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Old Galway
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
The Best Years of Our Lives
This is the time of year when schools reopen and pupils start a new phase of their lives in a different class with new teachers. As we watch the kids “Creeping like snail unwillingly to school”, many will nostalgically think back to their own schooldays, to the tricks we played on each other and on the teachers, to the nicknames we had, the games we played, the subjects we loved or hated, a favourite teacher, the injustices we suffered and so on. For most people, these will be happy memories.
St Nicholas' Collegiate Church
This photograph of the interior of St. Nicholas’ Collegiate Church was originally taken c. 1890 and was given us by the National Library. The Leper’s Gallery can be seen over the arches to the left.
The church was originally built in 1320, a cruciform building without aisles. It was dedicated to St. Nicholas of Myra, patron saint of mariners. The site selected was long conservated to religion, a church having existed there for a long time, subject to the Cistercian Abbey of Knockmoy.
Galway and Salthill Trams
The Midland Great Western Railway arrived in Galway in 1851. Galway was a dreamy town then, recovering from the Famine, but the opening of the railway connected it to most other towns and cities in Ireland and was important from a commercial and from a tourism point of view. In 1872, the Galway Bay Steamboat set up a regular service to the Aran Islands. Galway was expanding and so was the suburb of Salthill, so in 1877, the Galway and Salthill Tramway Company was inaugurated. The Galway Town Commissioners gave the project every encouragement…. In fact they extended the time limit within which the tracks had to be laid.
300 Years in The Meat Trade
