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Child Item

Pictures and memories from old Galway

gd1987

I'm wondering would anyone have any pictures of Galway in the 80's and 90's.
I'm just curious to have a look at Galway before I was born and when I was a child to see how much things have changed. I had a look at home for old photos but I couldn't find any, so thought I'd ask you guys.

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ErnieBert

Here is a mental picture of Galway in the mid 1980's:

There were aound 10 nightclubs in Salthill.
There were only about 100 taxis to serve the whole city
There were double decker buses everywhere.
Knocnacarra was a posh place.
Doughishka was a field.
Supermacs has a little shop beside O'Brien's Bridge.
Snakebite was a cool drink.
Fights were fought with fists, not knives nor guns.
Students wore frumpy jumpers.
Bands played in Leisureland (U2, Smiths, Pogues, Lizzy etc)
Rollerskating in the Savoy was all the rage.
NUIG was UCG & GMIT was RTC.
The road to Dublin was a boreen,
The journey to Dublin took less than 3 hours as there were less cars.
You could park anywhere at anytime, even Shop Street.
Terryland Park had no seats or floodlights.
Contraception was a criminal offence.
Galway Airport was a farmyard. Hang on, it still is.
Winters were cold and summers were warm.
Oranmore was a country village.
Aran Islanders were considered foreigners.
Public toilets were free.
There was a Garda station on Eglinton Street.
Everbody wore grey.

But we were happy

skelliser

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

Krieg

Not really galway

Cuba nightclub was called The bentley
Elderly man used to feed the pigeons in eyre square (Galway character)
Elderly man who was able put his lip over half his face (another galway character)
Salthill was the center of all night life
car park behind corbett court before the expansion
Televisions were very expensive so it was best to rent them from o connors (I believe this practice still exists today

)
I believe there was one of those laundry buildings for naughty girls who had sex before marraige, in foster court up until 1990? (obviously out of commission for many years previous)

JamesStephens

I nearly cryed when I read that lads. Twas better back then , wasnt it. d: what is it now just a halfarsed city with no personallity.

Des Hynes

The Harbour Bar in the docks was where you scored.
Sausage Supper( sausage, chips & beans) for a pound fifty.
GPO was Kno Kno's
Snooker Halls
Bishop Casey
The Galway Observer
The Bentley was Mistys...

snubbleste

I'm from Galway, live in Galway yet I'm still homesick.

Sea Devils

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJaAE9GaPGc

Shows what Galway looked like during 1993. Shows Eyre Square Shopping Centre and the Park, Lynch's Castle, Shop Street and around the Bridge Mills area

Chris_533976

Looks to me like the entire Eyre Square redevelopment was a waste of time and money.

Krieg

Sea Devils wrote: »

Shows what Galway looked like during 1993. Shows Eyre Square Shopping Centre and the Park, Lynch's Castle, Shop Street and around the Bridge Mills area

Great find!

The only thing that hasn't changed is the eyre square center. The only difference I saw was that theres no more stalls along the old wall

gd1987

Nice find allright, I had forgotten how rediculous everyone looked in the 90's

vulcan57

Krieg wrote: »

Great find!

The only thing that hasn't changed is the eyre square center. The only difference I saw was that theres no more stalls along the old wall

Yeah, and a sign that used to say Antique furniture made to order! always made me smile.:)

foxy_19-89

im only 19 but that just brought back some great memories!

biko

Don't know when this was taken but it has Kenny's Bookshop and was before the pedestrainised city centre.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHF5fkBA2Nw

General Irish pride

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIg5_JXgZs4

tristanc

I was told if you combined Westport and Castlebar, you'd have a good approximation of what Galway was like 15-20 years ago.

I remember seeing a revival of Brecht's Happy End - which was written in 1929 - and there's an entire song where the main protagonists are basically complaining about how their favourite pub, which used to be a fun, raucous joint, is now a boring, gentrified, yuppie joint. That was when it really struck me (yeah, I know I can be a bit slow on the uptake), that this has been a common complaint for a while. God knows what it would've been like being an old pirate, and wandering back to your old pirate haven to find it's become all legit and filled with uppity assistant governors and plantation owner types

balu

Why did they rebuild the Eyre Square? Seems like nothing more than a waste of money to me.

Bass Cadet

Can't believe nobody has mentioned Lydon House restaurant on Shop St!

Was my favourite place as a wee man growing up in the 80's in galway. Their kiddies menu was magic!

Des Hynes

Bass Cadet wrote: »

Can't believe nobody has mentioned Lydon House restaurant on Shop St! Was my favourite place as a wee man growing up in the 80's in galway. Their kiddies menu was magic!

Forgot about that, great pastries!

Emmi

Does anyone remember the Four Corners/Powells used to have a cafe in the back? Used to sell hot soups, sandwiches etc.
Glynns where treasure chest is now. You would walk in and head up the stairs to Santa at Christmas!!
Also Simons toy shop down the end of High Steet (I think it was)??!!

galvianlord

Des Hynes wrote: »

Forgot about that, great pastries!

Princess fingers and the best jam donuts...remember Busy Bees the coffe shop down the back on the right, and what was the name of the restaurant upstairs? Lots of suits of armour and axes and swords on a big wooden staircase...

Speaking of which, do you remember Santa in Glynn's?

Popping through Naughton's as a short cut...

