Galway Co. Co. / Co. Secretary's Office / Administration/ Transatlantic Port Committee, a linked highway, Western Irish Port, 1913-1914

Transatlantic Port Committee, a linked highway, Western Irish Port: File of correspondence between various Committee members, such as W.G. Fogarty (Secretary) and Lord Killanin (Chair), the Midland Great Western Railway (MGWR), and Robert Worthington (described in the 1911 census as a Railway contractor) relating to the Committee's efforts to have Galway harbour established as a transatlantic port.  Correspondence also relates to contributions towards expenses for sending a deputation to Canada to promote the proposal, and efforts to convenience the MGWR to invest in the project, calls for public meetings to promote the Barna (Galway) Piers and Harbour Bill, and a fund ‘to further the interests of Galway as a Transatlantic Port’ (19 Dec 1913).

Includes various press cuttings and reports relating to the scheme, includes one in which the Hon. Secretary of the Committee, W.G. Fogarty (County Secretary), outlines details on the establishment of the Committee in 1911, and which has 'worked energetically in bringing the matter of a Transatlantic Port at Galway before the principals of commercial undertakings likely to be interested in the project' (20/08/1913); includes a printed report of Robert Worthington J.P., ‘on the progress of this Promotion’ which lists all the members of the Committee (Dec 1911), also includes printed speech delivered by the Rt. Hon. Lord Killanin at a special meeting of Dublin Chamber of Commerce on 9^th May 1911 detailing the views of the Committee ‘which had been formed especially to call attention to the claims and advantages of Galway in this matter of a West of Ireland Port’ (9 May 1911). Following the MGWR’s decision to ‘abandon Queenstown as Mail packet Station’ (1 Sept 1913) renewed efforts were made, though Worthington was of the opinion that the Company’s Board were ‘antagonistic to the Port project’ (9 Oct 1913), he further wrote ‘I would also impress upon the meeting that it is utterly impossible for this scheme or any other scheme to be financed except upon the basis of the terms expressed in an Act of Parliament.  Without that basis clearly defined as to works, raising of capital, etc, no financier could have the necessary information before him to enter into any arrangement.
I think I have now got to the turning point of this scheme and it remains for the Shareholders now to do their part…In addition the promotion of this project and the passing of the Bill would be a crushing blow to the Blacksod project.  If that port were opened and no port open at Galway it would crush the Midland Co. and in the near future make a city at Blacksod at the expense of the City of Galway’ (14 Nov 1913).

Also includes letter from Fogarty to Killanin stating ‘It has been over and over suggested that the Midland would be willing to come into the scheme if Worthington was once out of it, and if, as Judge Bodkin states, Mr Worthington’s scheme seems now to be finally out of the way, there may be an opportunity for the Galway Port Committee to resume the functions to which they confined themselves from the first, i.e. bringing interested parties together’ (2 Mar 1914).