This photograph of a mobile Legion of Mary bookstall was taken at the junction of Father Griffin Road and Father Griffin Avenue in 1938. Both of these roads were recently built. Previously, the main thoroughfare along here was Munster Avenue which connected with Trimm's Lane, thus connecting William Street West and the sea at Grattan Road. The part of this road near the beach was invariably covered in fine sand, and was known locally as the Bockatees.

Most of the area shown in our photograph was once part of the Colohan Estate. The Colohans lived in a large house at the Crescent which was later occupied by the McDonogh family. Their lands ran all the way to the sea before Father Griffin Road existed..

The wall we see to the left adjoined Crosbie's house. To the right of our photograph, out of picture was O'Broin's shop. James and Maighread O'Broin bought their site in 1932, and two years later opened their grocery shop there. It had a distinctive fa�ade, and was a landmark. Maighread was a teacher in Scoil Fhursa for many years.

The building across the road, Irish Motors Ltd., was O'Flaherty's Garage. In 1901, Patrick O'Flaherty bought an old thatch cottage in what would be numbers 15 & 16, Upper Dominick Street. He converted it into a two storey house and a small shop. He developed a hackney business and used to stable his horses out the back. Later he had garage accommodation there for 30 cars. Patrick made the funeral arrangements for Father Griffin in spite of warnings from the Black and Tans. Later they caught him and bayoneted him to death.

By 1927, his son Michael was advertising "Possession of a fleet of modern motor omnibuses and charabancs" and the fact that their service department was in Pump Lane. At the end of 1932, he moved the Service Station to Father Griffin Road, and kept his showrooms and works in Dominick Street. The building we are looking at was one of the first on this new road. O'Flahertys were agents for Dodge and Standard cars, and their phone number was Galway 49. They later extended this building.

This is one of the excellent photographs in the newly published "Father Browne's Galway" edited by E.E.O'Donnell. It is a collection of photographs of Galway city and county mostly taken in the thirties and forties. They are all black and white, wonderful evocative studies of a bygone era. Highly recommended @ €25 in good bookshops.

Please forward any queries/comments to oldgalway@kennys.ie