Clay pipes and dúidíns

Thu, May 20, 2021

In the days before cigarettes were invented, clay pipes were very popular and could be found in most houses in the country. They were mainly used by working class people, easy to purchase, mass produced, cheap and light, and smoked by men and women. The short stemmed version was known as a dúidín or dudeen in Ireland, as a cutty in Scotland, and a ‘nose warmer’ in England. The longer version was known as the Beannacht Dé pipes or ‘The Lord ha’ mercy’ pipe, as that was how people invariably responded when you gave them one, “Beannacht Dé leat”.

Murder in the city, intimidation in the county - Galway, May 1921

Thu, May 13, 2021

The Government of Ireland Act came into being on May 3 1921, resulting in a parliament for the six northern counties and devolved powers for the 26 counties.

Reilly’s Hotel, Salthill

Thu, May 13, 2021

This small hotel owned by Mrs B O’Sullivan was prominently situated in Salthill (near where Seapoint is today), fully licensed, hot and cold running water in all bedrooms, and had a large bungalow in the grounds at the back.

May Sundays in Menlo

Thu, May 06, 2021

“Boats from the Long Walk as well as the Boraholla boats were plying, and the shouting of the boatmen 'Who’s for Menlo, twopence a head, children free' rent the air …. It is a slow voyage but no-one minds. Joe Banks, piper to the King plays ‘The Rakes of Mallow'. Joe Kelly is piping in another boat, which is occupied by the Mayor of Galway …… Sweet vendors were working night and day preparing sugar-sticks and kiss-pipes which were sold in colours of red and white at a half-penny each ….. the cries of different vendors of eatables and drinks rent the air: ‘Cider a penny a glass …. The real juice of the American apple; Guinness threepence per pint and minerals twopence per bottle’ is the shout …… Puritans and temperance fanatics were unknown …. The ladies in the enclosure, which was at this side of the castle, with their sunshades and costumes of mid-Victorian days, looked beautiful. The villagers and colleens with their shoulder-shawls and neat pinafores were a picture of neatness and comeliness. They were all dressed — not undressed as they are today. Lady Blake hands the prizes and cups to the successful crews. The Miss Blakes are chatting in good old Irish to Maureen, Shawneen and Paudeen.”

Calling all Salerno girls

Thu, Apr 29, 2021

The words of the late John O’Donohue, “The beginning often holds the clue to everything that follows” could be said to be prophetic if applied to the date of May 1, 1952, in Salthill. On that day, the courageous Sisters of Jesus and Mary opened a national school in what had been a small hotel known as Dalysfort House or Allen’s Hotel in Árd na Mara. They called it Scoil Íde and had 43 pupils. I don’t know if the teachers, Sisters Immaculata and Celine, had any idea of what kind of impact that beginning would make on education and social life in Galway, but if they had, it would have been beyond their wildest dreams.

April Fools and the valley of death - Galway 1921

Thu, Apr 22, 2021

Major General Henry Tudor arrived in Galway for the weekend on April 1 1921. On Saturday morning he inspected the RIC, then made his way to Lenaboy Castle to inspect the D Company Auxiliaries.

Country butter in the market

Thu, Apr 22, 2021

There was nothing quite like the first bite and creamy taste of hand-churned country butter whether it was oozing and melting on your potatoes or spread on your bread. It was usually made in small batches, was rich and flavoursome, and had an old fashioned taste, the way butter used to taste years ago.

Claddagh Parade, c1910

Thu, Apr 15, 2021

An article that appeared in The Irish Times on January 7, 1861, was lifted from the Galway Press and started as follows: “Twenty years ago, this fishing village, for which outdoor relief is now deemed necessary, was the greatest source of profit and employment to the people of Galway. It was the wealth producing quarter of the town, and not alone the town of Galway, but many parts of the interior of Ireland felt the benefit of the successful industry of the Claddagh fishermen. The harvest fishing season, which began in August and ended in November, produced a very large accession of wealth to the country. The number of cadgers leaving the town for the interior averaged about 150 daily, and whilst these peripatetic dealers in fish were thus numerously employed, the foremost merchants we had were occupied in filling their stores with herrings, and even the Fishery Board on some occasions were known to barrel large quantities. So abundant frequently was the take that all the cargoes of salt provided by the importers of that article did not suffice, and it had to be brought overland from Limerick and other places.”

Dancing feet in the Hangar

Thu, Apr 08, 2021

Early in 1922, the urban council decided to purchase the hangar and some of the huts at Oranmore Airfield which had been used by the RAF there. The price was £400. Willie Joe Simon’s tender for their removal and re-erection of was accepted. Following the assembly of the Hangar in Salthill Park, a council meeting was held there and decided that ‘a dancing floor in timber be laid down’. They also recommended that one of the sheds purchased in Oranmore ‘be erected adjoining the Hangar to be used as a kitchen and supper room’. Three councillors, John Coogan, Mr Bailey, and Martin Cooke supported the sale, other councillors said it would become a ‘white elephant’. They were wrong.

