Galway in Days Gone By
Galway In Days Gone By
1914
Galwaymen for the Front
Out of the 2,000 constables of the R.I.C. who have volunteered for active service, the War Office have decided to accept only 200 picked men. Nearly all of these men will serve with the Irish Guards. It is interesting to note that two men have been selected from Galway City, whose names are Constable James Bracken, of Dominick Street, and Const. Kelleher, Eglinton Street.
The former has gone on leave, and, with his comrade, will proceed to London on the 27th Dec. Both these men are well-known in the city, and their patriotic action as a matter for pride, not alone to the force of which they have been conspicuously able officers, but to their many civilian friends.
During the week, Mr. Charles G. Blake, T.C., Tuam, left for Englan, to join the Sportsmen’s Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers, in which he has enlisted as a private. Mr. M.F. Burke, cashier, Bank of Ireland, has also joined as a private in the new Army and left for Mullingar on the same day.
Flag Day
The project set on foot by Lady Clonbrock to supply a motor ambulance for the Connaught Rangers at the Front, took a practical garb during the week. Miss Pearse organised a Flag Day in the city on Tuesday.
Upwards of sixty lady collectors, preceded by the Galway Industrial School Bank, paraded the principal streets and the Square.
1939
Listening to War news
Mr. W.P. Cahill, D.J., imposed a fine of 20s., but did not endorse the licence, in a summons for a breach of the licensing regulations against Mr. McCullagh, a publican in Ahascragh.
Sergeant Howard gave evidence of visiting the premises on November 11 at 11pm, and finding a number of men on the premises.
Pleading guilty to the charge, Mr. P.C. Sweeney, solr., said the men were there listening to the war news on the wireless. The people who were there were from the country around were all anxious to hear how the war was going and they were all gathered around the wireless set when the sergeant called in.
Some of the people in the district had relatives in France, and all were enthusiastic followers of the war news.
Some of them might have had a drink before this, but Mr. McCullagh said they were all admitted before closing time.
“War or no war, Mr. McCullagh says that he will in future take such precautions that this will not recur,” said Mr Sweeney.
The Justice imposed the fine of 20s., and imposed a fine of 2s. 6d. on all the men found on the premises for whom there was no appearance.
Poteen seizure
Sergeant Sullivan and Gardaí Tierney, Walsh and McDonagh, from Inverin station, made a lightning raid on an island on Gleanicmurrin lake last week and found an illicit still just about to go into action.
The still had been placed on a newly-lighted fire and everything was ready for a little ‘run’. The Gardaí captured seven hundred gallons of wash, in addition to the complete distilling apparatus.
Oughterard Gardaí are also ensuring that the mountain dew will be a scarce commodity this Christmas, and several seizures were made in the area during the week.
Christmas shopping
There was little or no sign of the coming Christmas festival in Galway until Wednesday, when thousands of country people flocked into the city to attend the first of the Christmas markets and also to do their advance shopping.
The market was the biggest seen in Galway for a number of years. From early morning, buses, motor cars and horses and carts arrived in the city.
Although slow to start, business was brisk, and thousands of geese and turkeys were bought up. Turkeys were sold in the earlier part of the day for 1s. 2d. per lb., an increase of 2d. on the price obtained this time last year. There were many more geese than turkeys on offer, and these were sold for 5s., 7s. and 8s., according to size.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
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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.
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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