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

1913

Brother’s assault

At Galway Petty Sessions, a painful case connected with a dispute between two brothers was heard when Mr. Michael J. O’Brien summoned his brother Thomas for assault.

Mr. Daly, solr., said that on Saturday last, the defendant went into complainant’s shop in Shop-street, knocked him down and almost choked him.

In last November and January, defendant also gave great trouble to the complainant, and when in Dublin, he had stated he would come to Galway and have his brother’s life.

Michael John O’Brien said he carried on a butcher’s business in Galway. On Saturday, his brother entered his shop for the first time since January. Defendant jumped on witness and said he would have his life. His ear began to bleed. Defendant pulled his coat off and half-tore his collar.

A man named Mullins came in and pulled defendant off witness, who was then lying on the floor. On another occasion he came in and smashed all the crockery. He assaulted his uncle and his sister. Witness did not owe the defendant one shilling.

Defendant said he was sorry, but that the complainant owed him money. Mr. Daly suggested that the case should be adjourned to the next court day, and give the defendant an opportunity of leaving the country.

Complainant said he wanted the defendant bound to the peace. Defendant was bound over to keep the peace for twelve months.

1938

Clifden deluge

Prayers for rain were answered in a very decisive manner in the Clifden area on Saturday evening, when “the heavens were opened” and a miniature deluge occurred. It had been raining sporadically all day, but at 6pm, a shower fell which had all the semblances of a cloudburst, and was confined to an area of within five miles radius of Clifden.

The shower, which lasted a little less than an hour, transformed the Clifden River from a trickling stream into a raging torrent, whose banks overflowed in places for more than fifty yards inland.

The Clifden tennis courts, situated near the river, were submerged under several feet of water, as was also the road leading to Lee’s Terrace and the houses there were isolated from the rest of the town.

Several by-roads in the vicinity of the town were completely washed away, and now resemble the bed of a river. Amongst those by-roads was a recently constructed bog road to Glenbricken, which was washed down a hill and deposited on top of a potato plot.

The flood swept down hills at the back of the labourers’ cottages on the Galway road, crashed on the back doors, and came pouring out through the front doors like on many waterspouts.

Although rain continued to fall normally during Sunday, the flooding had completely abated on Monday morning, when there were signs of a return to the warm weather of the past few months.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.