Galway In Days Gone By

1914

Funeral under flood

A few days ago, a very sensational incident occurred near Mountbellew, Galway due entirely to the flooding of an area that has hitherto never been inundated. The road, which is a very short distance outside Mountbellew, became subject to floods at the Newbridge side, and in places water reached the height of 5ft.

A funeral was passing there, and when in the centre of the stream, the horse shied, precipitating the occupants of the car, which included a woman, into the water. The woman was rescued with difficulty, and when she was secured again, she was found to be unconscious, and was only restored after some attention.

Some of those crossing on side cars were compelled to take refuge on the dickie, or sit on the well while fording the flood as the water rose up to the shafts of the car. Two or three intrepid motorists who tried to get through had their engines stopped and their cars held up.

The flooding is believed locally to be due to the filling up in recent years of an old swallow hole, as this region has never been inundated to such a serious extent.

From the trenches

A detachment of the Connaught Rangers were manoeuvring near Ypres to catch a body of Germans who were sheltering behind a farm.

Within the house itself were two of the officers and it occurred to private O’Keeffe to get them out. So he dashed up to the door, exposed for 200 yards to furious rifle fire, and demanded the instant surrender of the two astonished Germans as being a sound preliminary.

As they refused, O’Keeffe shot one of them, took the other prisoner and brought him back to the regiment. His prisoner was so much moved by O’Keeffe’s amazing courage that he wrote a note in his captor’s pay book, urging any German who should have the luck to capture O’Keeffe to “give the best treatment to a brave man who saved my life.”

1939

Extensive flooding

The recent rains have caused extensive flooding in the Eyrecourt, Banagher and Meelick areas, the rivers Shannon and Suck floods having risen to an extent not seen for many years.

Floods are threatening households, out-offices and haggards and extensive areas of pastures in a large area around Shannonbridge, Banagher and other neighbouring districts. In Ballinasloe, along the banks of the river Suck, the floods cover extensive tracts of grazing lands, bogs, etc., and the river floods in the area of the town of Ballinasloe cover large areas also.

Lough Corrib levels

Although the thirty-five miles stretch of Lough Corrib from Galway to Maam, with its wide watershed of Loughs Mask and Conn, had, in the late autumn of this year, reached the lowest level ever known, its upper reaches have now, owing to the torrential rains, attained a higher level than any known in the memory of the oldest inhabitant.

In some places about fifteen miles from Galway, the lake is nearly six inches higher than has ever been known and it is believed that the mountain streams surrounding the upper reaches of the Corrib have not yet emptied their flood waters into the lake.

Shop early

Thoughtfulness for others is one of the great Christian virtues. It is, indeed, practical Christianity and its exercise affords one of the greatest of all means of developing nobility of character. Shops throughout the West are brightening for Christmas and displaying their stocks to the best advantage, and our columns today afford ample evidence of the range and variety of seasonable gifts that are being offered.

All this means more work for those cheery and patient shop assistants who do so much to aid the customers throughout the year. We hope, therefore, the customers will give a ready response by doing the Christmas shopping as early as possible, thus enabling the workers to get to their homes on the Saturday preceding Christmas Day, so that they may have a long and happy weekend with their families.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.