Old Galway
Lord Dunkellin's Statue
In 1873, this imposing statue was unveiled in Eyre Square in honour of Lord Dunkellin, son of Lord Clanricarde, and heir to the family estates. He had a distinguished military career before being elected MP for Galway City in Parliament. He held the seat for 8 years before being elected for the County in 1865. He died in 1867. There was a very large gathering in the Square on the day of the unveiling with lots of toasts and speeches. The sculpture was a very fine one by the distinguished artist John Henry Foley.But if the artist was popular, the subject of his artwork was not. In the first place, Clanricarde’s tenants were forced to contribute to the cost.
College House, A Brief History
This photograph was originally taken in 1983 as the corporation was preparing to knock down the high wall that ran around St Nicholas’ Collegiate Church and replace it with the railings that had surrounded Eyre Square… one of the better Quincentennial projects that helped improve the face of Galway.At the end of Church Lane you can see College House. It fronted on to Market Street, and behind it was the Monastery School and, behind that again, Bowling Green. The residence of the Patrician Brothers was to the east of the enclosed quadrangle of the school, and the outoffices to the west thereof.In 1650 College House was on the site of the Athy Castle, reputedly the first stone castle built in Galway.
Castlegar Athletic Club
The Castlegar Hurling Club Ladies Committee decided to hold a parish sports day on National Children’s Day, Sunday, 8th June 1975.They enlisted the help of Seán Duffy and Patsy Durnin in the organisation of the event, which turned out to be an outstanding success. As a result, they decided to enter a team of 40 athletes in the County Community Games. Seán Duffy organised training sessions twice a week, a banner and a set of green and white singlets were purchased, and there was great excitement as the big day approached. This excitement reached fever pitch when Ann Fahy won the gold medal in the girls under-14 one hundred metres, and Patricia Grealish brought
Pioneers of Industry in Galway
There were very few industrial plants in Galway in the 1950’s. Galway Textile Printers, known locally as the Cotton Factory, had just opened; there was the Hat Factory, and there were some small units around town, but that was it. Then the Lemass era arrived, and there was a change in government policy as they began to actively encourage industries from abroad to locate here.It was for this reason that a German industry named Steinbock was attracted here. They sent over an engineer named Gunther Lacqua to recruit young Galwegians who would be trained in Germany. Fortunately,
Seamus Heaney Reading for Cancer Care West
A huge crowd turned up in the Bailey Allen Hall last week for a poetry reading by Nobel Laureate, Seamus Heaney. The programme began with some exquisite music by Mozart and Debussy played by Galway’s Musical Quartet, Contempo, and it was followed by music of a different kind that will resonate in the memories of those who were present as Seamus read from his new book Human Chain.He was introduced by his friend of 59 years, Des Kavanagh. They met on their first day in secondary school, and it is a measure of their friendship that Seamus has dedicated this book to Des and his wife Mary.In his introduction, Des talked of their schooldays together, of Seamus’
Taidhbhearc na Gaillimhe
On the 1820 map of Galway, the site of the Taidhbhearc was part of the then Augustinian Church. When the present church was built in the 1850’s, the site became derelict. The late Ned Joyce remembered a large tree growing on the site, a tree which stretched across the street to a tenement known as ‘The Windings’. The occupants used to hang their washing on the tree on fine days.In 1912, The Augustinians built the present building as a parish hall, which functioned as a social club where they put on dramatic productions as well as playing billiards and table tennis etc. This club became defunct and in 1928,
The Corrib Club
“The Galway Corrib Club held their annual regatta on the splendid river of the Corrib at Menlo. The day was as fine as “sunshine and pageantry” could make it, and the ivy-mantled Castle of Menlo, the residence of Sir Thomas Blake, Bart., was decorated with flags of all nations, and waved racefully in the breeze. There was not a ripple on the bosom of the lake unless what was created by the oars of the several beautiful little crafts which were constantly scudding up and down the river, freighted with some of Nature’s fairest daughters. There was a band in attendance and during the day discoursed some beautiful music. Great credit is due to the commodore, P.T. Grealy, Esq., and the members of the club for the satisfactory manner in which the whole arrangements were carried out.
The Eglinton Canal
In 1498, during the Mayoralty of Andrew Lynch, an attempt was made to open a passage from the River orrib along the Sandy River and through land to Lough Athalia, thus connecting the river to the sea.The idea of a canal was mooted by the distinguished engineer Alexander Nimmo in 1822. The advantages were obvious, if steam boats could travel from Galway Docks up to the Corrib, the commercial importance of the city would be increased and a valuable communication with the hinterland would be established. An extension of the service was envisaged and indeed embarked on with a canal bed dug linking Lough Corrib