Galway in Days Gone By
Galway In Days Gone By
1915
Shots of jealousy
The house of Mrs. Margaret Fox, of Caherlea, Claregalway, was attacked on Sunday night last by a shooting party, and several shots fired into it.
Young Owen Fox was injured by some pellets, a number of the windows in the house were broken, and the kitchen lamp smashed. The affair occurred at around 10 o’clock, where the peaceful occupants of the comfortable farmer’s house were saying the Rosary in the parlour.
Tim Joyce, the fiancée of Mrs. Fox’s 19-year-old daughter, was in the house at the time, and it was because some parties were opposed to the marriage that the attack was made.
Joyce was, as the saying goes, “to marry into the place”, and exception was taken to this. A young man named Andrew Joyce, who lives near Clarenbridge, was arrested on Monday, and charged that he did, with others, attack the dwellinghouse.
Mrs. Fox deposed that there were eight or nine shots fired. Big stones were also thrown, and came in through the parlour window. They also fired at the three top windows.
“I heard the worst of expressions used. Andy Forde said, ‘I will blow your daylights out, Joyce, you b–‘, that was repeated five or six times. I know Forde for years. He is a second cousin of my late husband. There were four more men at the shooting affair. I could see them as it was a bright moonlight night.”
An agreement had been drawn up between witness and Mr. Joyce, by which Joyce, on marrying her daughter, was to get the farm. Witness and her family were to live in the place, and in addition to that, Mr. Joyce was to give the other five children £50 each.
Under cross-examination, witness said her brother-in-law Pat Fox, who lives in Athenry, and accused were great friends. Fox tried to prevent the proposed marriage, and thought he would get the place and turn out witness and her family.
Detective-Inspector Heard, prosecuting, applied for, and was granted a remand for a week, bail being refused.
1940
Piracy and price-fixing
At a meeting of Galway Corporation, Mr. Redington requested an expression of opinion on the piracy of steam trawlers in the fishing grounds of Galway Bay. He had brought up the matter about four years ago and he was told that no such thing existed, but now there was definite proof of it.
In other countries, there was a law to protect native fishermen, and the Government should be asked to do something for Irishmen engaged in the business.
While these men were being subjected to this piracy, the people were unable to get enough fish for dinner without sending to Dublin for it.
Mr. Carrick agreed, and said it was a shocking state of affairs that Galway fishermen went out night after night and could not fish in their own waters.
Mr Healy: I am not against Mr. Carrick or Mr. Redington, but I think we should start nearer home and stop the profiteering that is going on in the town. The fish-sellers in Quay-st and High-st spend till nine and ten and eleven o’clock at night holding a conference to fix the price of fish, and they are fleecing the people and the fishermen as well.
They will fish from Saturday or Sunday till Wednesday, and on Wednesday they will charge you 6s. and 7s. They will even charge 3s. or 4s. for a ‘cut’ off a 1s. 6d. fish. These people have Galway fleeced for a bit of fish.
There is no use in talking about stopping steam trawlers in the bay. You cannot stop them. They were there before we were born, but it is down in the market that the blackguardism is done.
Mr. Redington’s suggestion was adopted.
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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