A place is defined by its people; those who awake at dawn and from that moment contribute to the betterment of life for their community. To offer a hello, to whistle, to hum. Those who speak and advocate; and those who don’t. Those who lift the hearts through song, through sport, through artistic excellence, through being there when a helping hand is needed.
Places become what they are because of the calibre of the inhabitants. This week, the Galway community is hurting from the tragedy that befell it on Tuesday when two swimmers lost their lives in the fog-covered waters off Silverstrand. At time of writing, the search for one continues, and our thanks go out to all the searchers and their support teams as they rally around the family of the woman who is missing since she went swimming on Tuesday.
We think of her family and friends; and those of Johnny Duhan who also lost his life in the same waters on the same day. The music of Johnny Duhan is written with a honeyed pen; the lyrics are universal but unique, and will live on forever. How fortunate are we that he chose to base himself here for so long. He penned a piece for me two years ago on the magic of coincidental inspiration for songwriting, and I reprint that piece on Page 20 this week just to show what he humbly felt was the simplicity of his craft.
The incidents at Silverstrand came after a particularly sad weekend for Galway. On Friday and Saturday, we heard of the loss of Judy Greene and of Billy Lawless.
On Monday came the announcement that the great Galway footballer Noel Tierney of Milltown had passed away, just a week after a celebration of his life was honoured by the presence of new Footballer of the Year Paul Conroy. The two men, giants of the Galway game, and both utter gentlemen, carried their Footballer of the Year trophies, awards spanned by 60 years. One for excellence in the season of 1964; the other for excellence of 2024. What a fitting acknowledgement of a Galway great. He brought great joy to the bleak years of the 1960s.
Galway greats come in all shapes and forms and in many walks of life. For the Irish diaspora, Billy Lawless was a Galway great; a role honoured by his elevation to the Freedom of this city. There is much talk now about the help for emigrants and of the fear that might exist for them under the new regime Stateside, but Billy advocated for many on the other side of the Atlantic. His personality broke down barriers and made connections that helped many a young Irish person feel secure and get opportunity over there.
So too was Judy Greene a Galway great. That joyous smile, the soft Midlands accent, the generous heart. In this week’s paper, her friend Brian Nolan tells of her impact on Galway, her upbringing, and how a sewing machine which fed her in childhood is now overseas helping another family feed itself.
Judy said once that pottery should not live on a decorative shelf, that it should be used and take part of the life of every family that had some. If it breaks, it breaks, she said, but invariably it didn’t. Toughened by much use, her work goes on for generations.
Toughened by the rigours of life, Billy, Noel, Judy and Johnny contributed to the Galwayness of this place. They have lifted our spirits and made us proud. They have given us the resilience to deal with tragedies such as this week. To all the families impacted by this week, we offer the shoulder of support at this hard time.
