Pictures and memories from old Galway

lovelyhome · 21-07-2009 4:18pm

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forumfiend · 21-07-2009 5:08pm

I think this post should be locked in case the parochial nature of the content causes offence to any non-Galwegians who might be reading

hairyfairy00 · 21-07-2009 5:29pm

My aunt has photos of the fire at Farrah, i'll try and get them off her and post them.
Someone a few pages back mentioned Keogh's shop in Corrib Park, well that was my grandmothers. Used to love family get togethers, adults in the kitchen havin a drink and all us kids eating all the sweets in the shop!

My dad worked in The Cellar from the late 60's untill the early 80's (was manager for a while also) I remember an old lad called Christy who used to take out his false teeth and rattle them off the bar counter to entertain everyone.
I have a photo from 1980 of all the bar staff, if anyone wants a copy pm me and i'll sent you a copy.

lovelyhome · 21-07-2009 5:39pm

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hairyfairy00 · 21-07-2009 5:44pm

Here's a photo from the 'far' Rahoon flats looking towards the Innishannagh Park direction in March 1977

The Claddagh Palace sometime in the early 80's when someone messed around with the lettering for the movies

lovelyhome · 21-07-2009 5:48pm

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Malice · 21-07-2009 5:52pm

This isn't going back that far but I'm curious if anyone has the answer. Cuba nightclub was known as the Icon for a couple of years in the late 90s. Does anyone remember the name of the bar that was on the ground floor (where Bar 903 is now)? I was in Bar 903 last week and it came up in conversation and I couldn't remember.

lovelyhome · 21-07-2009 5:54pm

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Malice · 21-07-2009 5:58pm

lovelyhome wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Hmm, that doesn't sound right. I do remember that The Bentley was the nightclub while I was in school. As I recall it changed to the Icon so I'm sure the downstairs bar changed at the same time.

hairyfairy00 · 21-07-2009 6:00pm

lovelyhome wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

That was on Eglinton Street where GPO is now

FatherTed · 21-07-2009 6:18pm

ErnieBert wrote: »

Anyone remember when Salthill was FULL of nightclubs?

Oasis.
Rumours.
Saphires.
The Oz.
Hilltop.
Twiggs,
The Castle.
Whispers.
CJ's.
Francie's.
Cavern.

All of them were always busy too.

Also, Feeney's Shop.
Kamal's Chipper.
Bake N' Take.
Del Rios.
Beefeaters.
Treasure Island.
Silver Dollar.
Big Ark.

Also Cheers in Salthill and The Galleon Grill owned by the Lydon House people, before that is was another Wimpy.

Foxerella · 21-07-2009 8:56pm

I used to go to a cafe called Brambles opposite the Abbey Church to meet chicks. There would be 27 of us at one table drinking a Coke with 27 straws.

Oh I remember it well... and the murals downstairs.
What about the Stella Cafe, and you could ask for a red box of matches

ErnieBert · 21-07-2009 11:05pm

Foxerella wrote: »

I used to go to a cafe called Brambles opposite the Abbey Church to meet chicks. There would be 27 of us at one table drinking a Coke with 27 straws.
]

I must know you Foxerella. I used to go there too circa 1986/87 to meet up with the hot young ones from the Mercy and Prez.

Sponge Bob · 22-07-2009 12:02am

hairyfairy00 wrote: »

The Claddagh Palace sometime in the early 80's when someone messed around with the lettering for the movies

The claddagh stored the letters in a box over the roof and you can see the box lid was open on the top right . Right of "Nun"

I got up there one night on me way home from Salthill ( pished) and changed Rambo to Ramboredsheep and I dropped a few letters on the ground along the way where they smashed . They are welcome to sue me of course

The best one I heard of was when someone changed the movie title "Cry Of The Innocent" to "Oh ***k Me" .

Aurora Borealis · 22-07-2009 12:54am

galwaybabe wrote: »

Wipes tear from eye

Well I'd love to sipping a pint in there right now. Great spot it was.

Aurora Borealis · 22-07-2009 12:57am

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

Thank you. I had completely forgotten about that guy with the monkey. This thread is memory lane heaven!!

Aurora Borealis · 22-07-2009 1:04am

Krieg wrote: »

Elderly man who was able put his lip over half his face (another galway character)

That was Patcheen Stephens was it not, there's a great picture of him up in the train station.

