Galway In Days Gone By

1915

The cursed Huns

Rev. Daniel McHugh, formerly C.C. of Ballinasloe, volunteered for service at the beginning of the war, and is now Catholic Chaplain to the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. He visited this county for a few days last week-end, and preached a striking sermon at the Children’s Mass at Ballinasloe.

He described some of the hardships that have to be borne by our kith and kin in the trenches. In his duties as Army Chaplain, he has been eye-witness of these.

He said that amongst the congregation there might be pro-Germans, but if they witnessed the sights he did, they would be no longer. Their churches in Belgium and France were shelled by the Germans until not a stone was left standing.

The crimes of the cursed Huns could not be realised, and he who had witnessed them could scarcely realise them yet. The acts of cruelty by the Germans were unthinkable.

As an instance, he related one of his experiences where there were two soldiers who were between the lines, and were trying to get back to their comrades. They were lying on the ground, and just gave a turn over every half hour or so.

The Germans saw them and directed their liquid fire on them, and when it struck them, they automatically went on fire and were burned to ashes. He saw the poor fellows in their awful agony, being consumed by this fire, and nothing could be done for them.

They did not die like heroes, because they were murdered by the cursed Germans with their fiendish liquid fire.

He said it was not France’s war, it was not Russia’s war, it was not Belgium’s war, it was not England’s war, it was not Ireland’s war, but it was a common war to crush the greatest and cruellest monster the world ever knew of – a war to wipe out the great curse of the world, the cursed Hun.

1940

New fire hose

Galway has a Merryweather fire engine, but a large part of the hose equipment is defective and leaking badly. At Thursday’s meeting of the Corporation, it was agreed to purchase 500 feet of new hose at a cost somewhere in the neighbourhood of £80.

Mr. T. Duggan, Town Steward and second officer of the Fire Brigade said: “I beg to report that there are nine 40 ft lengths of delivery hose in good order, five 40 ft lengths defective, fifteen pairs of couplings in good order and three pairs defective. I would recommend that at least 1,000 feet of 2.5 inch hose and three pairs of couplings be ordered.

“It is announced that a liner will arrive at the port to take passengers, and the water inspector will require eight lengths of hose for supplying water. This would leave the fire engine without any hose except one length and five defective hose.”

Liners due

Galway is preparing to receive visits from two more big liners. A Japanese vessel is due here next Friday, and will take home about 200 Japanese nationals from Britain and will probably stay in Galway for a few days. A quantity of coal and other supplies will also be taken on board.

It is understood that another ship of the United States Line, the Manhattan, is expected here in about a fortnight’s time, after calling at Lisbon to embark American citizens from the war zone.

Bus stop proposal

A request for a definitely defined ‘bus stop at Eglinton-st., is to be made by the Galway Corporation. At Thursday’s meeting, Mr. Faller expressed the opinion that the Corporation should ask the Co. Council to mark a ‘bus stop on Eglinton-st.

This, he said, would be for the Taylor’s Hill ‘bus service. People congregated about Messrs. Moons’ shop for the ‘bus, but generally Eglinton-st. was lined with cars, and the people often had to go down the length of the street after the ‘bus. He thought the stop should be marked opposite Colonial Buildings. The meeting agreed.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.