Galway In Time Gone By – A browse through the archives of the Connacht Tribune.

1913

Strike settled
We are pleased to announce that, after a struggle lasting over a month, the strike of labourers in Galway has been settled. On Wednesday evening, Mr. N.S. Reyntins, Chief Industrial Commissioners’ Dept, Gwydyr House, Whitehall, S.W. arrived in Galway from Sligo to try to effect a settlement.

He interviewed the Employers’ Federation during the afternoon and saw the Committee of Labourers’ Union at night. As a result the Employers offered terms to the Union, which include the following:
The builders and general labourers to receive 16s per week instead of 15s, as hitherto; dock labourers to receive 5s and 6s per day according to the class of work. A rise of 6d per day has been conceded, and an increase of 1d per hour for overtime to dock labourers. Casual workers at the dock and stores, 4s per day, being a rise of 6d.

Casual labourers, for builders and contractors, 3s 6d per day. Half holiday at 2 o’clock on Saturday for builders’ labourers only; 3 o’clock for the merchants’ labourers. These rules to be in operation up to and including the 31st December, 1914.

Seaweed rights
In the Commons, Mr. O’Malley asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the fact that the seaweed on the shore below high-water mark belongs to the Crown, landlords owning property along the Connemara shore can enforce a rent for such seaweed; whether certain landlords on Connemara are now, and have been for many years, charging a rent upon such seaweed; and will he take steps to assert the rights of the Crown in these cases in the interests of the poor tenants?

Mr. Robertson: This depends upon the ownership of the foreshore. This ownership is prima facie vested in the Crown and if the Hon. Member will furnish me with full particulars of any case where a rent is being charged, either for the foreshore or for the seaweed growing on it, I will have the question of title carefully considered.

1938

The first President
The selection of Dr. Douglas Hyde (An Craoíbhinn Aoibhínn), Frenchpark County Roscommon, to be first President of Éire has been acclaimed by all parties and by high dignitaries of the Church. Messages and telegrams of congratulation have been received by Dr. Hyde from all parts of the country.

Galway Corporation at their fortnightly meeting on Wednesday decided to invite Dr. Hyde to Galway to have the freedom of the city conferred on him.

Poteen traffic increasing?
Judging by the number of recent prosecutions brought in the local district courts and the seizures made by Gardai during the past fortnight, it would appear as if the poteen traffic in Connemara is on the ascendant. There were no fewer than three prosecutions for possession of malt and poteen at Derrynea district court on Tuesday, and there was also a similar prosecution at Maam district court on Wednesday. In one of the cases, the defendant pleaded that he had no other means of livelihood.

The Gardaí throughout Connemara are making a determined effort to cope with the renewed poteen traffic and extensive raiding is being carried out. On Monday last a party of Gardaí from Oughterard swam out to an island in Lough Corrib and paid a surprise visit to an illicit distillery which was about to be put into operation there. The Gardaí captured the stil and equipment, together with about £200 worth of wash.

Farmers’ unease
The continued summer-like weather is causing a certain amount of uneasiness and trouble to farmers, who in many districts have to bring cattle and sheep long distances for water. Early sown gardens in town and country are in a backward state owing to the drought, the likes of which has not been experienced for many years.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.