Galway in Days Gone By
Galway in Days Gone By
1918
Senseless crimes
Everyone who desires to preserve the good name of a community and to maintain a right spirit in our people will do his utmost to root out of our midst those senseless criminal injuries that we have so frequently been called upon to condemn.
Even a professional criminal could stoop to no lower degradation than to steal out at night, actuated solely by the motives of malice, to destroy a neighbour’s property, or, more abhorrent still, to injure his dumb animals or endanger his own life or the lives of the members of his household.
At Ballinasloe on Saturday, the spiking of meadows was reported, while Galway Rural District Council received claims for compensation for the burning of thee ricks of turf at Spiddal and one at Knock – a particularly wanton form of incendiarism at a time when every sod of peat fuel that can be saved is needed in Ireland.
Upon an island
A dance, under the auspices of the local branch of Cumann na mBan, was not held, as stated, at St. Brendan’s National School, Loughrea, on Sunday, but on an island on the lake near the town, without the knowledge of the police.
According to rumour, a ladies’ camogie match was to take place at Loughrea on Sunday. Armed police were posted at various points adjacent to the hurling field, ostensibly for the purpose of preventing the match coming off without a permit. The players, however, did not put in an appearance.
Soldiers and sport
A detachment from Gort and a few extra police occupied Kinvara village on Sunday in anticipation of G.A.A. sports that were apparently to have been held without a permit. However, the town of the Auld Plaid Shawl was like a deserted village during the day, even the country folks from Mass giving it a wide berth, and no sports were held.
1943
Race crowd sets record
Despite the fact that transport difficulties have increased considerably during the intervening twelve months, the attendance at Galway Races this year has proved even better than last year’s – a remarkable tribute to the widespread fame and popularity of this great sporting fixture.
Galway and its seaside suburb of Salthill have been booked out for weeks, but the actual race days saw another big invasion from the surrounding counties and the G.S.R. rose to the occasion by extending the service to the city on Monday and Tuesday and the outward service on Thursday night and Friday morning.
Our reporter was informed at the racecourse on Friday morning that the attendance on the two days of the meeting was much better than last year and that under all the circumstances the Committee was very pleased with the patronage accorded to famous Ballybrit.
The increase in attendance this year and the entire dependence of racegoers on horse-drawn transport did not overtax the travel facilities available, for the number of vehicles plying for hire also had increased considerably and some of the jarvies had quiet mornings on Wednesday and Thursday. The most popular vehicle on the road seemed to be a great double-decker coach drawn by a pair of horses. This car took up to twenty passengers.
There seemed to be little or no cruelty to the animals during the hours of daylight at least, but many of the animals – evidently fresh from grass – sweated a good deal.
The vast majority of the drivers treated their animals extremely well. Particularly impressive was the fact that on arrival at Ballybrit, many drivers called at houses nearby to provide buckets of water for their horses and nose-bags were also provided by many.
Guards were on duty at all the cycle parks on the Racecourse to check every bicycle lodged for safe keeping during the day – and the number of cyclists on the road ran into four figures.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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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.
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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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