July 16, 2010

Truant complaintA complaint was dealt with before the Board of Guardians of the Tuam Union on a boy who would not go to school.

Chairman: What was the complaint?

Mr. Daly (Assistant Clerk): He would not go to school, he said that the boys were calling him names.

Chairman: Why don’t you go to school when you are sent?Boy: The boys were calling me namesChairman: Did you tell the master that?

Boy: No, sir.

Chairman: And why didn’t you? You will have to go to school. Would you like to be taken away from your foster parent and sent to an Industrial School?

Boy (crying): I would not, sir.

Chairman: If you don’t go to school regularly, we will have to send you to an Industrial School.

Mr. Dermody: Where you will be whipped.

The foster parent of the child intervened and said she would send him to school regularly.

Chairman: If the boys call you names, report it to the Master and they won’t do it again.

The discussion then ended, the Chairman giving a final caution to the boy, and stating that on the next occasion a complaint was made, the matter might be taken out of the Board of Guardians’ hands by the L.G. Board.

Land CommissionA land sub-commission court was held in Clifden on Tuesday, where several cases were heard and fought out by landlords and tenants who would be better employed in settling their differences out of court under the Act of last season which enables them to do so on equitable terms.

It is to be hoped that this is the last of the land commissions for the Connemara tenants, who should long since have been peasant proprietors under the 1903 Act.

1935

Island conventOn the 15th of next month, August, what will probably be the smallest convent in Ireland will be founded by the Presentation Sisters at Tiernee in the lonely island of Gorumna, off the south-western coast of Connemara.

The Mother House of the new convent will be Tuam. From here at the request of the parish priest, Very Rev. Father P.J. McHugh, and of his Grace, the Archbishop of Tuam, the Archbishop of Tuam, four sisters will set out for Gorumna to become the nucleus of a convent that will assist greatly in catering for the temporal, spiritual and education needs of some of the bleak Gaedhealtacht parishes.

Already, Mr. Patrick Robison, contractor, Claremorris, who has completed his work on the new Church of Mary Immaculate in the same place, has commenced reconditioning the national school teacher’s residence which is to become the future Presentation Convent, Tiernee.

At present, it is hard to believe that the little schoolhouse and residence will eventually become an important conventual settlement. Only when one remembers the splendid work done in Achill by these same Sisters of the Presentation, is one reminder of the power of a Faith that knows no obstacles. Indeed, the new Convent and school will possess many features strikingly reminiscent of the schools at Keel.

The daily attendance at the schools at present averages ninety-seven children of the poorest families to be found west of the Shannon, and the sisters hope to substantially increase this figure.

Population increaseAn increase in population of 20,000 persons in the Free State is shown in the estimate of the Registrar-General’s office. The population, says the quarterly return, in the middle of 1935 is estimated at 3,033,000 persons, or 1,545,000 males and 1,488,000 females. This excess of males over females in the Free State population make it remarkable among civilised nations.

Another historical anomaly is the fact that during the first quarter of 1935 the immigrants to this country were larger than that of emigrants to places out of Europe and not within the Mediterranean Sea. Only 200 persons during this period emigrated, while the number of immigrants from these places was 268. The main cause of the increase of population was natural increase, excess of births over deaths.

For more, read this week's Connacht Tribune.