My last memory of him is seeing him in the little bar that was down a laneway off Dominic St ( Clogs maybe?)and him demonstrating his gurning powers.

mrsdewinter · 22-07-2009 1:18am

lovelyhome wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Thursdays rocked! If you were female and aged between 9 and 49, you had to swing in for a look every time you came in to town. Apart from the clothes, they also did a fantastic line in cheap accessories - very useful when those over-sized plastic earrings were in fashion in the 80s. Most of it, in my case, was very throwaway and disposable - apart from a pair of tweezers I picked up in 1992. They were about a £1 but they did the job for more than 16 years. I almost shed a tear when I lost them earlier this year. Especially when I ended up shelling out 15 quid for a new Tweezerman set... God bless Thursdays...

Sponge Bob · 22-07-2009 1:46am

Aurora Borealis wrote: »

Great spot it was.

Ah poor Mick , what a gentleman ! I hope none of the parasites who owed him money are still alive , ***** !

Xenophon · 22-07-2009 2:19pm

The County Library used to be in the back of the Court House before it moved to Augustine St, and the children's section was in a small alcove by a bay window overlooking the Salmon Weir Bridge. We would listen at doors in the building to try and hear if a court case was being held when we'd get left off to get some books :-)
Merchant's Road and most of the back streets looked direlict, and you wouldn't wander down them on your own in the evening.You could still see the black wooden tower from McDonogh's fertiliser works where Jury's is now.Before the Eyre Square Centre, there was CorbettCourt, and before that - Corbetts! There was also a sizeable carpark at the back of Corbetts.
There were shops like Heatons (clothes), McGoldrick's (chemists), McNamara's (butchers), The Software Shop (software naturally), and Caulfield's in Dominick St where you could get lots of nice sweets by the quarter pound...
Nora Barnacle's house was just another house, and all the houses in Bowling Green were run-down hovels.Where Westide is now was a swamp, where I used to catch frogs and newts as a kid. You could see rabbit, hares, stoats and weasels, and pick nuts and blackberries there. And it wasn't called Westside until well after the shopping centre opened - it was Dangan Upper or Newcastle!
The Rahoon bus used to go up the Old Seamus Quirke Road, up Rahoon Road to the flats, and then come back that way again rather than going round Siobhan McKenna Road - because Siobhan McKenna road didn't go anywhere - it stopped at Corrib Park. Going for a walk along Circular Road brought you deep into farmland.
On the other side of town, in Mervue, before the Eircom (Telecom Eireann) building went up c1984, there was only one road - Monivea Road heading out that direction. There was some waste ground we used to call Snakes Valley roughly where the Eircom building is, full of rabbit warrens, and hills for young lads on motorbikes to do jumps on. The shops in Mervue were Skelton's and O'Flaherty's. Castle Park was woodland. There were no houses anywhere near Ballyloughane beach. The Walter Macken flats in New Mervue had a huge 'Bobby Sands RIP' daubed in black on the side of them for ages.
The thatched cottage in Blackrock at the end of the prom was inhabited.Misbehaving children were threatened with being sent to the Industrial School in Lower Salthill...

?Cee?view · 22-07-2009 2:27pm

"sizeable carpark at the back of Corbetts."

...and that was always known as Corbetts Yard. It had some building materials which Corbetts sold stored in it as well in old shed like buildings. You accessed the yard through Castle Street (now pedestrian entrance to Dunnes in Edward Square) or through Whitehall (where the back pedestrian entrance to Eyre Square Centre is now)

Krieg · 22-07-2009 2:47pm

malice_ wrote: »

Does anyone remember the name of the bar that was on the ground floor (where Bar 903 is now)?

The Bentley (Great sandwich's

)

"sizeable carpark at the back of Corbetts."

...and that was always known as Corbetts Yard. It had some building materials which Corbetts sold stored in it as well in old shed like buildings. You accessed the yard through Castle Street (now pedestrian entrance to Dunnes in Edward Square) or through Whitehall (where the back pedestrian entrance to Eyre Square Centre is now)

Now that brings me back. Id kill for a photo. I remember the carpark was fairly half arsed and seem to be placed over the remains of a destroyed building.

?Cee?view · 22-07-2009 2:54pm

Part of the destroyed building was the old City Wall, some of which is incorporated into the Eyre Square Centre now.

Another ruin there was part of an old military barracks (or castle) that Castle Street was named after.

