Galway In Days Gone By
1926
Fancy dress ball
The fancy dress dance held in the Town Hall, Galway, on New Year’s Night, organised by Mrs. Hanan, Ivymount, attracted about sixty couples and brought out some quite original costumes.
As is usual with Mrs. Hanan, every variety of novelty was introduced, and the hall was artistically decorated. The most pleasing feature of the dance was the success of the local Weberton Synco-Melody Band.
Owing to the lack of good local dance bands in the past, the idea has obtained that nothing good in the dance musical line can come out of Galway: a band must be obtained from Athlone or from Dublin. It can be stated with perfect truth that the Weberton Band is as good as any other provincial musical combination in Ireland and is equal to many of the much-lauded Dublin bands.
The first prize for ladies (a perfume spray) went to Mrs. Margetts for a perfect representation of a western countrywoman; second (a mother pearl bracelet) to Miss Patterson. The first prize for gentlemen went to Mr. Jack Yeats, of the Pins and Needles Co. at the Victoria; the second (a tortoise shell cigarette case) went to Mr. Storey.
Little Miss Griffiths looked awfully dainty as the Spirit of the New Year, when she emerged from the huge egg in which she was carried in at the stroke of midnight.
1951
Wonder drug
A couple of months ago, a young man lay in grave danger in a Galway hospital while phone calls were being made to Dublin and to Shannon Airport for a drug called Cortisone which was urgently required for him. Four days went by before the drug finally arrived in Galway and was administered to him.
Cortisone is hailed as one of the latest wonder drugs to be produced in America. Its discovery was announced to the public just over a year ago. It holds out hope to all sufferers from rheumatoid arthritis; it helps those who suffer from ulcerative colitis and psoriasis, subdues the pain of gout, relieves the tortures of asthma and eradicates pain in certain other disorders.
Cortisone is very costly; the very small packet which was received in Galway for the particular case mentioned cost £74. Production cost is heavy, supplies are very low, and great care must be taken to conserve supplies.
Pictured: TRAGIC FIRE: Galway Fire Brigade at the Sancta Maria Hotel on St Mary's Road in Galway City which was gutted by a fire in February 1964, resulting in the tragic loss of three lives.