Galway in Days Gone By
Galway In Days Gone By
1915
Rotten eggs
At the City Petty Sessions, Patrick Nolan summoned Edward Kiely, shop assistant, in the employment of Mr. Thomas Keane, Shop-street, Galway for assault.
The complainant said that he was doing a little job for Father Davis, P.P. – picking weeds. He went out to Mr. Keane’s to get some grass seed, and when passing the gateway near the shop, there were a number of boys nearby who threw rotten eggs at him. The eggs were all scattered over his clothes. He identified the accused as being one of the party. There were at least 12 or 13 eggs thrown.
Chairman: Sort of electioneering eggs?
Witness: Bad eggs.
Sergt. Rogers, in reply to the Chairman, said the youngsters of the street had the old man annoyed everywhere he went.
They called him “Big shilling”, which annoyed him very much.
Chairman: It is no fun to be annoying an old man like this. A fine of 10s. and 2s. 6d costs was imposed.
Mr. Nicolls subsequently entered the Court, and asked, on behalf of the defendant, for liberty to impose a cross-summons for abusive language, which was granted.
In cross-examination by Mr. Nicolls, he said young people around the town call him “Big shilling.”
Chairman: There is no harm in that, man.
He did not know if “big shilling” was called before the eggs were thrown; he was so much excited by the shower of rotten eggs. He would swear he saw Kiely throw one egg. He forgot if he abused or shouted at Kiely.
Mr. Nicholls said his client was a most respectable boy. He was in Mr. Keane’s employment for four years. Mr. Kiely heard a noise outside and came to the door to look out, and then Nolan started to abuse him. His client never threw an egg at all.
Chairman: The conviction stands. I hold if he did not actually fire the eggs himself, he aided and abetted. He (defendant) does not bring anybody here to corroborate his evidence.
1940
A lucky omen?
Sea-going folk are a superstitions people, a little incident, unpleasant in itself, which happened a short-time before the United States liner, President Roosevelt, turned out towards the Atlantic and home on Sunday afternoon, was regarded by many whose lives are connected with the sea as an augury of a happy and uneventful voyage.
As the pilot was climbing the rope ladder up the side of the liner to take it out from port, he received an unpleasant douche directed from the liner’s side by some innocent passenger or member of the crew.
Even the launch from which he had climbed, the property of Mr. Patterson, the American vice-consul at Cobh, was well bespattered and both pilot and launch had to undergo a cleansing operation.
According to the superstition of the sea, as told by Mr. Arthurs, the Éire Government surveyor, this would have been an augury of misfortune had it happened to any other but the pilot or the captain of the liner. As it was, it was looked upon as a lucky omen.
In any case, when the liner with its complement of 720 passengers and 250 tons of baggage hauled anchor and turned towards the sea. With the exception of one elderly lady, there was not a person on board who feared anything untoward on the trip.
But there was one man who was evidently unhappy. It was not however, that he feared the passage; it was merely that he had left behind him his most treasured possession.
This was a collection of crates containing metal castings and other material for the manufacture of bakelite. He claimed to have had invented the machinery which, he said, would produce the bakelite substitute much cheaper than bakelite can be produced.
Regarded as other than baggage by the Customs authorities, the materials had to be left behind. The owner was a Mr. Monaghan with a New Jersey address.
1923
Gloom after war
The special correspondent of the “Independent”, who has been writing of the aftermath of civil war in the West, notes that a feeling of apathy, due to the uncertainty of events, exists amongst the sorely-tried people of Connemara; that politics are referred to only with disgust and that not more than fifty per cent. of the people would vote at a general election; that poverty and unemployment are rife, and there is a growing tendency towards emigration; and that there are bitter complaints of the huge impost of rates and taxes.
It is only too true that there is enough of material for the pessimist to brood over, and that a feeling of gloom permeates country towns. But it is a poor tribute to patriotism that has survived such horrors to encourage this gloom.
It is the duty of all of us to get this pessimism out of the national body and to rid ourselves of the notion that we have not enough Christianity and moral sense left to restore our people to cheerful and ordered progress and industry.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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1923
Peace negotiations
As we go to press, An Dáil is discussing the Peace negotiations between the Government and Mr. de Valera. It was announced on Wednesday for the first time that such negotiations were begun following Mr. de Valera’s “cease fire” proclamation of April 27, and that by the 30th of the month Senators Andrew Jameson and James Douglas were asked by him to discuss proposals.
They said it was for the Government to discuss; they could only confer. Into the ensuring conferences the Government declined to enter personally, but on May 3 the senators placed before Mr. de Valera the Cabinet’s terms, which were that future issues should be decided by the majority vote of the elected representatives of the people, and that as a corollary and a preliminary to the release of prisoners, all lethal weapons should be in the custody and control of the Executive Government.
Mr. de Valera relied to this on May 7 with a document in which he agreed to majority rule and control of arms, but added that arms should be stored in a suitable building in each province under armed Republican guard until after the elections in September, that the oath should not be made a test in the councils of the nation, and that all political prisoners should be released immediately on the signing of this agreement.
“You have brought back to us,” wrote President Cosgrave, “not an acceptance of our conditions, but a long and wordy document inviting debate where none is possible”.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
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The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
1923
State of the parties
Speculation as to parties after the next Irish elections is exceedingly interesting, especially in view of the enlarged franchise.
In Dublin, the view appears to be held by a number of people that Labour will make a great bid for power.
Dublin, however, has a curiously insular habit of thought where matters that concern all Ireland and in which Ireland has a say are concerned. We hope this insularity will rapidly disappear under the new conditions.
The country as a whole is backing the Farmers’ Party, and has not the smallest doubt that it will be the strongest combination in the next Dáil, and that it will oust the purely political parties, the one because it has resorted to force, the other because it has been compelled to use force to supress force, and the Labour Party because Ireland feels that at the back of its policy lurks the danger of Communism.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
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