Galway In Days Gone By

1918

Farmer’s guns saved

Sensational details are to hand regarding a raid for arms at Kinvara, and the pluck of a farmer’s daughter, who held the raiders at bay with a sweeping twig, until her parents arrived with a loaded gun and drove them off.

The facts appear to be that on Friday night at about 8 o’clock, an armed party, disguised with masks, knocked at the hall door of Mr. John Finucane, Duras, Kinvara, and demanded admission in the name of a neighbour who was in the habit of visiting the house nightly. The door was immediately opened, when two of the party rushed in and demanded the owner’s guns at the point of a revolver.

They were engaged in a scrimmage with Miss Finucane at the door, when, it is alleged, they fired at her. Fortunately, the shot went wide, and the lady, displaying splendid pluck, belaboured the raiders with a twig, holding them off until her father, who was reading in an inside room when he heard the struggle, arrived on the scene with a loaded gun. He discharged five shots, when the raiding party decamped, leaving a hat after them. It is believed that one of the shots took effect on the raiders.

Mr Finucane is regarded as one of the best shots in Co. Galway; and he pursued the raiders for a considerable distance.

County Inspector Ruttledge and the D.I. have visited the scene, and police investigators are proceeding, but up to now the police have not succeeded in establishing the identity of the miscreants in a single raid or shooting that has occurred in the county within the last twelve months.

1943

More lorries going

The extension of the emergency transport scheme in the West means that a number of privately-owned lorries will be put off the roads should the owners not be prepared to incur the expense of fitting them with producer gas equipment. The desire of the Department of Supplies is that those owners should equip the lorries for gas.

For some time, Government inspectors have been carrying out a survey in East Galway to enable them to determine the number of lorries which would give the area a reasonably efficient emergency service with a view to economising to the utmost in petrol and vehicles.

If they have not received it already, an intimation will soon reach all owners of lorries deemed to be redundant that the petrol allowance which they enjoyed will be discontinued from an early date.

The Great Southern Railway Company will step in and operate the new services in conjunction with whatever local vehicles may be permitted for the maintenance of the minimum service decided upon.

Theft of onions

At Headford Court before District Justice Mac Giollarnath, Thady Leen, Bullybeg, Corrandulla, was charged with the larceny of eight stone of onions, the property of John O’Neill, Toragurrane, value £2 16s.

O’Neill said he missed the onions early in July. He got 10s. a stone for onions last March, but they would be only 7s. a stone now. Leen admitted he took the onions and sold them in a shop in Tuam at 6s. a stone. He said he would pay O’Neill the value of them. Supt. O’Neill said defendant had been convicted previously of larceny.

The Justice told defendant that he had got a previous warning. He would now be sentenced to three months’ imprisonment with hard labour, not to be enforced if before next court in September he has paid £2 10s compensation to O’Neill and 15s. expenses.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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