Galway County Council, Minute Book, 1899-1907

Includes:

• 'That we the County Council of the county Galway at this our first meeting do pledge ourselves to the principal of Home Rule and earnestly urge on Her Majesty's Government the necessity of granting legislative independence to Ireland in order to enable the Irish people to make their own laws and manage their own affairs in harmony with the wishes of the great majority of the population.  

That we only regard the Local Government Act as an instalment of justice to prepare our people for the larger and more comprehensive measure of autonomy which is the only scheme that will ever satisfy the hopes and aspirations of our people and make us a happy prosperous and contented nation’ (p3).

• ‘That we appeal to the humanity of the English Government to release the remaining Irish political prisoners confined in British dungeons as we consider that their further detention would be an indelible disgrace to the Executive’ (p4).
• ‘That we ask the Government to devise some means by legislation for the restoration of the evicted tenants to their holdings and to subsidise a fund to enable them to purchase stock and give compensation to planters to surrender their farms where it may be necessary’ (p4).
• ‘That pending the just concession of our county of the measure of autonomy defeated by the House of Lords in 1887 we the County Council of Galway call upon the Imperial Parliament at this our first meeting to establish a Catholic University in Ireland and thus remove the disabilities under which the majority of our people still unhappily labour and fittingly supplement the Intermediate Education Act’ (p6)
• On the recommendation of the Finance Committee it was resolved that ‘each District Council and Union get half of the amount claimed for the present, amounting to £6,980.14.8½‘ (p18).
• ‘That we the Galway County Council beg to commend to the Government and Congested Districts Board for Ireland as a work of great public utility the construction of a causeway and bridge across Lough Corrib at Knock Ferry, as work which would connect for the purposes of fairs, markets etc the congested county of west Galway on the one side and north Galway and south Mayo on the other side of Lough Corrib’ (p40).
• ‘That this Council do take into consideration the necessity of amalgamating several Unions in the County of Galway and that we suggest the following Portumna Union with Ballinasloe and Loughrea, Mountbellew Union with Ballinasloe and Tuam, Gort with Loughrea, Glenamaddy with Tuam’ (p100).
• ‘That the Council do not move to convert any of the workhouses of this County into an auxiliary asylum for harmless lunatics until such time as amalgamation of the Unions of the County be decided upon and then have the most convenience and central workhouse converted to that purpose’ (p101, see also p276).
• ‘That we the Galway County Council tender to Her Most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria our most grateful thanks for Her Gracious recognition of Irish bravery in commanding our National Emblem be worn by our brave compatriots on St. Patrick’s Day and that we have heard with pleasure the news of Her Majesty’s visit to Ireland and beg to give her CEAD MILLE FAILTE and we trust that Her Majesty may be able to honour the City of the Tribes with a visit during Her stay in Ireland’ (p166).
• ‘It having come to the knowledge of the Galway County Council that the grass lands of the Irish Land Purchase and Settlement Co. (Kilcloonly Estate) in the county of Galway are about to be sold; and whereas said company was founded for the purpose of enlarging the holdings of the poorer tenants and for other philanthropic  purposes we earnestly request that the Irish Land Commission will sell the grass lands to the present tenant proprietors and thus help to carry out the original intention of the Shareholders of the company’ (p196).
• ‘That we, the members of Galway County Council wish to record our opinion of the unsatisfactory condition of the Financial arrangements under the 58^th Section of the Local Government Ireland Act of 1898.  We consider that the provisions of this Section are manifestly unjust and unfair towards Ireland, and that the constitution and mode of disbursement of the Local Taxation account is far from being either reasonable or equitable….’ (p226).
• ‘That we the County Council of Galway representing with the other County Councils in Ireland nearly 90 per cent of a Roman Catholic Population express in the strongest manner our indignation at the insult offered to Roman Catholics by the Oath which his Majesty, King Edward VII was obliged to take according to the Laws of England on his accession to the Throne.  That we believe the majority of our Protestant fellow countrymen would not in the present times be parties to such a wonton, uncalled for and scandalous insult directed against the Roman Catholic Religion and that we urge the Irish Members representing our essentially catholic county to advocate the elimination from the Statute Book of England of the portion of the Oath so directed…’(p249)
• The Council learned with ‘extreme regret of the refusal of the Department to sanction the Grant of £2,000 voted more than two years ago for building and equipping a Technical School at Gort…..That we earnestly request the Department to reconsider their decision the more especially as their course of action in the matter will almost wipe out Technical Instruction in the Gort District as the rooms at present occupied are only generously lent for the present and are now urgently needed for their own private use by the Sisters of Mercy’ (p298).
