Pictures and memories from old Galway

Stevolende wrote: »

is Eyre square going to be slowly re-surrounded by fencing? I had an old image of the park I think from early in the last century (though it could have been as late as the 60s) with railings surrounding it.
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The man who told me about it was the late Tommie Cooke, who used to run the old Moy Hotel in Ballina (now the Ballina Library).

He was an officer in the Irish Army during ww2, and was Duty Officer in Renmore Barracks the night of the crash. He told me he got a phone call from the telephone kiosk outside the Warwick Hotel in Lower Salthill from the Wellington pilot (S/Ldr G. Allington, a New Zealander, if I remember correctly). The then Captain Cooke advised him he would send a truck to Salthill to pick him and his crew up, bring them back to Renmore, give them a hot meal and a bed, and that they would be back across the N. Ireland border within 36 hours (which apparently was the arrangement for downed allied fliers).

Allington told him he first needed the use of a motor launch to confirm that the plane had sunk below water, since it contained a lot of top-secret electronics, which had to be kept out of enemy hands! Captain Cooke provided the boat, the plane was established to have been completely below water, and whatever crew could be found were brought to Renmore Barracks.

Returning from our Patrol we were unable to get to our base [because of] weather conditions, and radio aids were of no use either at that time. I decided that we would have to abandon the aircraft, so found a town on the coast & prepared the crew for the jump. Stan prepared me with my kit and helped the other boys also, opening the escape hatch beside me on the floor. [W]hen I told him to go first, he quietly stepped forward and told me he would stay with me and help the others out first over [a] narrow strip [of land] .. [A]s [the jump] had taken more time than I had anticipated I turned back along the shore line for another run. As I was going to turn the aircraft back onto its course again I had engine trouble, so told Stan to leave, which he did … The [engine] trouble was slight actually so I got everything under control again, settled the aircraft and left it myself. [After] landing I realized that Stan was probably in the water....(Stan's) gallant act of self-sacrifice cost [him] his life.

chuky_r_law wrote: »

wasnt there a shortlived cocktail bar opposite freenys bar called manhattens, back around the early to mid 90's?

skelliser wrote: »

a few more...

spainish arch was a carpark
jurys was a derelict mill
arch motors was were bazaar is now
easons was called o'gormans toy shop
town hall theatre was a cinema with holes in must of the seats
headford rd shopping centre had no roof
there was no quincintenial bridge
claddagh palace
behind roches was a big carpark, carpark behind boi at bottom of the square, carpark behind corbett court, radisson/bus station was also a carpark, apartments on merchants road was also a car park
massive dome type thingy down the docks for coal i think,
main road went around that way also, now it cuts through past the harbour hotel.
man with monkey in eyre square near imperial hotel
blind accordian player outside treasure chest
news at ten were monsoon is now
o connors was were river island is, upstairs was video rental place with mirrors on each side as you walked up the stairs!
omniplex/woodies was a field
rahoon flats

Iwannahurl wrote: »

Ah, I remember going into banks in the old days.

We were happy then, though we were poor...