War of Friends, Liam Mellows and Pádraic Ó Máille

Wed, Oct 26, 2022

Today we are highlighting the careers of two men, both of whom were elected as TDs for Galway in 1918, both of whom fought on the same side in the Rising and the War of Independence and then, sadly, took different sides after the Treaty.

An historic air mail flight from Galway to Berlin

Thu, Oct 20, 2022

Ninety years ago, on October 22, 1932, a Fox Moth plane piloted by Captain Armstrong took off from Oranmore carrying mails and two passengers, Peggy Kenny and Kitty Curran, thus starting the first Irish-Continental European air mail delivery and the first passenger service. The mails were handed to the pilot by the postmaster Mr C Lynch. Bad weather at Athlone meant they had to fly blind a few hundred feet above ground for some time. This ‘feeder’ part of the overall journey was sponsored by Galway Harbour Board to the tune of £80. The flight took 55 minutes, it took the ladies four hours to get home on the train.

Salerno, sixty years of secondary education

Thu, Oct 13, 2022

In the late forties and early fifties, the population of Salthill began to grow dramatically with the building of lots of individual houses and estates such as Devon Park and Ard na Mara. There was a national school at Nile Lodge but it was full to capacity, so the bishop invited the Sisters of Jesus and Mary to open another one.

The Galway Woolen Mills

Thu, Oct 06, 2022

In 1895, the Galway Woolen Mills opened in Newtownsmith on land that was owned by Marcella Burke. The project was set up to provide employment, especially for young women, rather than to generate profits. Fr Dooley, the diocesan administrator, was the driving force behind the project and it was known locally as “Fr Dooley’s Mill’ long after he died in 1911. He took over three houses in order to build the mill. The hours were long and the pay was not great, 7/6 for women and 18 shillings for men.

The Corrib Hosiery Factory

Thu, Sep 29, 2022

This factory was situated in Newtownsmith in a tall building that later became part of the ESB complex. It was quite a big employer of the day in the city, employing mostly young girls and women.

Galway auctioneers

Thu, Sep 22, 2022

An auctioneer is described as an agent who accepts bids and sells goods at auction. The profession goes back thousands of years. In ancient Babylon, for instance, they used to hold auctions of women for marriage, indeed it was considered illegal to allow a daughter to be sold outside the auction process. In ancient Rome, they regularly held slave auctions. The idea of auctions as we know them today began in England in the late 17th century. They were referred to as English auctions where bids came in an ascending order.

Merlin Park Hospital

Thu, Sep 15, 2022

Tuberculosis is an infectious and very debilitating disease that affects the lungs. It was previously known as consumption because of weight loss suffered.

Horse trading in Eyre Square

Thu, Sep 08, 2022

One of the earliest associations of Eyre Square with the horse was the jousting competitions that went on there in the middle ages. There were also horse fairs held in the Square where one could buy and sell horses, these were usually held outside the railings and on the streets. Before motorised machinery was invented, the horse provided people with their main type of transport: the work horse was an invaluable part of the farm used to pull the plough or haul the farmer and his cartload of produce into town. Horse racing was always a popular sport and the first Galway Horse Show was held in the Square in 1892.

Hurling — game of legend and of legends

Thu, Sep 01, 2022

Hurling is one of the oldest field games in the world. Some stories portray it as a form of military training, proficiency on the field equated with skill in battle. Legend has it that the first battle of Moytura fought about 2000 B.C. between two rival tribes, was preceded by a fierce hurling match between two teams of 27 a-side drawn from opposing forces. The casualties were buried under a huge stone cairn – a megalithic tomb. The field where the game took place is still called The Field of the Hurlers. Ancient games were also played at Tara.

The happiest days of our lives

Thu, Aug 25, 2022

It may be a cliché but the old adage that the happiest days of our lives were the ones we spent at school would be true for most people. When we were in school, we probably thought that it was all lies, but later we gradually realised it was true. Life changes with time but memories of our school days remain the same all the time, days of laughter, smiles, great friendships, games in the school yard, no worries of bills, taxes or finances, desks with flip-tops and inkwells in the middle, heavy school bags, the glantóir, headline copies, the poems we learned, the sheer joy of the last day before the holidays, the imaginative excuses for being late … “The two wheels fell off me bicycle, sir”.

Tobar Éanna, St Enda’s Well, Barna Woods

Thu, Aug 18, 2022

In many cases, ancient folklore linked holy wells with a god, a goddess, a mythical creature, or a serpent; they were places of pagan worship which were at odds with Christianity. Ever since medieval times, efforts have been made to stop well-worshipping and to Christianise them. Many townlands have a water source that has been marked out for special devotion, most of them being allied to a particular saint. These are usually sanctuaries within the landscape, threshold sites that enable us to step back from the hullabaloo of daily existence and allow us to access something grander and otherworldly, something infinite and unknown.

