Search Results for 'Barbara Walsh'

St Mary’s opened in 1912 with 60 boarders and 17 day boys. The first school sports there took place in 1928, and since then the college has produced many fine athletes in track and field. The first mention of All-Ireland sports in the annals of the school concerns Tom Fahy, who in 1938 set a new Irish record for the 12lb shot. In 1939 the school won its first Connacht Schools title; in 1943, it won three titles, four in 1946, and five in 1947. In that last year, one athlete, Martin Kilmartin, won three golds, and set records in both the triple jump and the long jump. In 1948 the college again won five titles, and in 1950 John Linnane set a new Irish record in the pole vault.

In the early 1950s the chain of shops owned by Woolworths was expanding, but it did experience some difficulty establishing a branch in Galway. It appears some councillors and retailers resisted the move, but after several failed attempts, ‘Woolies’ (as it became known), acquired the former site of the old Royal Hotel on the Square. Woolies knocked the hotel and put up a purpose built retail store. As the day of the opening approached, local interest became intense.