Queen’s College, Galway, the early days

Thu, Nov 14, 2024

The Queen’s Colleges in Galway, Cork, and Belfast were established in 1845, and shortly afterwards, construction of the quadrangular building started in Galway. In May, 1847, despite the Famine, William Brady, the contractor for the building, advertised for 30 stone cutters and 30 stonemasons. Large working sheds were erected on the site so that the work could be carried out in inclement weather. There was no big rush to work from the stone men as the money he offered was below the going rate, but as it was a long term job with shelter provided, so it had a security of employment not available on other building projects, In the end, the building of the college did have a beneficial effect on the depressed conditions in Galway at the time.

The Franciscans in Galway

Thu, Nov 07, 2024

In the graveyard at the back of the Abbey Church in Francis Street stands an interesting memorial carrying the De Burgo coat of arms and a long broadsword. The inscription tells us that it was erected in memory of William De Burgo who founded the Franciscan friary on St Stephen’s Island in 1296. The site was roughly where the Courthouse is today and the island was formed by the Galway River on one side and a branch of that river which ran through what today would be Woodquay and Mary Street and re-joined the main river. A second and smaller island lay between St Stephen’s and the town wall, so that in order to maintain communications with the town, two bridges were necessary, one at the junction of Mary Street and Abbeygate Street and the other at the Little Gate. The Abbey buildings lay immediately north of the present graveyard and between them and the river was ‘Sruthán na mBráthair’, a small stream that enabled the friars to bring boats in from the main river. The monastery was known as the Abbey of St Francis.

Developments in the Claddagh

Thu, Oct 31, 2024

Towards the end of the 19th century, the Claddagh started to go into decline, thanks mainly to the local fishermen not updating their methods of fishing. This economic decline continued into the last century so, when the Urban District Council announced in 1916 that they were starting a reclamation programme of the 30-acre field that was known locally as ‘The Swamp’, it caused a lot of excitement locally. A small working committee was established to carry out the details of organisation. From then on the area was to be known as South Park. I am not sure where that title came from, maybe they regarded the Square as East Park, Salthill Park as Westpark, but where was North Park?

Fairs and markets in the Square

Thu, Oct 24, 2024

In 1902, the number of fairs listed for Eyre Square was: January 1st; March 20th & 21st; April 14th & 15th; May 30th & 31st; June 20th; July 13th & 14th; August 6th; September 3rd & 4th, 20th & 21st; October 21st; November 2nd (pigs only); and December 8th & 9th. This list gives one an idea of how important and busy the Square was for commerce at the time. These were occasions when the country came to town, when rural people brought in their produce and hoped to convert it into cash.

Ninety years a rowing

Thu, Oct 17, 2024

In 1934, a group of Jes boys gathered in Keogh’s shop, next to the school, to discuss the formation of a school rowing club. As there was no one on the staff to take charge, the school turned down the application but the boys were persistent and made another appeal. So, in October, 1934, the Jes Rowing Club was formed. They had to put together a crew, find a coach, get a boat and a base on the river so that they could get on the water.

St Endas’ College, a brief history

Thu, Oct 10, 2024

On this day, October 10, 1937, Coláiste Éinde opened on Threadneedle Road for the first time. The school had been founded by the State in 1928 shortly after the State itself was founded. The aim was to teach boys through the medium of Irish so that they would go on to St Patrick’s Teacher Training College, get secure employment for life and, in turn, educate a new generation of boys through Irish.

The age of sail

Thu, Oct 03, 2024

“A river mouth opening upon one of the finest natural harbours would seem to offer an ideal situation for a town or trading station.” These were the first words written in Professor Mary Donovan O’Sullivan’s very important history Old Galway, which would indicate her surprise that such a fine location would not have attracted a Norse settlement. Water, in the form of the sea, the river and the many streams, was a major factor in the development of the town of Galway from when the Anglo Norman invaders settled and built their castle and town.

One hundred and fifty years of rugby

Thu, Sep 26, 2024

Queen’s College Galway Rugby Club was founded in 1874, 150 years ago, making it the oldest rugby club in Connacht. They have a long and proud history and have helped nurture and boost many rugby careers helping players to the highest levels. They were a founding club of the Irish Rugby Football Union. They won their first Connacht Senior Cup in 1897 and have managed to hold that trophy aloft many times since. Their first victory in the Dudley Cup, played for by the three Queen’s Universities, was in 1905. They have featured many times in the Bateman Cup, an exclusive competition in which clubs participate by invitation only.

The house that Jack built

Thu, Sep 19, 2024

Our main photograph today (which comes courtesy of the National Library of Ireland) is an aerial one of part of Salthill taken in 1953. The main feature is the Warwick Hotel, the white building in the foreground. To the left of it you can see the Summerset Hotel and the little shop, An Bearna, run by James and Maura Codd. Behind the Warwick you can see Lenaboy Park and towards the top of the photograph, the newly built houses of Devon Park.