• ‘That the attention of the Council be called to the disgraceful condition of the Kinvara Harbour and that a Committee be appointed to negotiate with the owner of the said Pier with a view to getting leave of the Tolls, and Pier which would entitle them to get a loan from the Government for the proper repair and improvement of the Pier to meet the increasing trade and to develop the fishing industry which would be of the greatest assistance to this one of the poorest districts in the county. Passed’ (p301).
• ‘That the County Council of Galway respectfully beg to draw the attention of Her Majesty’s Government to the facts that (a) the Revised Valuation Lists are now issued in March of each year (b) that under the provisions of the County Council Order 1899 the County Council are bound to have their rate in course of collection in April (c) that it takes at least two months to have the particulars copied from the Valuation Lists into the Rate Books and the Rates have then to be applotted. (d) That under these circumstances compliance with the provisions of the County Council Order is physically impossible and (e) the County Council respectively request that provision may be made for the issue of the Revised Valuation Lists at latest by the end of November in each year’ (p318).
• ‘….The Landlord and Unionist Grand Jury of the County of Galway considered by their shriek for coercion that they should serve their interests in the direction of high land purchase prices under the coming Land Act but we would said in this connection either with coercion in full swing or obsolete the transfer of the Land of Ireland to the people must take place on fair terms’ (p343).
• In dispute with the Local Government Board regarding the payment of poundage to rate Collectors the Council stating ‘The Galway County Council have been most firm with its Collectors. This firmness may appear easy to Gentlemen in comfortable Dublin offices but is an unpleasant task for these in weekly contact with the ratepayers and collectors.  However, the Galway County Council has discharged its duty.
  If the Local Government Board compel the County Council to break faith with its Collectors the County Council must throw the whole responsibility of future bad collection on the Local Government Board.
  It is every easy for Dublin officials to disorganise but the County Council have had the trouble of constructing a good system are entitled to point out that if the Local Government Board insist on the County Council breaking faith with the Collectors the Local Government Board are acting like children who when tired of a new mechanical toy break up its inside and destroy all possibility of subsequent easy working….’ (p346-347).
• ‘That in view of the Bill introduced in the House of Commons voting £100,000 for Piers and Harbours in the West of Ireland the County Council submit that the County of Galway has a prior claim for a vote out of this money for the erection of piers at Salthill, and the Middle Island of Aran in order to facilitate the sailing between Galway and Clare coasts and also for the purpose of giving better facilities for the fishing population and the better protection of life’ (p367, see also p424, p437).
• ‘That the members of the County Council of the County of Galway view with the greatest indignation the conduct of the Irish Executive Government in excluding the County Councils and the people of Ireland who pay for the maintenance of the Court Houses from the legitimate use of these Court ; and we condemn and censure in the strongest possible manner the authorities for using physical force to expel with their bludgeon men the Councils and the people from the Courts as was done in the case of Castlebar (county Mayo) where the County Council required the use of the Court House for the purpose of presenting an address to one of Ireland’s most distinguished sons.
  That we refuse to pay for the maintenance of the Court Houses of Galway, Clifden, and Oughterard on the ground that these Court Houses are at present used as rent offices…’(p375, see also p394).
• Report submitted by the County Secretary to the County Council stated ‘that the Collection of the Poor Rate in your County for the Series of the Half-year ended September 30^th 1902 has closed satisfactorily £30,700 having been collected to that date out of a sum of £56,400 which is the amount of the Collection for the whole year….’ (p389).
• ‘....Dept. of Agriculture have been informed that the owners of the Pier at Kinvara consent to vest their rights in the Co. Council.  Department are prepared to contribute £1,000 provided to the Co. Council and the Board of Works contribute a like sum…’(p392, see also p414, p471, p492, p516, p561, p570, p581, p605,p621, p634, p709, p731, p762, p780).
