Father Griffin Road is named after the martyred Irish priest, Father Michael Griffin, who was involved in the War of Independence. This area is known for a lively, charming road that stretches from the Fire Station down to the Maxol Garage in Lower Salthill.
Father Griffin Road was constructed in the early 1930s. Before its construction, the main road from the city was Munster Avenue, which connected to Trims Lane, now White Strand, and the road stretched from William Street West to Grattan Road.
The first building or shop ever constructed on Father Griffin Road was O’Flaherty’s Garage in 1932. This garage was also known as ‘’The Gaeltacht Garage’’. The designer of the garage, MJ Tighe, was an architect and engineer working in Dublin and Galway.
Two years later, in 1934, O’Broin’s shop opened across from O'Flaherty's Garage. The Local Fire station was constructed in the 1950s at a cost of £32,500 and was officially opened in 1956 by the Minister of Local Government, Mr P. O’Donnell.
The station was described at the time as being “the most modern fire station erected in the country for the last forty years”. Within the fire station building itself were three staff residences, a lecture room, and a 45-foot tower for drying hoses and other equipment.
On both sides of the fire-station, there were firemen's cottages. They’re still there today and stretch from the Fire station to the Galway Technical Institute building. Today, they’re privately owned residences.
Father Michael Griffin was an Irish Catholic Priest born on Sunday, September 18, 1892, in Gurteen, East Galway, and he died on Sunday, November 14, 1920.
He was known to be the first appointed curate within the parish of Rahoon, and he resided at the presbytery at 2 Montpellier Terrace alongside the senior curate Father John O’Meehan. Father Griffin’s duties were saying Mass, hearing confessions in Barna and Furbo each week and visiting local schools around Galway. He ministered mostly in Irish-speaking parts of the parish, which gave him the opportunity to use and improve his Irish language skills.
During the general election of December 1918, Father Griffin was known to have been openly supportive of Padraig O’Maille, a Sinn Féin candidate for the Galway-Connemara constituency. He was a supporter of Sinn Féin and the republican movement, plus was in the trust of many leaders of the IRA.
On Friday, October 15, 1920, Father Michael Griffin's life would be changed forever after Patrick Joyce, a schoolteacher who taught in Barna, was taken away from his home by the IRA’s East Connemara Brigade after the IRA had intercepted several letters written by Joyce.
They were addressed to Crown forces and contained details of republican activity in the Barna and Furbo area. Furthermore, they included the names of many local IRA activists. Joyce, who was convicted of spying, was shot and secretly buried. In his letters to the authorities of the Crown Forces, Joyce had mentioned that Father Michael Griffin was involved with the IRA.
On Sunday, November 14, 1920, following Mass at Furbo and Barna, Father Griffin played cards with other priests at his home in Montpellier Terrace, where they usually gathered on Sunday evenings.
Once the card games had ended, the other priests departed from Father Griffin's home at around 10:30pm, leaving only Father Griffin and his housekeeper, Barbara King, at Griffin's presbytery home.
The other curate who normally resided there had received several death threats and was staying in a safe house as a precaution. Father Griffin was not long in bed when a number of men in trench coats called to his door, who were later identified as being auxiliaries from the Auxiliary Division of the Royal Irish Constabulary (ADRIC ).
Father Michael Griffin was known to have volunteered to leave with the Auxiliaries, according to some witnesses. Father Griffin and the callers disappeared into the darkness in the direction of Salthill.
The next day, people noticed that Father Griffin was absent at the anniversary Mass for the late Bishop of Galway, Dr Francis McCormack. Everyone assumed that he had called to visit a sick parishioner until it was noticed that he hadn’t taken the holy oils or even the blessed Eucharist with him.
The townspeople grew worried because there had been no sign or communication from him for a few days. His remains were discovered in a shallow grave at Cloch Scoilte, which was about two kilometres north of the village of Barna. He had been shot in the head in an execution style and was quickly buried in the boggy ground.
The clergy were informed, and a number of local men secretly transported the body to St Joseph's Cathedral on Presentation Road. Father Michael Griffin’s funeral was attended by three bishops, 150 priests and 12,000 mourners who came to pay their respects to the late priest before his remains were sent to St Brendan’s Cathedral, Loughrea, for burial.
In November of 1922, a memorial monument to Father Michael Griffin was constructed at Cloch Scoilte Barna and renovated in 1992. Fifteen years after his death in 1937, the road connecting Wolfe Tone Bridge and Lower Salthill was constructed. This road was called Fr. Griffin Road in his honour.
Shortly after, Father Griffin Football Club was founded in the Claddagh in 1948, not too far from where Griffin and his captives disappeared into the darkness toward Salthill on the night of November 14, 1920. Currently, this club is based in Crestwood on Coolough Road.
There are a number of well-known local businesses and services on Father Griffin Road, such as Galway Fire Station, which provides fire services to the whole city; Antons Cafe; Claddagh Pharmacy; Galway Technical Institute (GTI ), a third-level college; Tesco supermarket; and the Post Office.
As I walk to The Bish and back home again along Father Griffin Road each day, I now appreciate even more the history and the different landmarks dotted along this well-known part of our city.
Their significance should never be forgotten. I hope you, the reader, will also appreciate them the next time you drive, cycle, or walk along Father Griffin Road.