Galway Bohemians, the early days

Thu, Sep 12, 2024

John O’Dowd got the inaugural juvenile soccer league (for boys under-16) underway in Galway in 1931-2. The clubs competing included; Crusaders, Hotspurs, Reds United, Emmetts, Unknowns, Bective Rangers and Hibernians. The swamp was the only soccer pitch available in Galway at the time. The league was a big success and this prompted the organisers to run a minor league in the 1932-33 season.

Street festivals

Thu, Sep 05, 2024

It was Professor TP O’Neill who suggested the idea of celebrating the 500th anniversary of Galway being declared in 1484, to the then County Manager, Seamus Keating, so a Quincentennial Committee was set up. At one of the early meetings, Willy Fahy suggested the idea of street festivals as part of the programme.

St Nicholas’ Parochial School

Thu, Aug 29, 2024

This Church of Ireland school is situated in Waterside beside the courthouse and the Town Hall, The earliest existing school records date back to 1901 to the Model School which was situated on Upper Newcastle Road. It had opened in 1852 with 400 pupils, many of whom were Catholics. This proved too much for the then Catholic bishop who set out to make way for explicitly Catholic education in Galway. He invited the Mercy Sisters and the Patrician Brothers to set up schools here and made it a ‘reserved sin’ for Catholic parents to send their children to the Model School. This resulted in 199 pupls withdrawing and meant the end of multi-denominational education in the city.

College House and Monastery School

Thu, Aug 22, 2024

This property originally consisted of College House, fronting on Market Street, and the Monastery School to the rear of Bowling Green with the residence of the Patrician Brothers to the east of the enclosed quadrangle and the out offices to the west thereof.

Galway Cathedral

Thu, Aug 15, 2024

The first bishop of the Diocese was George Browne (1831-1844). He was followed by Lawrence O’Donnell (1844-1855); John McEvilly (1955-1883); Francis Carr (1883-1888); Francis McCormack (1888-1908); Thomas O’Dea (1908-1923); Thomas Doherty (1923-1936); and Michael Browne (1937-1976).

Galway’s early association with the theatre

Thu, Aug 08, 2024

We know from the Corporation record books that theatrical performances were given in the Tholsel, the Town Hall of the day, as far back as 1619-20. These groups of ‘strolling players' were usually sponsored by local gentry and were regarded as an important feature of festive gatherings.

Galway hospitals

Thu, Aug 01, 2024

We know there was a hospital in High Middle Street in 1509, though it was probably a poorhouse in reality. In 1542, the Corporation built St Bridget’s Hospital on Bohermore. It subsequently served as a Leper Hospital. The 1651 map of Galway shows four hospitals. In 1820, a fever hospital opened on Earl’s Island, and in 1824, a small lying-in hospital was established on Mill Street at Madeira Island. The County Infirmary opened on Prospect Hill in June 1802.

Seapoint Ballroom

Thu, Jul 25, 2024

Last week we were writing about Cremen’s Health Spa and Sea Baths at Seapoint, and how the complex was bought out by Salthill man, Noel Finan in 1944. He closed down the baths in 1946. He realised that young Galway people wanted something more than the clean invigorating air and to be clean, so he sold the family pub (now Killoran’s) and borrowed heavily from the EBS to build a first class ballroom and restaurant. The restaurant was 4,000 square feet, had 90 tables and could seat 350 diners. Attached to it was a kitchen with the most modern steam and electric equipment. The ballroom had a floor area of 5,200 square feet and was laid with a specially sprung maple floor capable of accommodating more than 2,000 dancers. It also had a balcony which could seat a few hundred people and from which patrons could spot the talent and could, from a distance, comment safely about them.

Seawater baths in Salthill

Thu, Jul 18, 2024

At the beginning of the 19th century, Salthill began to develop as a tourist destination. People found the salt air invigorating and the sea was a huge attraction, not just for swimming or paddling, but also for its curative powers. It was thought to have medicinal powers, and so local people began to take advantage of this wonderful asset beside them to possibly make some money.

The men of ‘34

Thu, Jul 11, 2024

There has been so much hype recently about how Galway had not beaten Dublin in football for 90 years that it got me wondering, what were those men of 1934 like? They must have been mighty men. They were! This is who they were –

Menlo heroes

Thu, Jul 04, 2024

On this day 85 years ago, the fourth of July 1929, rowing history was made at Galway Regatta when a crew from the Menlo Emmetts Club brought the Senior Eights Championship trophy to Galway for the first time. All of the crew were from the small village a few miles up the Corrib, were native Irish speakers, and had lived locally and worked by the river all of their lives.

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