt.), J. Duggan, J. Flavin, J. Burke, J. Canavan, M. Higgins, E. Mulholland, B. Nestor.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.