This is a recording of a walking tour through the streets of Galway where eight speakers give an account, at appropriate locations, of incidents or issues related to the arts which were the cause of some controversy in the past. 

SELECT CHAPTERS  above to access individual contributions.

The tour was co-ordinated  by Dr John Cunningham and Dr Sarah-Anne Buckley of the University of Galway History Department in association with Galway City Museum. It was conducted on Culture Night 20 September, 2024 

Produced by Mary Cunningham,

Photo courtesy of Aodh Ó'Coiléain

Music : 'Fine Dining' by Track Tribe
Website: tracktribe.com.
instagram.com/tracktribemusic/?hl=en

This documentary was broadcast on Galway Bay FM on September 17, 2021 and was part of the online programme for Culture Night that year.
It has interviews with Maude O'Donohoe and Jane Hogan who have fond memories of swimming at Salthill, Galway in the sixties. They reveal the rules that were in place at the behest of the local bishops in relation to where people could swim. Believing that men and women bathing together was an occasion of sin the bishops requested that bathing places be designated for men, ladies and families.
Jane and Maude tell of one young woman's rebellion against the rules sometime in the mid sixties when she swam up to the male section  at Blackrock when all was quiet and left her bikini top on a flagpole.  Though this caused consternation in the community more women began to venture past the Men Only sign.
P.J. Flaherty, a year round swimmer, describes the camaraderie that existed among the men who frequented the area and the resentment of some at the arrival of women.
A final attempt to stem the tide of change was spearheaded in 1971 by a local councillor  who requested that Galway Corporation ban 'Bikini Girls' from the male enclave on the basis that they disturbed the older men and priests who swam there.  At this point attitudes had changed and the councillor's concerns seemed quaint and old fashioned. The Men Only sign was quietly removed in early September 50 years ago.

Sources:
Bishop Michael Browne of Galway (1937–76) and the Regulation of Public Morality Author(s): James S. Donnelly, Jr. 

Source: New Hibernia Review / Iris Éireannach Nua , EARRACH / SPRING 2013, Vol. 17, No. 1 (EARRACH / SPRING 2013), pp. 16-39 

Published by: University of St. Thomas (Center for Irish Studies) Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/24625062 

Bishop Michael Browne of Galway and Anti-Communism, 1937-1976 Author(s): Gerard Madden
 Source: Saothar , 2014, Vol. 39 (2014), pp. 21-31
 Published by: Irish Labour History Society 

Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/24897247

Music: https://pixabay.com/music/folk-krainer-waltz-traditional-austrian-and-slovenian-music-3358/?fbclid=IwAR18M4lYC5uIye9s6DFzgSK7FcS1g0VdAuE2ybd5ltPHuL1yCV-HzerASj0#:~:text=Music%20by%20JuliusH%20from%20Pixabay

This is a recording of a walking tour through the streets of Galway focusing on aspects of the history of theatre in the city. It was recorded live on 19 October 2023. There are nine speakers introduced by  John Cunningham, each of whom share interesting stories on their specific topics at significant sites. 
Click on chapters above to access individual contributions. 

 The tour was curated by Dr John Cunningham and Dr Sarah-Anne Buckley of the University of Galway History Department in association with Galway City Museum. 

Produced by Mary Cunningham,

Photo:  Richard Peyton Headshots | Street | Event Photography 
 realrichardpeyton

Music : 'Fine Dining' by Track Tribe
Website: tracktribe.com. 
instagram.com/tracktribemusic/?hl=en

This documentary was broadcast on Galway Bay FM on March 29, 2024
The title  is taken from a headline in the Irish Press announcing the opening of a hat factory in Galway in 1938. Established by Jewish refugees Les Modes Modernes employed approximately 250 throughout the 40s and 50s. It continued to operate on a smaller scale until 1972.
Employees from the 40s describe the working conditions and speak of the economic impact of the factory in a town where employment opportunities were scare.
The circumstances whereby refugees came to the west of Ireland are outlined along with some insight into their personal lives during the war years and an account of reactions to their presence. 
The final section concerns one man's solo effort to keep the Galway hat trade going. His daughter tells that story. 

Produced and narrated by Mary Cunningham.

Contributors

Workers from the 1940’s:  Veronica Joyce O’Toole,  Margaret Long Casserly (recently deceased)  

Daughters of workers:  Heather Gardiner, Paula Scully.

Historians:  Dr Trisha Oakley Kessler, Dr John Cunningham 

Content voiced by: Brenda Foy, Eimear O’Meara, Margaret Molloy, Liam Cunningham, Brian Hanney, Miriam Hanney, Trish Mannion.
 

Music:    Yeti Music "Ghost Piano"       https://uppbeat.io/browse/artist/yeti-music
                    Musictown "Irish Jig".              https://pixabay.com/music/search/irish%20jig/
                   JuliusH  "50s Swing Music"  https://pixabay.com/music/vintage-50s-swing-                                                                                             music-13480/


Sources:   Dr Trisha Oakley Kessler. ‘Rethinking Irish Protectionism: Jewish Refugee                               Factories and the Pursuit of an Irish Ireland for Industry.’ In Irish                                                    Questions and Jewish Questions: Crossovers in Culture (2018)  
                   

                      Rachel Phillipson-Levy. Memoir: An Odyssey Revisited.                                                                          http://migs.concordia.ca/memoirs/levy/levy_1.html 

                     Eileen O’Faoláin.  ‘Galway Hats’ in The Bell  (1941)


                     George Clare. Last Waltz in Vienna, Pan Books (2007)

This provides an overview of the activities of the Galway Hooker Sailing Club and gives an account of the restoration of  Loveen  a  hooker boat built in 1925 https://www.galwayhookersailingclub.ie/.
The club focusses on restoring and sailing boats used traditionally by communities off the coast of counties Galway and Clare in the west of Ireland. Club members speak about the history of the Hooker boats, their latest restoration project and give a sense of the satisfaction they get from involvement in the club along with the passion they have for sailing.

https://www.galwayhookersailingclub.ie/.

Producer: Mary Cunningham

Thanks to all the participants: Colie Hernon, Ciaran Oliver,  Colette Furey, Tina Concannon, Loretta Croke, Orla Curran,  Patrick Conneely and Daniel Concannon.
A special thanks to Brenda Foy who contributed to the podcast and helped out with recording.
Music by :JuliusH from Pixabay . https://pixabay.com/music/folk-celtic-irish-scottish-tin-whistle-background-music-10455/
Olexy from Pixabay.  https://pixabay.com/music/acoustic-group-morning-garden-acoustic-chill-15013/

This tells the story of my efforts to home 5 kittens born in my back garden and my involvement in a humane approach to controlling the feral cat population in my area . During this journey I came in contact with Galway Cat Rescue- a non-profit organisation devoted to cat welfare. Thanks to volunteer Jeanette the 5 kittens were neutered/ spayed along with the mother cat and a number of other strays. 

Anne Miller born and raised

Martin, a geologist based in the university, is from Toulouse. His family background in sailing has helped him get to grips with sailing Hooker boats. 

Maria, a primary school teacher,  is from Cork. She came to Galway  while on a career break from teaching. The plan for the career break was to go travelling but Covid 19 put a stop to that. The alternative was to learn to sail and she certainly has done that. 

Meet Susanne Lally who joined the Galway Hooker Sailing Club in 2021 after meeting Ciaran Oliver on a walking tour of the Claddagh. Having completed the Hooker Skills Course she was out for her first sail four weeks following her registration.  Though she has no previous experience of  any water sports she is delighted with her new hobby and all the new people she has met in the club.