Yet more destroyed/damaged buildings there were as a result of a huge fire in Corbetts in the early 70s (I think 1971) when Corbetts from their yard, out to what's now the Corbettcourt entrance on Williamsgate Street went up in flames destroying most of Corbetts and other shops too.

lala stone · 22-07-2009 3:14pm

Ah Taffees... the dogs, the arans, the smell of wee, the lipstick...people in retail have changed sooo much

Malice · 22-07-2009 3:27pm

Krieg wrote: »

The Bentley (Great sandwich's )

No, the Bentley nightclub became the Icon. Actually, now that I think about it some more, it's quite possible that there was no downstairs bar and it was all part of the nightclub.

Back in those days I rarely used to venture into town for a night out. Salthill was where it was at. Beers in O'Reillys and The Cottage followed by arguments trying to decide whether to go to The Castle, Vagabonds, The Oasis/Liquid or CJs

.

?Cee?view · 22-07-2009 5:38pm

malice_ wrote: »

No, the Bentley nightclub became the Icon. Actually, now that I think about it some more, it's quite possible that there was no downstairs bar and it was all part of the nightclub.

Back in those days I rarely used to venture into town for a night out. Salthill was where it was at. Beers in O'Reillys and The Cottage followed by arguments trying to decide whether to go to The Castle, Vagabonds, The Oasis/Liquid or CJs .

...followed by either "food" in the Oasis itself or the Wimpy! Food heaven (when pissed of course):D

lovelyhome · 22-07-2009 6:29pm

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paddytheloaf · 23-07-2009 2:39am

hairyfairy00 wrote: »

My aunt has photos of the fire at Farrah, i'll try and get them off her and post them.
Someone a few pages back mentioned Keogh's shop in Corrib Park, well that was my grandmothers. Used to love family get togethers, adults in the kitchen havin a drink and all us kids eating all the sweets in the shop!

My dad worked in The Cellar from the late 60's untill the early 80's (was manager for a while also) I remember an old lad called Christy who used to take out his false teeth and rattle them off the bar counter to entertain everyone.
I have a photo from 1980 of all the bar staff, if anyone wants a copy pm me and i'll sent you a copy.

Your Dad must be Vincent and Declan is your uncle (or visa versa)
The old lad was Christy Haughey from Woodquay.....
Some of the staff around then would have been.....

Sean Lenihan
Johnny Joyce
Declan Burke
Paddy and Tommy Ivers
Pat Derrick
Frank Small
Jurgen Gottche
Jim Byrne
Mick O'Donnell
Gearoid Browne
Andy from Donegal
Joe O'Carroll (Salthill)
Paddy King
Albert
Francie Higgins (DJ)

Would you please post the photograph...???

paddytheloaf · 23-07-2009 2:56am

Hotwheels wrote: »

And don't forget Mrs Powell and her horse...I think she ended up living in the Rahoon flats...

I remember going thru Corrib Park in the AM on my way home, the front door of a house I passed had a Horse tied to the bottom of the stairs...:D that was about 1980..

I've seen the pictures of the fire in Corbetts, brought back a lot of memories of the big event..back then as a young lad seeing so many fire engines was Mega...

Mrs. Powell's horse was called "Count" and was blind in one eye.
He was tethered in The Swamp one day and some gob****es scared him enough to make him jump off the pier and break his legs.
He was humanely put down and it all but killed Mrs. Powell....

siltirocker · 23-07-2009 1:20pm

Could some one tell me the name of the cafe that was on Castle Street heading to Corbett CarPark, it was right across from the side of the Treasure Crest.

?Cee?view · 23-07-2009 1:27pm

siltirocker wrote: »

Could some one tell me the name of the cafe that was on Castle Street heading to Corbett CarPark, it was right across from the side of the Treasure Crest.

Do you mean on the corner there? Effectively part of the building that is now Treasure Chest?

I can't believe that I can't remember its name, but it was owned and run by Doyles who I think used to own the Odeon Hotel (I think where the office building Odeon House is on Eyre Square now)

hairyfairy00 · 23-07-2009 3:51pm

paddytheloaf wrote: »

Your Dad must be Vincent and Declan is your uncle (or visa versa)
The old lad was Christy Haughey from Woodquay.....
Some of the staff around then would have been.....

Sean Lenihan
Johnny Joyce
Declan Burke
Paddy and Tommy Ivers
Pat Derrick
Frank Small
Jurgen Gottche
Jim Byrne
Mick O'Donnell
Gearoid Browne
Andy from Donegal
Joe O'Carroll (Salthill)
Paddy King
Albert
Francie Higgins (DJ)

Would you please post the photograph...???

