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

1913

Frightening visitors

At the Galway Urban Council, Mr. R.W. Simmons, photographer, came before the Council and said he wanted to make a few observations as to the statements and articles appearing in a Dublin paper about fever in Connemara.

He said the articles would have a bad effect on the tourist traffic, and were very detrimental to the interests of Galway. In fact, there was no fever in Connemara. There had been only one case in the place where it was alleged to have broken out.

He had seen a report from the local doctor stating that there was no fever, and had also received a letter from another Connemara doctor stating that no fever had occurred in his district for 30 years.

That was only one letter out of many, and he thought the Council should call upon the ‘Independent’ to contradict the statements. One paper had contradicted them in a half-hearted way, but the Council should pass a strong resolution on the subject, for it was a great injury to Galway.

Mr. Costello: There is another thing, a number of good-natured people have put their hands into their pockets to help these people. We ought to be thankful to Mr Simmons for making that statement. We have to maintain the character of the town for good health.

1938

Hotel saved from fire

In response to an urgent ‘phone call, the Galway Fire Brigade drove to Mountbellew through a blinding hailstorm, in the early hours of Sunday morning. The ‘phone call was to the effect that some outhouses adjoining Mr. Wm. Fahy’s hotel in Mountbellew had caught fire.

When the brigade arrived at 3 a.m., a large galvanised shed containing tons of hay was completely enveloped in flames, which reached a height of sixty feet. The men of the brigade connected seventeen 40 ft. lengths of hose to the river which runs nearby, but because of the recent drought, they were unable to get sufficient pressure, and it was found necessary to put the turbines working to raise the level of the water in the river.

By the time the hoses were brought to play on the fire, the huge hayshed was doomed, and the brigade concentrated on preventing the flames from spreading to the hotel. This they succeeded in doing, but it took them five hours to get the fire completely under control.

The blaze could be seen for miles around, and attracted many people from outside the town, who, together with hundreds of the townspeople, watched the brigade at work.

Busy mother

A sow, the property of Thady Flynn, Knockavannie, Tuam, had a litter of twenty-six bonhams.

Tuam gridlock

A committee of the Tuam Town Commissioners met Superintendent Cronin, Garda Siochana, at a special meeting to consider the question of getting bye-laws made for the town, especially as to traffic regulations.

The Commissioners are particularly anxious to have the traffic regulated on the Square, where, it is alleged, obstruction takes place on a large scale on fair and market days. The matter was fully disclosed and whilst nothing definite has yet been decided about the new bye-laws, it is stated that special parking spaces are to be marked out in the town, including the Square.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune