Galway Advertiser 1970/1970_06_11/GA_11061970_E1_003.pdf 

Extracted text

Our Main Street.

Would you call Galway Dirty?
A picturesque road just outside Galway.

It is a pity but not all tourists are carried away by scenic beauty, lively and meloncholy songs and our long stretches of empty golden beaches last weekend, in one of GalCinnte leitheid way's leading Hotels, two American women rather apologeti ann: an ni bheidh a groiuil aris fear lach liar cally announced that "Galway is a dirty City!" T h e heart chuir soineann na doineann, sion of every Galway man must stop at such a remark. Yet if na garbhshion be lena sherbhis we are careless in our 'dumping habits' there is on a minor da mhuintir fein. Nach doichi go bhfeicfear cloiche e ag taisteal scale a threat of our health and our natural environment. thar na tonntracha i gcurach no We could suffer and our wildlife could perish. thar bhoithrini clochacha ar rothar no dtrap no fiii Last February, the European Conservation Conference was pionta:i an dochtiiir a ag daileadh thug leithheld in Strasbourg. Its findings are being seriously noted in chead bliain da shaol fada ag tabhairt aire do shaoladh is tinnis Ireland. There are four major themes to consider: na n-Arannach. Bhi, ta agus 1. T h e impact of industry. beidh na hOileanaigh buioch do 2. Urbanisation. mar a bheas muintir na Gaillimhc buioch da bhean. Chruthaigh an 3. The impact of agriculture and forestry. slua ag an socraid i gCill Einne. Ta Seamus O Briain imithe ua4. The impact of tourism and recreation. tha anois in aois a cheithre scor These are the four major human impacts on the environment. agus deich mbliana. Ach nil aon Industrialisation can bring problems of pollution of air and amhras ann ach go mairldh sc water. Noise is also an important form of industrial pollution. choiche i gcroithe is i mbeala na ndaoine. Ba liofa agus ba dilis an There are several well known examples of industrial pollution cainteoir Ghaeilge e. Beannacht in Ireland but one can say that these are of a very localised De lena anam dilis. nature at the moment. Fish poisoning, which has ruined Is ar cigin gur gha diiinn a many of our country's best fishing rivers, has been blamed on go mbeidh chemical wastes being dumped into the sea at river mouths. mheabhru daoibh na GaillimheFlei Cheoil Chontae ar Urbanisation brings problems of land utilisation around siiil in Ath Cinn ar an 27 agus mhi seo. existing towns and cities. Open spaces are used for housing 28 den ceol as anBigi ann agus bainidh bhFlea. estates and industrial development and unless there are Anois ta fhios againn! "De adequate provisions for parks and green belts, towns can dli mar expand in such a way that may be regretted by future reir anleis an Aireata se anois ni feidir" "cead a thabhgenerations. It is to be hoped that when the new Knockna- airt d'aon duine na dream eile carra development plan is put into action, due consideration ach amhain Telefis Eireann seirwill be given to the demand for parks, playgrounds and bhis craolachain a bhunu agus a cibriu." Sin deireadh oifigiiiil le playing fields. Radio Chonamara. Ach cen fhaid Sophisticated technological techniques in agriculture can a bheas muid ag fanacht le toradh an fhiosruchain ata faoi lahave strong ecological impacts on the environment. Pesticides mha ag Udaras R.T.E.? and land drainage are two examples. Forestry is now a major bean land use in Ireland with over 500,000 acres under State 6g Ii rith na seachtaine bhi ar an nGaillimh le breathnu control. Of course forestry in upland areas can be a useful modh oibre ata acu sa Durlas. Ta conservation tool in maintaining soil fertility. Generally speak uaithi Naiscoil a bhunii ina ceaning forestry in the upland areas in our wet climate is probably tar fein i mBaile Atha Cliath, "ceantar fior-Ghallda" mar adeir a better and wiser long term land use than sheep farming. si fein. Large numbers of people, either tourists or other people Cuireadh chugainn eolas faoi seeking recreation, can create problems in areas which are Chursa nua ata ar siiil i lathair ecologically "fragile." Dune systems can have their vegetation na huaire i gColdiste Lurgan. Seo trampled on. When this protective "skin" is gone, erosion of an chead uair a cuireadh a leith eid de Chursa ar bun i Mi an the sand dunes can be caused by wind. When the dunes -Mheithimh. Abhair muinteoiri disintegrate, valuable agricultural land may be damaged." (Trainee Teachers) ata pairteach. These four major human impacts have so far had little Is leir on gcaoi ata ag eiri leis go mbeidh a leitheid de Chursa ann effect on the Irish environment because of the small scale gach Meitheamh as seo amach. in which they have occurred. What has been done is probably Cuis mhaoite eile ag Pol O completely out of proportion with our low density of popula Foighil. I mease na dTeagascoiri Peadar Mac an Iomaire, Ultin tion. However, danger signals are occurring in several places ta Maicin agus Traolach O hAonO and we would be wise to pay attention to these. We, in ghusa. Ireland, although protected from much of the Industrial Na dean dearmad go mbeidh Revolution in Europe, are in no position for complacency. Aifrinn i nGaeilge ar an DomhWith our proposed entry into the E.E.C. is our Industrial nach seo chugainn an 14 Meith Revolution yet to come? If so, now is the time to plan and eamh ar a 10 a.m. i Seipeal Phadlearn from other countries where a realisation of the damage raig agus i Seipeal Naomh Iog done to natural resources by Modern Progress, led to the naid. Smaoineamh. creation of world conservation year 1970 by the Council of Imeoidh a dtiocfaidh is a dtainig riamh Europe.

Eist

Liomsa

(lalway is not dirty

but it could be.

Ach ni imeoidh an grasta go deo 6 Dhia.

PAUL DUFFY & SONS
Contractors BRIAR HILL - GALWAY Main Contractor to Powell's The Four Corners

POWELL'S
"The Four

Congratulations to Powell's from

Corners''
The opening of a New Snack and Lounge Bar at "the Four Corners" marks another stage in the history of what is perhaps one of Galway's oldest Business Prem ises. "The Four Corners" is the re cognised name for this Cross Roads in the centre of Galway, and the name evolved from the effort to differentiate it from the only other Cross Roads, (at Cross Street) within the Old Town Walls, this can be clearly seen on the 1651 Pictorial Map of the Town. The building opposite Lynch's Castle, which for the past 100 years has carried the name of "The Four Corners" is believed to be the site of the original Church of St. John of Jerusalem, (as mentioned by Hardiman), and was also the first Jesuit House in Galway. It was attacked by the Cromwellian Soldiers, causing the Jesuits to flee, and while little re mains today to recall this, the first Jesuit Foundation in Galway, it is interesting to note that the black marble Holy Water Font, in St. Ignatius Church, Sea Road, Galway, came from this area, and that the ornamental base under a window on the Williams' Street side of the Four Corners Prem ises is believed to be the original Altar Stone from the first Jesuit Foundation. Major reconstruction, over the past 15 years, has changed to some extent the character of these buildings, reconstruction partly caused by more modern business methods and usages, and partly due to structural faults. These facts necessitated the removal of

the extraordinarily beautiful Ga ble Chimney, (again shown on the 1651 Map) and also in Raymond Piper's drawings. In this recon struction, while many huge alco ves and arches were discovered deep in the old walls, (some of these walls were over 5 ft. thick) older people in Galway have sug gested, and old prints of these buildings confirm, that another storey exists under these build ings. And this appears to be cor rect when one studies the build ings, arches and outlines of the older buildings which still remain at the bottom of Abbeygate Street. As a Licensed Premises, this is probably the oldest such premises in Galway, indeed in the old days, such was its fame in the West of Ireland, that two Emigrants'

"Pubs" flourish in America today, both called " T H E FOUR COR NERS." Richard O'Halloran The Premises were purchased Newcastle by the late Patrick Powell of Joinery Contractor Castle Village, Inishere, Aran Islands, in 1920, in partnership Congratulates Powell's on with the late Tomas Ban Concannon, (one of the Founders of the their new Snack & Lounge Gaelic League), from the Kelly Bar at the Four Corners Family, and a general business has been carried on there since. The New Snack and Lounge Bar is under the management of Mrs. Alice Hoey, a native of Kilmore, Co. Wexford. She, together with her late husband, Joseph Hoey, for many years catered for the many tourists and Locals who Congratulations from . . . visited the Aran Isles, on the "Galway Bay" Steamer each GEORGE ROCCO Summer.

DOMINICK JOYCE
SHANTALLA Plumbing Contractor

ORANMORE

Tiling & Mosaic Contractor to Powell's "The Four Corners

PATSY

BURKE

Best

Wishes

to

Powell's

Water Lane, Galway. Painting Contractor

from

PETER FOX
MOYCULLEN

Wishes every success to Powell's The Four Corners

Electrical Contractor