Galway in Days Gone By
Galway In Days Gone By
1915
Smeared with tar
An extraordinary and wanton attack on three young ladies was perpetrated on Sunday week at Tonaghmore, Cummer, Galway about six miles from Tuam. The circumstances of the strange affair are wrapped in mystery as no evidence of a motive manifests itself.
The ladies, it appears, were walking along the public road when two men jumped over the wall on the roadside and ran in their direction. It is alleged that they emptied a tin vessel and a football, both of which contained molten tar on the two girls.
The poor, terrified girls were smeared with the nasty liquid in a shocking manner, their heads, faces, hair, clothes and the upper portion of their bodies being completely covered.
The perpetrators of the atrocious deed, in Hun-like manner, promptly left their hapless victims to the mercy of fate and retreated into the darkness.
Not content with their original crime, they discharged revolver shots in close proximity to the poor girls. They proceeded to a house where a social party was summoned to meet and rent the air with shots fired in quick succession.
The occurrence has aroused considerable indignation in the locality, and has been strongly condemned by the general community as a vicious act of blackguardism on inoffensive victims.
In connection with the affair, two arrests were made by the police on Monday night, whose names are John Murphy, Kilcurriff and Peter Glynn, Tonaghmore, were removed to Tuam on Tuesday morning under armed police escorts.
Police activity
During the week the constabulary in Turloughmore have been actively engaged in trying to prevent further breaches of the peace in consequence of a serious affray in which shots were fired, that occurred on Sunday night. On Monday night, three houses in the district were fired into after the police had ceased patrolling. Extra police from Tuam are on duty nightly since these occurrences.
1940
Baptism of fire
The victims of a terrible Chilean earthquake, an enjoyable time at the New York World’s Fair, where he was a bodyguard for the King and Queen of England on the occasion of their visit, and, more recently, active service in the biggest sea battle fought in the present war, are some of the experiences of 23-years-old Patrick Shaughnessy, St. Brendan’s-avenue, Wood Quay, Galway.
Mr. Patrick Shaughnessy, formerly a pupil of St. Brendan’s national school, was a ‘bus conductor in Galway prior to leaving for England about three years ago. He is now first-class stoker on H.M.S. Exeter, the 8,000 ton cruiser which, with the smaller cruisers, Ajax and Achilles, crippled the 10,000-ton German pocket battleship, Graf Spee, in mid-December and drove her limping into the port of Montevideo, from which she steamed a few days later to be scuttled by her own crew.
He visited Galway for a month’s leave last August, but was recalled after three days owing to the threatening situation in Europe. The weeks rolled by and war broke out but no news was heard from him.
Then came the story of the battle off Montevideo and his parents became anxious when it was learned that the Exeter had suffered heavy damage in the battle. Their fears were, however, allayed shortly after when his sister, Mrs. J. Glynn, Courthouse Square, Galway, received a wire from him informing her that he was fit and well and had received no injury in his first baptism of fire. He is still with his ship “at an unknown station”.
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.
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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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