THE GALWAY GENERAL OMNIBUS COMPANY
by Tom Kenny
The first regular public transport service in Galway was run by the Galway and Salthill Tramway Company which started business on October 1st, 1879 and which by 1885 was being used by in excess of 105,000 passengers per year. During the First World War, most of the company’s best horses were commandeered by the British Army and there was more and more competition from motorised vehicles, so the tramway ceased trading in April 1918.
This was a retrograde step for locals using public transport so, one hundred years ago, on April 5th 1919, the Galway General Omnibus Company was registered as a public company. It was the first motor omnibus company to be founded in Ireland and they held their first meeting on July 31st that year. Their stated object was to operate a bus service every 15 minutes between Galway and Salthill
During its first year the company, also known as Bus Comhlucht na Gaillimhe Teoranta, made a net profit of £634. Their rolling stock comprised 3 vehicles including a double-deck Commer bus with seating for 48 persons, an open top Karrier double decker with 49 seats and a single decker for winter service to Salthill. The body work on the buses was built by Fahy Brothers who were well known coach builders in Forster Street. The manager of the company from 1920-1924 when he emigrated, was Michael Joyce who was the father of William Joyce who became famous during WWII as ‘Lord Haw Haw’.
In 1921, two of their buses were commandeered by the Auxiliaries and driven away with machine guns mounted on board and never seen in Galway again. In July of that year, two more buses were commandeered for the purposes of removing patients from Galway Workhouse to permit occupancy of the building by the military. 17 men and 43 women were forcibly removed amid protestations and these aged and infirm people were taken, in great distress, to Gort Workhouse.
The company continued to grow and expand with new routes but in spite of the fact that they were in good financial state and making a profit, and also in spite of many local objections, they were taken over by Great Southern Railways in August, 1936.
Our photograph show some of the directors and staff in front of one of their early vehicles (probably a Lancia) c.1920. They are, from the left; W.P. Higgins, J. Winter. M.T. Donnellan, J.M. Leech (company secretary), T.C. McDonough, M.J. Joyce (manager), M.J. Crowley, J. O’Kelly, Mr. Lynch, Paschal Joyce, Joe Young and a man named Guilfoyle.
Much of today’s information is taken from Michael J. Hurley’s book “The Story of Galway General Omnibus Company Limited”.