Steamboats come to Galway

Wed, Aug 10, 2022

One hundred and fifty years ago, on August 17, 1872, the paddle steamer Citiy of the Tribes was launched in South Shields in England. She was built by JT Eltringham, weighed 117 gross tons, and was registered for the Galway Bay Steamboat Company. Her arrival in the docks caused great excitement. She was hailed as heralding a new future for shipping in the west, the age of steam. She was the only steamboat in Galway, a paddle tug about 96ft x 18ft x 9ft, and as you can see from her schedule for July 1875 printed here, she was a busy vessel. On the days not listed, she travelled on excursions or to Aran.

Inis Caorach, Mutton Island

Thu, Aug 04, 2022

In the year 1124, the town was put in a state of security and a strong castle was built at Dún Bun na Gaillimhe (the fortification at the mouth of the Galway River). Several times in the next century, the kings of Munster invaded Connacht bringing death and destruction and usually destroying the town and the buildings on the island. In 1190, there is a reference to Lismacuan, ‘The fort on the Mouth of the Harbour’

Wolfe Tone Bridge

Thu, Jul 28, 2022

Wolfe Tone Bridge was the third bridge to be built over the river. The West Bridge (now known as O’Brien’s Bridge) was the first and dates from medieval times. The Salmon Weir Bridge dates from 1820, and the Wolfe Tone Bridge was built in the mid-19th century.

The construction of the Claddagh Basin

Thu, Jul 21, 2022

On January 1, 1848, Samuel U Roberts was appointed district engineer of the Districts of Lough Corrib. He spent the early part of that year making necessary preparations and arrangements and started navigational works in Galway on March 8, having taken possession of some of the lands required for the Eglinton Canal.

The class of ‘82

Thu, Jul 14, 2022

One hundred and sixty years ago, in 1862, the Jesuits opened the doors of St Ignatius' College on Sea Road for the first time. They also opened a community residence and a church at the same time. To take on such an ambitious building project at a time when the economic state of the country was so bad took courage and vision.

The Model School

Thu, Jul 07, 2022

The Model School on Newcastle Road was built in 1849/50 for a cost of £2,533 plus £800 for the furniture. It was one of a series of Model Schools built around that time and was the only one constructed under budget. It opened in July 1852, 170 years ago this month. It catered for Protestant children.

The Boys' Club

Thu, Jun 30, 2022

“There is nothing as Galway as Our Lady's Boy’s Club,” was how our president Michael D Higgins described OLBC some years ago at a function in the Columban Hall. It is more than 80 years since it was founded and it is the longest-running youth club in the country. It was set up by Fr Leonard Shiel SJ at a time when there were was a lot of grinding poverty in Galway and no recreational facilities or extra-curricular activities for young people in areas like the Claddagh, Bohermore, Shantalla, and ‘The West’. The club provided these and has been a source of guidance and inspiration to thousands of young men and boys since, especially those from a working class background. From that first day of nervous membership, right through their teens, and even after they had taken up the challenges of adult life, the spirit and watchful eye of the Club is ever with them.

The Boys' Club

Wed, Jun 29, 2022

“There is nothing as Galway as Our Lady's Boy’s Club,” was how our president Michael D Higgins described OLBC some years ago at a function in the Columban Hall. It is more than 80 years since it was founded and it is the longest-running youth club in the country. It was set up by Fr Leonard Shiel SJ at a time when there were was a lot of grinding poverty in Galway and no recreational facilities or extra-curricular activities for young people in areas like the Claddagh, Bohermore, Shantalla, and ‘The West’. The club provided these and has been a source of guidance and inspiration to thousands of young men and boys since, especially those from a working class background. From that first day of nervous membership, right through their teens, and even after they had taken up the challenges of adult life, the spirit and watchful eye of the Club is ever with them.

The Bish

Thu, Jun 23, 2022

The Patrician Brothers, at the invitation of the last Catholic Warden of Galway, arrived in Galway in 1826 and a month later they opened St Patrick’s Monastery and School on Market Street. They initially had 200 pupils but this figure rapidly grew so that during the Famine, there were more than 1,000 boys being educated, fed, and many of them clothed there every day. The school was a major success but there were no educational facilities for older boys in the ‘lower orders’ in Galway so Bishop McEvilly invited the Patrician Brothers to set up a secondary school.

E-paper

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