Ya Vincent is my dad, used to love callin into The Cellar after mass! We'd (Sisters) find so much money on the ground from the night before, we thought we were rich if we found a pound

paddytheloaf · 23-07-2009 7:30pm

hairyfairy00 wrote: »

Ya Vincent is my dad, used to love callin into The Cellar after mass! We'd (Sisters) find so much money on the ground from the night before, we thought we were rich if we found a pound

Great photo!!!!
A couple of faces I'd forgotten...

Brendan Kavanagh (Where is HE now??)
Des Moore
Tom from Connemara

Taken by the fireplace downstairs.
There used to be (and I think still is) a weird bloke that walked the streets of Galway looking for loose change...??
He also did the pubs, the Cellar being one of his haunts.

happyoutscan · 23-07-2009 8:54pm

Aurora Borealis wrote: »

Thank you. I had completely forgotten about that guy with the monkey. This thread is memory lane heaven!!

Wow, that monkey bit me in 1986 when I was on my holidays over here. Great memories, vicious little b*st*rd!

hairyfairy00 · 24-07-2009 5:17pm

paddytheloaf wrote: »

Great photo!!!!
A couple of faces I'd forgotten...

Brendan Kavanagh (Where is HE now??)
Des Moore
Tom from Connemara

Taken by the fireplace downstairs.
There used to be (and I think still is) a weird bloke that walked the streets of Galway looking for loose change...??
He also did the pubs, the Cellar being one of his haunts.

Haven't a clue where Brendan is now, last we heard he was in Oranmore, Martin Mannion might know!

An Capall Dubh · 26-07-2009 11:31am

malice_ wrote: »

This isn't going back that far but I'm curious if anyone has the answer. Cuba nightclub was known as the Icon for a couple of years in the late 90s. Does anyone remember the name of the bar that was on the ground floor (where Bar 903 is now)? I was in Bar 903 last week and it came up in conversation and I couldn't remember.

Yep, it was called Rob Lee's!!!!

eamonnf · 31-07-2009 9:21pm

churchview wrote: »

Plus, the story is the old nag died at the back of his house, had to be cut up to be taken through the house! He's a great man, one of the good ould shtock

I remember as a young lad as PJ cycled up to our house to get my father to help take the horse out of the front room. There were a few men involved. PJ used to keep the horse in the front room at night. How ironic it was that he failed to get a waste permit and had to stop his business.

eamonnf · 31-07-2009 10:06pm

Ku Market in Ballybane where Nestors is now
Lydon house bakery in westside - which is a business centre now
The lydons bakery beside Roches Stores?
The Lisheen used to be a great pub for breakfasts
The Snug which was connected to Garavens (according to the Jonnie the barman at the time, it used to be for the women only - who were served through a hatch and the men got served in Garavans - a practice continued up to the early 70s?)

Will post others when I think of them.

Krieg · 31-07-2009 11:05pm

Some scenes from the 1979 film, The North Sea Hijack. Starring Roger Moore. Some of the filming took place in Galway, more specifically the docks. Sorry for the quality but I was using print screen.

Dave_ODonnell1 · 03-08-2009 12:05am

Thanks for the pix I was an extra in that movie for the days, $20 per day...and the envy of all the lads in The Bish

trish23 · 03-08-2009 1:10am

In no particular order!

Seamus Quirke Rd was new & huge!
Monivea Rd was new & huge!
Old blue prefab shop where Windsor motors are now (facing dual carraigeway)
Tescos in Westside
Dole Office in Claddagh
Garda Station Eglinton St - bricks of which are in Hilltop Saltill
Observer Wednesday. Richie (?) used to write about talkin to Nicholas in Garavans
World cup Killorgans
Del Rios
Anywhere in Salthill (spoiled for choice & mentioned already)
Crown Plate (?) High St for dinner
Audience cheering good guy - Claddagh Palace
Fleas - Town Hall
Beach Hotel, Salthill
The cobbler Lower Salthill
Tree in middle of road - Devon Park

Could add more but gettin depressed!!

galvianlord · 03-08-2009 3:44pm

trish23 wrote: »

In no particular order!

Seamus Quirke Rd was new & huge!
Monivea Rd was new & huge!
Old blue prefab shop where Windsor motors are now (facing dual carraigeway)
Tescos in Westside
Dole Office in Claddagh
Garda Station Eglinton St - bricks of which are in Hilltop Saltill
Observer Wednesday. Richie (?) used to write about talkin to Nicholas in Garavans
World cup Killorgans
Del Rios
Anywhere in Salthill (spoiled for choice & mentioned already)
Crown Plate (?) High St for dinner
Audience cheering good guy - Claddagh Palace
Fleas - Town Hall
Beach Hotel, Salthill
The cobbler Lower Salthill
Tree in middle of road - Devon Park

Could add more but gettin depressed!!

