November 11, 2010

1910

Fist in the jawAt Loughrea Petty Sessions on Thursday, Head-constable Drugan prosecuted Martin Huban for assaulting John Casey at Loughrea on the 20th of October last.

John Casey swore that the assault was on the fair day in the town. In the evening he got a fist in the jaw in Dunkellin-street, but he could not say who struck him. It was daylight, and he saw no crowd about. He was knocked senseless for about half a minute after getting the blow. He was able to get up without the assistance of anyone. He did not see the defendant about at the time. He was not willing to prosecute. 

Constable Finan swore he saw three or four men standing outside Hynes’s publichouse, in a heated discussion, on the evening in question. He afterwards saw the defendant drawing out and strike Casey on the jaw. Casey was knocked to the ground by the blow. He told witness he did not know who struck him, and declined to prosecute.

Sergeant Cunningham, Kilchreest, said as far as he knew, the defendant was a respectable boy. A fine of 10s. 6d. and costs was imposed or the alternative of fourteen days in Galway Jail.

Kinvara shootingAbout six o’clock on Sunday evening, a daring shooting outrage took place at Caherglissane, a village about three miles to the south of Kinvara. An armed party proceeded in the direction of Caherglissane farm, and, when opposite the house of Bartly Clayton, whose sons are herding the farm, deliberately fired eleven shots into the house. One of his daughters was engaged at the time preparing food for pigs, and it is stated that she had a most miraculous escape, receiving the contents of one of the charges in the hand, arm and shoulder. The reasons for the outrage is that the Claytons are herding the farm in opposition to the wishes of the people.

1935

Poteen warThe Mountain Dew, for years the most famous of Connemara’s products, is becoming rapidly a very scarce commodity. A relentless war against the traffic is being waged by the authorities of Church and State throughout the area and in districts where, formerly, it was easy to procure poteen in any quantity from a half glass to a keg, it is now almost impossible to get it under any circumstances.

Severe penalties in the courts, coupled with the frown of the church, are having their effects on the illicit distillers, and it is no uncommon thing to be told that “since the mission” in certain infamous areas, poteen has ceased to be manufactured.

While formerly the war against poteen was pursued with vigour, it is now being pushed to extreme lengths by the new Irish-speaking Garda Divisons, whose linguistic capabilities place them in a better position to deal with the menace than were their predecessors.

Early in the present year, while the Redemptorist Fathers were giving missions in the poteen areas, the Gardaí opened what may be termed a big offensive and on many occasions since have pushed the war into the enemy camp.

At Oughterard, as before reported in Irish in the column, a very strong drive is going forward. Gardaí there, under Sergeant Monahan, have never been so active as they have been for the past few weeks. An intensive campaign is being carried on in the Collinamuck, Cornelisdrum, Wormhole and Ower districts.

As a result of a search in Ower on Tuesday, when some people, it is alleged, were thought the be under the influence of poteen, Sergeant Monahan and Garda McCarthy are said to have found a quantity of poteen in an outhouse which bore traces of having held a large fire. 

There were cans of oil in the shed and it is stated that a number of barrels, said to have been used in the manufacture of poteen, were found outside. A further search of the bogs in the neighbourhood revealed a large, modern worm and cap neatly set in a wooden frame. A large still-head and arm were concealed in a boghole. The equipment was taken by the sergeant and the garda, who destroyed it.

For more, read this week's Connacht Tribune.