Galway In Days Gone By

1918

City submerged

During the torrential downpour of the weekend, Galway witnessed the most storm-tossed seas that had been experienced in living memory.

The tide ran to nearly 18 feet at Nimmo’s Pier, and the Spanish Parade and Flood-street were under water, while the south-westerly wind drove the seas over the Salthill Promenade, hurled a bathing box belonging to Mrs. Gerald Cloherty against the Ladies’ Pier and smashed, while a boat belonging to Tom Smyth was driven from its moorings and smashed.

At Rainey Point, a visitor who was indulging in a spray bath on the Promenade got struck on the nose by a stone hurled up by the tide, and bled freely.

Sea water and sand were driven in across South Park and just stopped short of the allotments at Salthill park, while all the crops in the reclaimed farm at the Industrial School were submerged. The yacht of Mr. Anderson, dentist, was broken from its moorings.

1943

For the lamps of Aran

The people of Inishmaan, Aran Islands, were responsible for the carcase of a whale which came ashore in Spiddal a few weeks ago. The whale was first washed in dead on the island and the practical minded islanders, having relieved it of about one hundred gallons of blubber, pushed it off to sea again. All that the Spiddal people got was the smell, and it was not even the smell of oil.

War on disease

The provision of a new abattoir in Galway City is recommended in the annual report on Galway’s public health services which has been issued by Dr. C.F. McConn, acting County Medical Officer of Health. He describes the present abattoir as “most unsatisfactory”.

Dr. McConn also expresses dissatisfaction with the manner in which some meat is brought through the dusty streets from the abattoir to the shops, and points out that contamination by careless transport defeats the purpose of slaughtering under hygienic conditions.

Referring to milk production, he points out the dangers of milk that is not produced under health, sanitary conditions, and calls on the public to cooperate with those entrusted with the task of safeguarding the public health.

Woman attends still

The exodus of manpower from Connemara is having its effects on the poteen “industry”. Last week, Gardaí Fitzgibbon and Kinnealy, guided by “the smoke and the smell” somewhere in the Lettermore district, found a woman attending a still which was going full steam.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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