September 10, 2010

Date Published: {J}

1910

Moo-lighting

An Annaghdown correspondent states that on Saturday night last, or early on Sunday morning, a “moonlighting” expedition was carried out with the utmost care, when twelve prime bullocks, the property of Mrs. Blake, of Cregg Castle, Annaghdown, were decorated all over with green paint, bearing the mottoes: “G.A.A.”, “U.I.L.”, and “Boycott”

Mrs. Blake was most popular with the people of the district until about three weeks ago when she refused Annaghdown F.C. use of a field to hold a tournament which was held there in aid of the political prisoners’ defence fund.

The Newells were recently evicted from a forge on the estate. The police of the district were very busy on Sunday and Monday, but up to the time of writing, no arrests have been made. Mrs. Blake, who gives a lot of employment to labourers all the year round, has no one to work for her at present, it is stated.

Claregalway floods

A special meeting of the Claregalway branch of the United Irish League was held to consider the steps to be taken towards acquiring permanent relief for the parties whose lands were inundated during the floods. The floods are abating slowly, but two square miles of the country still continue flooded.

Athenry Town Hall

A new project has been taken on hands for the erection of a new Town Hall, and immediately a spacious building, capable of holding 3,000 people, will be begun. The need of a suitable building is keenly felt by the theatrical and sporting people of the district, as very great expense has had to be incurred from time to time to provide accommodation for the large gatherings that come to sports and other pastimes.

1935

City homes

Mr. M.J. Cooke, chairman, presided at the monthly meeting of the Galway Urban Council on Thursday. The borough surveyor Mr. W.N. Binns, submitted draft plans for the provision of thirty houses at Munster Lane. The price of the houses he estimated at £315 each.

Escaped mental patient

Dr Mills, resident medical superintendent at Ballinasloe Mental Hospital explained a patient was working on the farm and was under the observation of the attendants a few minutes before he was missed from the farm, and he (Dr. Mills) was satisfied that the attendants in charge were not to blame, from the statements they made concerning the escape.

Tracks of him were found up and down the country for the past few days, and the guards were most carefully searching for him, but were unable up to the present to find him.

Chairman: This is a serious thing and it is our business to inquire into it and reprimand the attendants in charge if they were responsible.

Dr Mills: It is for the committee to take any action they think fit or advisable in the matter. The seriousness of the thing is that we might have lost the man altogether.

I consider two attendants in the circumstances enough and that they were capable of looking after those patients. They were a class of patient who were quiet, and they were here for twenty-five or thirty years, and they only needed to be kept under observation.

Before he introduced bringing these patients out on the farm, he added, there were no escapes, but taking them on the farm got them to do some work and encouraged more tillage.

Chairman: Irrespective of whether two men were sufficient to look after ninety-six patients, we should have, I think, more attendants here. Our first duty should be to the patients, who should be looked after.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.