• ‘…in connection with the proposed fast Transatlantic Service between Great Britain and Ireland and the Dominion of Canada, the United States of America and the other Republics and Dependencies in the New World, would desire to bring under the notice of the Canadian Government and all others interested in this far reaching a absorbing question the great advantages to be gained by selecting Galway as the Port of Departure on this side of the Atlantic..’(p397).
• ‘That we the Galway County Council are strongly of opinion that there would be considerable saving to the rate payers of the County if several Unions in the County were amalgamated, and that owing to the very few paupers at present in some of the Unions in this County we think it most advisable that several Unions should be amalgamated’ (p419).
• ‘Whereas it appears according to the official programme of the Kings visit to Galway that Mr Joseph a Glynn, Chairman of the Galway County Council is named as one of those who will be at the Railway Station to receive the King we the members of the Galway County Council desire it to be known that Mr Glynn has received no authority from the County Council to go in his official capacity as Chairman of the Council and if he is in attendance at the Railway Station it will be in his private capacity only’ (28 July 1903, GC1/1, p447).
• ‘That in as much as Galway is one of the largest maritime counties in Ireland with a sea board of 620 miles, we desire to strongly protest against the very small and entirely inadequate sum of money that has been allocated under the Marine Works Act to this County, but recognising the benefits that will accrue under the Act, we agree to the Contributory amount from the County being made a county -at-large charge if and provided the sum of £11,500 as mentioned in the letter of the Under Secretary of the 10^th March 1903 is allotted to this County..’(p459, see also p480, see also p530, p600).
• ‘That we view with deep concern the attempt of the Landlords to extort for land of medium and inferior quantity prices obtainable for first class grazing farms.  We recognise that impoverished circumstances exaggerated by the past bad year may tempt many unthinking people to purchase at exorbitant prices with the hope of obtaining temporary relief….’(p517).
• ‘That the Council apply to the Local Government Board for an Order authorising the Poor Law Guardians to administer relief out of the Work house to any description of destitute persons in pursuance of Section 13 of the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898.  Such Order to come into effect on the 11^th March in the Oughterard Union and on the 16^th in the Clifden Union’ (p598).
• ‘That the Galway Granite Quarry and Marble Work Company having now developed a highly promising and much needed industry in Galway - with Irish money and without assistance from Government Sources - and the quality of the Galway Granite and Marbles being according to the best expert opinion, second to none for ornamental, engineering and building purposes this Council requests His Majesty’s Government to support the Company in the development of so important an industry in so poor a district by providing that the Company shall have an opportunity of tendering for all Government contracts with which it can deal and this Council further resolves that the Galway Granite and Marbles are to be used in all contracts over which this Council has control where same can be supplied without loss to the ratepayers of the County’ (p622).
• Miss Aleen Cust, was elected Veterinary Inspector for the Mountbellew District (31 Oct 1905, p658, see also pp668, 685, 703, 711, 717, 729).
• With regard to appointment of Miss Cust as Veterinary Inspector of the Mountbellew Rural District that Council pointed out that they have all the power under The Officers of Local Authorities (Ireland) Order, 1899 ‘to enable them to sanction the appointment of Miss Cust inasmuch as the circumstances exist that no member of the Royal Veterinary College, in any kind of good practice would agree to live in the Rural District on account of there being no large town or lucrative practice to be had within the District….
  At the present the people would have to go 20 statute miles and upwards at considerable expense to requisition the services of a Veterinary Surgeon.  …the County Council decided to make the appointment of Miss Cust who possess in a marked degree in all its most up to date details, a knowledge of the art of Veterinary Science, and has given practical exemplification of some higher practical work in the successful way she has treated cases in the District where she enjoys a considerable practice satisfactory to the people…’ (p685).
• ‘That the Galway County Council have learned with regret that the National Bank which has heretofore enjoyed the confidence of so many County and other Councils in Ireland has refused to accept cheques signed solely in Irish.  From a Bank calling itself National sympathy with the Language Movement was to be expected instead of the anti-National feeling shown by the Directors...’(p763).
• Alice Perry was appointed temporary County Surveyor for the Western Division, following her father’s death (James Perry), (p767).