Galway In Days Gone By

1915

Galway farmers and the War

Great sympathy exists amongst intelligent public men as to the position of Galway farmers during the coming spring. Already prices are mounting up, and a difficulty will exist in procuring the essentials to carry on farming as far as seeds and manure are concerned, and those who should assist the farming community are somewhat shy of doing so.

What the farmers are most in need of immediately is that some cooperative means should be put in force to purchase the larger necessities for carrying on farming during the coming spring, which will press on the farmers much more than has been felt since the famine years.

There is no section of the community so easygoing as regards their own destruction as the farmers, and while the bogey of a halfpenny in the pound for light has been fought out and lost, the greater question of hundreds of pounds is left in oblivion.

Woman found dead

Between 2 and 3 o’clock on Sunday afternoon, a tragic discovery was made at the Claddagh, when an unmarried woman named Bridget Flynn, aged 47 years, was found dead in a little house she occupied alone.

It was noticed that the deceased was not seen out that day, and some neighbours, receiving no answer to repeated knocking, effected an entrance to the house, and found the unfortunate woman lying dead on the middle of the floor, fully dressed.

The Dominick-st. police were at once communicated with, and the body was subsequently removed to the morgue. The house was very poorly furnished, and it was the custom of the deceased to sleep on the floor, with but some scanty protection from the dampness. Some time ago she owned a farm of land at Menlo, but the house becoming dilapidated, she removed into town.

A coroner and jury returned a verdict of death by natural causes.

1940

Sent to reformatory

At the Children’s Court in Galway on Thursday, District Justice Sean Mac Giollarnath ordered a fifteen-years-old Galway boy who was charged with larceny to be sent to Glencree Reformatory for three years.

Mr. MacTernan, solicitor, said the offence could hardly be described as a trivial one, for the boy had taken, amongst other things, a motor car battery, a pair of football boots, a bottle of iodine and bandages.

He was at an awkward age, however, and was influenced by boys much older than himself and had to take the brunt of it all. Mr. MacTernan thought that a long-term suspensory sentence, if imposed, would act as a deterrent.

GAA review time

This month, all the county organisations of the Gaelic Athletic Association are reviewing the progress of the past year and laying down lines on which to develop the Association in the coming twelve months.

On Sunday next, the annual convention of the County Galway clubs will be held. The western province secured two All-Ireland championships during the past year, Roscommon taking the minor football title and Galway the junior hurling title for the first time.

It is a remarkable fact that Galway is the only western county which can field a senior hurling team, but steps are being taken to develop this branch of the code in other Connacht counties.

It may well be that the victory of the Galway junior hurlers last autumn is a sign that the county is about to build up a hurling fame in senior ranks in the coming year.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.