Think you might mean the Round Table on High St - you got gravy with everything, even the chicken curry!

Andrea B. · 03-08-2009 3:53pm

Anyone remember the Salthill Hotel getting bombed?

sam69 · 03-08-2009 6:49pm

Yep, remember it well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Zo_zyKKP-Y

Now this is Galway way back. Check out the infamous Biddy Ward. Ah Galway had such brilliant characters

Gadfly · 04-08-2009 8:17am

hairyfairy00 wrote: »

Here's a photo from the 'far' Rahoon flats looking towards the Innishannagh Park direction in March 1977

The Claddagh Palace sometime in the early 80's when someone messed around with the lettering for the movies

I remember going here when it both the Estoria and The Claddagh Palace. I saw Jaws for 10p when it the former.

snubbleste · 12-08-2009 4:49pm

Those pics are great Gadfly, i remember seeing cows in them fields and the state of the footpath there when walking past towards rockfield

I just came across a yellowing full edition of the Advertiser 27 August 1992. If anyone wants this dusty nostalgia containing strange info such as Frank Fahey had to repeat his Leaving Cert., you could rent a room in a city centre apartment for £33pw (tv and electricity extra you understand), buy a one bed house on Henry St for £29.5k or a 3 bed in Balinfoyle for £27k, or what was happening in Branskys that weekend or browse the lots of 'one lady owner' ads for a 1981 ford fiesta.. PM me for collection in town before Fri.

also what happened to Richard, the guy who drew cartoons for the Advertiser for years?

soundbyte · 12-08-2009 4:59pm

snubbleste wrote: »

also what happened to Richard, the guy who drew cartoons for the Advertiser for years?

AFAIK, Sergei still does cartoon stuff for the Phoenix and he writes for the City Tribune under is own name, Richard Chapman.

http://myhome.iolfree.ie/~lightbulb/Gallery.html

inisboffin · 12-08-2009 11:47pm

soundbyte wrote: »

AFAIK, Sergei still does cartoon stuff for the Phoenix and he writes for the City Tribune under is own name, Richard Chapman.

http://myhome.iolfree.ie/~lightbulb/Gallery.html

Indeed. Hidden Galway was such a treasure! Buy that man a pint if you see him in Neachtains (he's usually on his jungle-proof laptop)

hairyfairy00 · 13-08-2009 3:32pm

snubbleste wrote: »

Those pics are great Gadfly, i remember seeing cows in them fields and the state of the footpath there when walking past towards rockfield

I just came across a yellowing full edition of the Advertiser 27 August 1992. If anyone wants this dusty nostalgia containing strange info such as Frank Fahey had to repeat his Leaving Cert., you could rent a room in a city centre apartment for £33pw (tv and electricity extra you understand), buy a one bed house on Henry St for £29.5k or a 3 bed in Balinfoyle for £27k, or what was happening in Branskys that weekend or browse the lots of 'one lady owner' ads for a 1981 ford fiesta.. PM me for collection in town before Fri.

also what happened to Richard, the guy who drew cartoons for the Advertiser for years?

Doc Watsons A.K.A Branskys closed it's doors last night for the very last time, what'll become of all the bar flies? Can't say i'll miss the place really, was always good for a quick drink on Christmas Eve though.

bodhrandude · 13-08-2009 8:52pm

This just came to my head, heres some links to old De Danann footage, Neachtains pub looks identical. Some nice bits of photos, really old sepia tone ones from early twenteith century, illustrations and visual of old Galway from 1983.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQRheBNImxU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXi8iSF0Tao&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeqUuf-KqCE&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8hVd1j6TsE&feature=channel

A few things I remember in the early 90s, the Hibernian (Blue Note or the Forge??), another place besides the Harbour Bar (Dolores Keane bar) for scoring. The Jug of Punch in Lower Dominic Street, The Canal bar before it was renamed the Rosin Dubh. Montrose at the time was more like the future Rosin Dubh with the sub title of Club Raparee and sessions most afternoons and evenings I think. Other memories, Punchbag Theatre when it became a late night trad venue. The Quays before it was modernised, with just a bar and a larger lounge, Claddagh Ring (or was it the Galway Shawl) / Calico Jacks great sessions, I think this is now called Massimos. The fifties style diner cafe called Strawberry Fields in Cross Street, there was another one in Salthill, their steak salad sandwiches were the business.

Pictures and memories from old Galway

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