Old Galway
Calling All Jes Past Pupils
The Jesuits first came to Galway in 1645 and settled in a 3-storey building on the site of the present ‘Four Corners’, thanks to the generosity of Edmund Kirwan, a wealthy Galway merchant. Most likely, it was in these premises that their school was conducted, against a background of wars and dissensions. Yet it flourished, in spite of all priests being banished from the city by the Cromwellians, and later the Williamites.The Jesuits came back in 1728, but their mission was withdrawn in 1768 due to a lack of manpower. They were invited back in 1859 by the bishop and set up a college in Eyre Square. The college’s present location on Sea Road dates from 1863.They had to
Merchant's Road, After the Fire
This photograph was taken in the late seventies, and shows how quickly streetscapes can change. Merchant’s Road was originally known as ‘Back Street’ because it was at the back of (outside) the old city walls. As the docks were developed, a lot of warehousing and industrial buildings were constructed around the area to facilitate companies who were importing and exporting from the port, and so Merchant’s Road came into being. It was a drab street, quite a bit of the area we see in the foreground was warehousing like the tall building we see in the centre of our picture.All of that was to drastically change on the morning of August 16th,1971 when a huge fire broke out and
Old Abbeygate Street
There is a real vintage feeling to this photograph of Abbeygate Street which dates from the 1970’s. The double yellow lines are about the only ‘modern’ thing about this image. The street has undergone many changes since.The house we see on the left was occupied by Mr. Kemple and his daughters.The house next door was occupied by the Heaney family and was described as “A large two-bay,three-storey house of cut limestone which dates from the early nineteenth century. The shopfront is simple though it has the letter H incised on the plaster brackets of the fascia.
Galway Textile Printers
Our photograph today, which is courtesy of Pat McPhilbin from Emmett Avenue in Mervue, shows a large factory building which was constructed by Sisks (with Jack Lillis in charge) on a site on Sandy Road in the early fifties. It was to house an industry called Galway Textile Printers which was known locally as ‘The Cotton Factory’, and even more colloquially as ‘The Cotton’. There already was a Hat Factory and a China Factory here, but GTP was the first major industry to come to Galway and quickly became one of the biggest employers in the west of Ireland. Some of those who worked there were specialists who were brought in to help set the factory up, but most employees were local.
Calling All Salerno Past Pupils
Bishop Browne invited the Sister of Jesus and Mary to open an National School in Salthill, and on May 1st 1952, Scoil Íde opened in what used to be a small hotel called Dalysfort House, with 43 pupils and 3 teachers. The numbers grew rapidly, so it was decided to knock the old hotel and build a new school. This was officially opened by the Minister for Education, Dr. Patrick Hillery in 1962.The population of Salthill was expanding rapidly, and the Sisters felt the need for a new girls secondary school, so that same year they started a ‘secondary top’,a first-year secondary school class which was housed in Scoil Íde. There were eight pupils in that class, Geraldine Kelleher,
Currach Racing in Salthill in the 1950s
In the early 1950’s a group of people got together to come up with ideas for extending the tourist season. They decided to focus on traditional Irish cultural events throughout the country, often with a local flavour and they called the project “An Tóstal”. A committee was set up in Galway and they came up with the concept of an All-Ireland Currach Racing Championships. Nothing like this had ever been done before, so it took quite a bit of organisation.It proved to be an inspired decision as these races became one of the top sporting attractions in the country.In 1953, the course was set up off the Claddagh, and every year after that, the races took place in Salthill.
The Royals in Galway, 1903
On the 30th of August, 1903, The Prince of Wales, who later became King Edward VII came to Galway. He was accompanied by his wife who would later be Queen Alexandra. They had sailed Into Killery Harbour aboard the royal yacht, and toured part of Conamara before boarding the Clifden train at Ballinahinch which brought them into Galway. Their visit to the city was full of pomp and ceremony.Galwegians had turned their city into a blaze of colour and decoration with Venetian poles all along the route supporting flags and banners and streamers. The decoration committee were assiduous in their duties, and Messrs Binns and Tighe and Murphy (who was the secretary)
The Men Who First Brought Sam to Galway
Galway reached the All-Ireland football final for the first time in 1919, when they were beaten by Kildare by 2 – 5 to 0 – 1. In 1922 they were beaten by Dublin by 6 points to 4. In 1925 they won it for the first time, beating Cavan by 3 – 2 to 1 - 2. In 1928, the Sam Maguire Trophy was presented to the GAA, and ever since, it has been the dream of every county in Ireland to hold it aloft in Croke Park on the third Sunday in September.In 1933 Cavan beat Galway in the final by 2 – 5 to 1 – 4, but in defeat the Galway team were hailed as a major force for the future, a prediction that turned out to be accurate as they beat Dublin the following year by 3 –