Galway In Days Gone By

1914

Land war sensation

What our Connemara correspondent describes as the most sensational and exciting incident in the Connemara land war was reached on Sunday last, when after 11 o’clock Mass, the people marched from Tullycross towards Renvyle for the purpose of holding a public meeting on the Curragh farm, and were met by a large force of police on the public road, who drew their batons and charged the people.

No time was lost at Tullycross immediately Mass was over in starting for Renvyle. The band was got out and led the large concourse of people, comprising men, women and children, and numbering almost 2,000.

The police were fierce. They charged on the crowd using their batons right and left, and, it is alleged, that several women and young girls were struck. Certain it is that many of them were knocked down in the crowd and trampled on in a bad way. The drum was broken in the melee. The people, who were without weapons of any description, would not yield and a desperate hand-to-hand encounter took place.

Several of the people received severe wounds which had to be attended to by a doctor. They were chiefly struck on the face and heads, and their foreheads were split open. For several minutes there was terrible work. The women fought bravely, and struck several policemen with their clenched fists. The crowd continued to fight their way, and at length got away from the police.

The police went on ahead again, and the people got into the grazier’s farm overlooking the Renvyle house, the residence of Mrs. Blake. They cheered wildly, and booed the police. A meeting was then held on the farm.

1939

Travelling ambulance

“I often heard of a travelling shop, but I never before heard of a travelling ambulance,” remarked the secretary (Mr. S. Gallagher) at the monthly meeting of the Galway Hospital and Dispensaries’ Committee on Saturday, when a letter was read from the Belvedere Male Nurse and Ambulance Service, Dublin, stating that, commencing in Jan., 1940, they proposed to run a weekly ambulance service all over the country which they believed would be a great convenience to all Boards of Health.

The secretary added that the inclusive charges would be 2d. per mile per patient, based on the present price of petrol, 2s. per gallon.

Irish at school

“I think the policy adopted for the spread of Irish has been an unwise one. I do not think it is going to achieve the results aimed at, but since it is the policy of the State, it seemed to me that it was my duty as a citizen and headmaster to see that it was carried out. The result is that a number of you here at this table can speak fluently in a language of which I cannot understand a word.” This statement was made by Mr. E.B. Coursey, Headmaster of Galway Grammar School at the first annual reunion dinner of the past students of the school.

Dramatic plane rescue

The rescue of three Irish Army airmen whose twin-engined Avro Anson ‘plane crashed into the sea at Furbough last week, was described to a ‘Connacht Tribune’ representative by the two men who went out to the wreck and brought the airmen ashore in a currach half-filled with water and with the sea washing the rowlocks.

The men are: Pat Connelly (Michael), Barna, and Pat Connelly (James), of Furbough. When the ‘plane crashed into the sea, they said, a huge volume of water was thrown up and scattered like smoke on either side.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.