Galway Sinn Féin to hold Easter Rising online commemoration

Thu, Apr 01, 2021

The 105th anniversary of the Easter Rising of 1916 will be commemorated online this year as last year by Galway Sinn Féin.

A summer tram on William Street, 1904

Thu, Apr 01, 2021

Our photograph of William Street shows the horse-drawn open-topped summer tram heading towards the terminus on Eyre Square.

The burning of the Sinn Féin hall, 100 years ago

Thu, Mar 25, 2021

Around the year 1890, this four storey building at the top of Prospect Hill was derelict. It was bought by the Sisters of Mercy and used by them as a ‘House of Mercy’, a training centre for girls. The nuns called it St Patrick’s House but their scheme failed due to lack of finance and staffing problems, so they let the building out on rent.

British Army and RIC unleash terror on the streets of Clifden

Thu, Mar 18, 2021

March 1921 saw the British army's D Company Auxiliaries continue their tour of east Galway, assisted by an RAF spotter plane, the RIC, the Black and Tans, and various members of the Crown Forces.

'The Pools' in Salthill

Thu, Mar 18, 2021

The ladies and children’s bathing pools in Salthill were blessed by Canon Davis in 1930. These were two linked tidal pools which filled up when the tide came in and emptied when the tide went out. The floors were of sand so they were a perfect playground for children even when they had dried out. Thousands of children and adults learned how to swim there with Jimmy Cranny of Galway Swimming Club and Christy Dooley of Blackrock Swimming Club teaching organised groups on alternate evenings throughout the summer.

The handing over of Galway Gaol

Thu, Mar 11, 2021

Galway City and County gaols were built at the beginning of the 19th century on a large site which took up most of Nuns Island. Construction was conditional on a right of way, the road all around the walls, also being built. James Hardiman, the historian, described it as follows: “The Prison …. Is built in the form of a crescent …. The interior of which is divided into eight wards ….. separated by walls which form so many radii of a circle, and, terminating in the rear of the governor’s house, bringing the whole range within many of his windows, by which means he can, at a single glance, survey the entire.”

Bowling Green

Thu, Mar 04, 2021

Bowling Green first appears without a name on a map in 1608. It features a little later as Bóthar Alasandair or Alexander’s Lane (eventually shortened to Sander’s Lane) which in turn was named after Alexander’s Tower, a medieval tower nearby. It is difficult to know exactly when the name Bowling Green originated, but we must presume there was a bowling green in the area at some point. On an Ordnance Survey map of 1839, the part of Bowling Green we see in our photograph was known as ‘Bowling Green Lane’ while the section connecting with Lombard Street was known as ‘The Bow’. Both sections are collectively known as Bowling Green today.

A view from the rear of the Spanish Arch

Thu, Feb 25, 2021

The Spanish Arch was not part of the original city walls but was built in 1584 as a measure to protect the city’s quays. It was originally known as Ceann an Bhalla or The Head of the Wall, a fortification that extended from Martin’s Tower to the river. Then in the 18th century, the Eyre family built Long Walk as an extension of the quays and a breakwater to construct a mud berth. A number of arches were constructed to allow access from the town to the new quay but unfortunately, an earthquake that occurred in Lisbon in 1755 resulted in a tsunami that destroyed some of these arches. In olden times, ships would have moored here unloading their cargo of Spanish wines and foodstuffs such as olive oil, spices, tea, coffee, and cocoa. Later, these ships would have been replaced by Aran fishing boats unloading and selling their wares.

'If one policeman is shot here up goes the town'

Thu, Feb 18, 2021

By early 1921 Britain’s war in Ireland was not just a moral issue, but a financial one. The sheer expense of solving 'The Irish Question', considering financial reparation for the loss of civilian life and destruction of private property, along with the price tag of the Crown Forces’ operations in Ireland, was staggering.

Danno, the quintessential Galwegian

Thu, Feb 18, 2021

He was one of those people who was known to all by just the one name, Danno, and that was not even his actual name. He was born Francis Brendan Heaslip in Knocknacarra in 1938. Because he looked very like a boxing champion of the times, Danno O’Mahoney, he was given the nickname and it stuck. He was one of six siblings born to Joe Heaslip from Cork and Maureen O’Donoghue from Tuam; Minnie, Jimmy, Michael, Danno, Helen, and Phil. They lived in Lenaboy Gardens in Salthill,.

Galway Hockey Club, the first seventy years

Thu, Feb 11, 2021

In 1951 Hastings Elliott Jephson was working in the ESB in Galway when he had the idea of setting up a hockey club in the city. He and his friend George Bevis decided to see if there was merit in this notion, so they simply went from door to door around town asking people if they would have any interest in playing the game of hockey.

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