Galway water trough has hidden link with Australia

Date Published: {J}

By Antoinette Giblin

What is perceived by many passers-by on Forster Street as just a large decorative flower pot had a very different function in the city in years gone by providing much needed drinking water to the horses that acted as the city’s main transport system.

The cement trough which is situated outside Mace Shop on Forster Street currently provides a fertile bed for the flowers it holds, but its intended purpose when donated by George and Annis Bills was to ensure the city’s horses had sufficient water to drink.

After a visit to Galway, the Australian couple decided to donate the cement trough – the only one of its kind in Ireland.

As horse and animal lovers, the Australian couple donated hundreds of such troughs in a bid to prevent cruelty to animals.

Today, the letters ‘CSPCA’ are inscribed on the front of the trough but the meaning of the first letter ‘C’ remains a mystery to locals.

The trough was used right up to the 1960s where horses quenched their thirst on Fair Days.

When its function as a water trough became redundant and its water supply was cut off, local shop owner Nora Hynes creatively found an alternative use for it as a flower pot – where a variety of colourful yellow, orange and purple pansies are currently in full bloom.

The historical monument has stood its ground through decades of societal changes and has remained in the area untouched, having been encased by the City Council some three years ago to protect it from damage when renovation work was taking place in the area.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Sentinel.