When Kirwan's lane was a no go area, and stank of fish - unless you were using it with you class from Pat's as a shortcut to the swamp?

Woolworths on the Square?

The old Roches with its pick n mix behind the checkouts...

Roald Dahl's visit to Galway...

The Old Mon...derelict, before being torn down and becoming a carpark?

When there was nothing on Middle Street except ruined buildings, some houses, the Augi and the Taibhearc....

The Woodquay Festival, the potato market there on Saturdays....and telethon in Eyre Square....

Cunningham's Shop on Abbeygate St, where a cat used to sit on the basket of apples and if you popped a few pennies into the money box the black St Martin would bob his head in thanks....

When Garavan's had a shop attached full of Homestead products....the Cola at 25p.....and where many auld shtock had accounts and could sign for their purchases....

and when a baby was born the first port of call was Lillis' for clothes - thank god that's still there....

and in August school uniform shopping in Ryan's....

All of that in the mid-80s....

galvianlord

Emmi wrote: »

Does anyone remember the Four Corners/Powells used to have a cafe in the back? Used to sell hot soups, sandwiches etc.
Glynns where treasure chest is now. You would walk in and head up the stairs to Santa at Christmas!!
Also Simons toy shop down the end of High Steet (I think it was)??!!

Lol EMMI, we must have posted at the same time re: Santa in Glynn's....there was never a queue and my grandmother always brought me....

Yeah Simon's was where the Euroshop is now next to the Bank of Ireland on Mainguard St, really crap toys and a load of bikes, i think one of the lads works in McCambridges now....

Oh and while i am downt that end.....Carr's Paint Shop?

Emmi

galvianlord wrote: »

Lol EMMI, we must have posted at the same time re: Santa in Glynn's....there was never a queue and my grandmother always brought me....

Yeah Simon's was where the Euroshop is now next to the Bank of Ireland on Mainguard St, really crap toys and a load of bikes, i think one of the lads works in McCambridges now....

Oh and while i am downt that end.....Carr's Paint Shop?

Oh stop, your making me wish I was a kid again!! For all the new shops, restaurants etc we have feel we lost something by losing all the old ones!!

vulcan57

The Tavern at the top of Eyre Square

Des Hynes

vulcan57 wrote: »

The Tavern at the top of Eyre Square

Underage heaven with the video jukebox which was ground breaking at the time.

T'pau, Belinda Carlise & AC/DC

skelliser

carrs paint shop where supermacs is now?!
wasnt rafterys not the bike shop next/in simons toy shop

i know i mentioned this already but does anyone else remember the guy with the monkey in eyre square, what was the story there? it was a small monkey like the one ross had in friends!

"Popping through Naughton's as a short cut..." - thats really familiar but i cant place it, can ya elaborate!

galvianlord

skelliser wrote: »

carrs paint shop where supermacs is now?!
wasnt rafterys not the bike shop next/in simons toy shop

i know i mentioned this already but does anyone else remember the guy with the monkey in eyre square, what was the story there? it was a small monkey like the one ross had in friends!

"Popping through Naughton's as a short cut..." - thats really familiar but i cant place it, can ya elaborate!

Yeah....Naughton's = Boots....

I remem the monkey man, vaguely, but no further info

You're right about Rafterys, the shop was like a split level from Mainguard St to St Nicholas's, i think Simon's made up one part, the bikes the other...orignially they were down on High St, near Kennys i think...

Anyone remember the Round Table restaurant too? Where Kilkenny is now on High St....got gravy with everything even the chicken curry....

Yeah Carr's is now Supermac's...

En-Motion

skelliser wrote: »

i know i mentioned this already but does anyone else remember the guy with the monkey in eyre square, what was the story there? it was a small monkey like the one ross had in friends!

That f***** stole my lollipop! I got a picture taken outside where dunnes is now when I was still going round in a buggy and the monkey robbed my lollipop!

Greaney

Do ye remember unemployment was so bad in Galway that no-one could get a job with out experience so some graduate students set up a co-op to get work experience, they had a cafe on Dominic street where you could buy a full dinner for £1.50 and then they had the, wait for it .... co-op pub, cloggs, down a little lane off Dominic street!! Seriously!!

pseudonym1

skelliser wrote: »

carrs paint shop where supermacs is now?!
wasnt rafterys not the bike shop next/in simons toy shop

i know i mentioned this already but does anyone else remember the guy with the monkey in eyre square, what was the story there? it was a small monkey like the one ross had in friends!

"Popping through Naughton's as a short cut..." - thats really familiar but i cant place it, can ya elaborate!

YES YES *tears of joy* he had about 4 little monkeys pure crusty - cans of beer and all. He would let you hold them although I was always to shy and ascared! It may sound odd but watching a man in coloured hat with were they chickmonks? playing and lettin them crawl all over him was the coolist and most enthralling thing for a tot - kids today dont know what there missin - *sigh

And kno knos was so trying to think of that the other day!

Lovin this thread

:):)

ErnieBert

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.

Also, Corbetts department store? (now CorbettCourt)

Bargain Stores in Eyre Square?

Hills sweet shop (now Lazlos)?

O'Gorman's (now Easons)?

Star Records?

Des Hynes

Music City
Nora Barnacles (great soup)
Green Acres chipper
Mick Taylors
The Savoy arcade