Galway In Days Gone By

1915

Volunteers jailed

At the Dublin Police Court on Wednesday, Mr. Mahony sentenced John McDermott to four months’ imprisonment with hard labour, and Mr. F. Sheehy-Skeffington to six months’ imprisonment with hard labour, for having made speeches, the former at Tuam, and the latter at Beresford Place, Dublin, last month, calculated to prejudice recruiting in Ireland.

In McDermott’s case, Mr. T.M. Healy, K.C., M.P., held that the trial should take place in Tuam, but Mr. Mahony ruled that he had the power to try.

Mr. Rearden explained that the charge was in respect of a speech delivered in Tuam on the 16th May. There was a meeting held in the Market Square at which there were about 25 people present. Mr. McDermott made a speech, which it was alleged, was calculated to discourage those present from joining the army.

Head-Constable Farrell submitted a statement purporting to give the substance of what accused said. This showed that “the object of the meeting was ostensibly to organise the Irish Volunteers,” and that Mr. McDermott referred to Home Rule as being on the Statute Book. He then “referred to the cry about German atrocities in Bachelor’s Walk. He then told people that he was in England, and that he saw that the people there were taking advantage of the war to start industries, but in Ireland, unfortunately, their fine, strapping young fellows were joining the Army to get killed fighting for England. He then stated that there was a rumour of conscription, but the Volunteers would oppose that at any cost.”

Mr. Mahony accepted the evidence and described the accused’s action as most mischievous.

1940

Call for Volunteers

An urgent appeal to the young men of the parish to give a generous response to their country’s call for volunteers was made at both Masses in Moycullen on Sunday last by Very Rev. Canon Carr, P.P., and Rv. T. Coyne, C.C. Canon Carr told the young men to join the forces now and not to wait for conscription.

Father Coyne said that the present generation should not allow it to be said that they were not imbued with the same patriotic spirit that inspired their forefathers during the long and bitter struggle for independence.

Civil Defence

A civil defence force was formed in Tuam on Sunday last when a number of men attended a meeting in the Tuam Garda Station and were detailed for patrol duties. A large number of young men from the Tuam district have joined the Volunteer and Regular Forces for the duration of the war. They left Tuam on Monday for military centres for training.

Call for more turf

Farmers in the Ahascragh area were so busy with turf cutting and other necessary work that only one man attended the court there to answer a summons.

The Government call for more turf had a big response in the Ballinasloe district, and the bogs for the past few weeks have been scenes of activity in cutting and saving the fuel.

Never before has there been such an all-round and constant trek to the bogs. Householders in the towns have procured turf banks and are now cutting their own turf. These include a number of guards.

Side by side with this trek to the bogs has been the response of all classes to offer their services in the defence of the country in the Army and the Local Security Corps.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.