Galway In Days Gone By

1915

Recruitment drive

The Director General of Recruiting for Ireland has informed the Galway County Council that it is hoped to utilise the services of motor car owners to a large extent in connection with the recruiting campaign which has recently been initiated, and that motor car owners who are disposed to give the services of their cars and chauffeurs for long or short periods will prove of great assistance.

The Director General has asked for a list of the names and addresses of all motor car owners in the county, and it is hoped that motor owners will cooperate by informing the undersigned of their names and addresses, the seating capacity of car, the type of body and the horse power.

W.G. Fogarty, Acting Secretary, Courthouse, Galway.

No more men

At a meeting of Ballinasloe Urban Council, a resolution from the Cavan County Council relative to conscription was marked “read”. From the resolution, the Chairman said it appeared that they wanted the towns to procure the remainder of the fighting men, and let the country people go free. In Ballinasloe they had given all the available men.

1940

Water drought

Just before the long spell of drought ended a few weeks ago, the water level of the River Corrib fell so low that Messrs. Thomas McDonogh Ltd., Galway, were obliged to get water from the Corporation mains for the washing of grain in their mills.

As a result of this, the Corporation’s Water Inspector applied for £8 11s. 6d. to the Corporation to cover overtime on which he was engaged in the regulations of valves, etc. The Corporation decided to send the bill to Messrs. McDonagh.

War clause

On the request of Mr. H. St. John Blake, K.M., solicitor, Galway, Galway Corporation agreed to have a war clause inserted in their agreement with Mr. John Allen, lessee of Eyre Square for Race Week, 1941.

Mr. Blake explained that Mr. Allen wanted to have such a clause inserted in case the Races were not held and the Square could not be used for dances.

Tourism potential

“There is a sure market in our own unexploited hundreds of thousands of potential travellers and, given the good fortune of self-preservation, this country will have one, if not the only, intact, hospitable, comfortable and pleasing room in that broken-down mansion called Europe,” said Mr. D. L. Kelleher, the distinguished Irish poet and lecturer, in the course of a talk on ‘The Holiday-makers’ Ireland’ to a large audience at Taibhdhearc na Gaillimhe. Mr. Keller expressed his belief that the future of the Irish holiday industry was bright.

Rough seas

Hurling the shingle before them, rough seas leaped the Promenade at Salthill on Wednesday afternoon and flooded the roadway, making it impassable for a couple of hours.

The spray was flung high over the telegraph wires and large quantities of seaweed festooned the wall enclosing Rockbarton and Salthill Park. Grattan-road was also inundated.

It was the highest tide of the year and, driven by a strong south-westerly gale, at times threatened to flood Salthill itself. For the first time in many years, the waves washed over what is popularly known as ‘The Lazy Wall’ at Salthill, where country visitors by the score sit and chat during holiday time.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.