Search Results for 'Paddy Fahy'

In 1924, the Galway Agricultural & Sports Society was formed, a group of visionary people, mostly businessmen from the town, with the aim of providing amenities for the citizens of Galway and environs. They purchased 17 acres of land from the Erasmus Smith Foundation, the owners of the Grammar School. These 22 men, together with five trustees, began to develop the ground to let to various sporting bodies which included greyhound racing, rugby, hurling and football, camogie, ladies hockey, drill displays etc. The first president of this group was CJ Kerin, 1925-1955 and he was followed by John D Whelan, 1955-1964. It was always intended to be a multi-purpose venue and was variously known as the Sportsground, the Sports Field or the Galway Greyhound Stadium.

It is that time of the year again when children go back to school. It will be different this year as most of them will be delighted to return to classes and meet their friends after such a long break. For older generations, this time of year was, in the words of the Bard, more akin to "creeping like snail unwillingly to school”. And yet, when we look back on our schooldays, it is usually with affection. The old cliché ‘the best years of our lives’ still applies. It was where were educated, matured, learned and developed skills, remembered quotations like the above from the Bard, and made friends for life.

One of the great sporting achievements of the last century was the remarkable success of a group of Irish speaking farmers and local men from Menlo. During a very wet spring when they could do little work on their farms or on the bog, as they watched rowing crews going up and down the river, a group of them decided to form a rowing club. They asked to become members of Menlo Emmetts Hurling Club and adopted the name. Many of them would have spent a lot of time on the river, but that did not mean they knew how to handle a racing boat. When they took their clinker out for the first time, it took them a good while to steady the boat. A local man watching, described them as “The Wobblers” and this name stuck for a few years.