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Materials in this catalogue are organised hierarchically and assigned to sub-fonds such as Personal, Academic, or Business papers. These groupings are intended as broad contextual guides rather than strict definitions, and they determine the reference number that is assigned to that particular archive collection (for example A for Academic, P for Personal).

Because many creators’ lives and work do not fit neatly into a single category, some collections include material that might also sit comfortably elsewhere. In some cases, collections that contain academic or literary material have been placed within Personal papers, reflecting how the records were originally grouped or described.

More detailed information is provided at collection and item level.

The records of Galway Corporation from its foundation in 1485 to 1818. It consists of a statute book (Liber A) giving the names of members of the Corporation and statutes passed (1485 to 1710). Also the minute books of meetings of the Corporation from 1679, giving the dates of meetings, attendance, and business transacted. Also some loose legal material relating to a court case before the House of Lords dealing with the election of Valentine Blake as MP for Galway in 1814.

Each volume contains minutes giving the date of meetings, attendance, correspondence and business transacted. Initially the Board of The Galway Town Commissioners met on a weekly basis, during in later periods it met less frequently. Earlier volumes contain lined pages, later volumes contain indexes and pre-formatted pages. The collection also contains two volumes of drafts of minutes. The volume or volumes covering the period May 1853-September 1862 is missing, according to a list which accompanied the initial deposit it was never deposited at the library. The vast majority of the information contained in the minute books relates to the day to day provision of the services which the Board was responsible for including the collection of tolls, the watch and the maintenance of roads and footpaths. The minute books also contain references to wider social and political events such as The Great Famine and The Land War. The pages of the volumes in this collection are in good physical condition, the covers of some of the volumes are very worn.

Bound volume containing drafts of the minutes for meetings of the Galway Town Commissioners. The minute book is a custom printed book which includes structured folios with headings for each meeting. Includes A-Z index. Each folio contains the following printed headings 'Minutes of Proceedings of the Galway Town Improvement Commissioners at their Monthly Meeting held on Thursday...', 'Present', 'No.1 Account', 'No.2 Account', 'Reports of Committees read and disposed of as follows, namely:-', 'The following Special Business came before the Meeting'. In many instances extra pages are attached which contain more information relating to Special Business, in some instances printed material from newspapers is also attached to the minute book. Meeting were usually held on the first Thursday of every month, extra meetings were held periodically. This volume is used both for the minutes of the Galway Town Commissioners and the Galway Urban District Council, Galway Urban District Council took over the functions of the Town Commissioners following the Local Government (Ireland) Act which was passed in 1898. Although this volume may be regarded as one physical item for the purposes of arrangement and description it is treated as two items and a description of the relevant section is includes in the finding aid for the Galway Urban District Council Collection (LA4). According to entry dated 26 March 1891 'The Question of the wires of the Galway Electric Company came on for the consideration of the Board, every member having been duly notified, and M McDougall proposed and M O'Sullivan seconded that we report to the board of trade that no accident of any kind has occurred with the overhead wires at present in Galway.' According to entry dated 18 February 1892 the 'Midland Company intended to supply themselves with water from Newcastle by running a line of pipes to their station at Galway...' it was resolved by the Town Commissioners that the 'secretary direct Mr. Blake at once to communicate with Mr. Bell parliamentary Agent, to lodge a petition on the part of the Commissioners to oppose the Bill in the interests of the town of Galway with which the proposed work will interfere in annihilating the water supply to the town.' Entry dated 3 March 1892 states 'read letter from...Dublin Corporation references to Irish Exhibits at the coming "World's Fair" Chicago. Secretary was directed to communicate the contents to W. Persse, the jute factory and other manufacturers in the town.' According to entry dated 6 October 1892 'W. Duggan for the Telephone Co. of Ireland waited at the Board and asked for liberty to erect poles required for the use of a proposed telephone exchange for Galway ordered to convene a special meeting to consider the question.' Entry dated 2 February 1893 states that 'A discussion arose on the subject of the broken stones supplied to the town through the jail. M. J. O'Sullivan stated he objected to this means of obtaining metal and stated he would give notice that a contract be entered for the purpose.' Entry dated 10 August 1893 states that 'the consideration of the letter from the National Education Board, on the subject of appointing a local Education Committee came before the Board. The Secretary having read the Irish Education Act 1892 to the Board by which it appeared that it was imperative on the Commissioners to appoint a Committee. According to entry dated 5 March 1896 Mr. M A. Lynch moved that 'six wooden seats be procured and placed along the promenade at Salthill.' According to entry dated 5 February 1897 'On consideration of the application of the Galway Electronic Company for a provisional order from the Board of Trade, W. Perry came before the board and stated that if the Commissioners insisted on the insertion in the schedule to the proposed provisional order of Salthill he would be unable to float his company but that if the Commissioners would waive the insertion of Salthill in the schedule he would on the part of his company undertake to extend the electric light mains to this locality after a short time.

The minutes of the Galway Urban Sanitary Authority list the date of each meeting, the attendance, Reports of Committees, record of sanitary work performed, correspondence and special business. Meeting typically took place at monthly intervals, the vast majority of the Authority's business concerned the provision of running water, sewers and inspection of houses or buildings.

Bound volume containing the minutes of the proceedings of the Galway Urban Sanitary Authority. The pages include printed formatting and fields, each entry is spread over three pages. Each entry contains the following fields 'Minutes of Proceedings of the Galway Urban Sanitary Authority, at their meeting held on ...', 'Present', 'in the Chair' 'Other members Present', 'Reports of Committees read and disposed of as follows, namely:', 'Record of Sanitary work performed since the date of the last Meeting', 'The following communications from the Local Government Board were read', 'The following Special Business came before the Meeting', 'The following Accounts were laid before the Meeting, and Cheques drawn for the amounts:', 'Reports of Medical Officers of Health, and Orders made thereon:', 'Monthly Report of the Medical Officer of Health read, and the following Orders made thereon:', 'The Report as to the Inspection of Common Lodging Houses was read as follows, and the following Orders were made thereon:'. It is evident that some entries relate to the business of the Urban District Council rather than the Sanitary Authority, some entries are replicated in the minute books of the Urban District Council. (See LA4). According to entry dated 5 December 1907 the following motion was moved 'That the undertaking given by the Council in the old lease of Fairhill slob lands to spend £1000 thereon in the erection of a weighhouse etc., be altered and that the Council instead undertake to layout £1000 on the erection of Labourers Cottages there, and that the new lease to the council be prepared accordingly.' A report dated from the medical officer Dr. J.M. MacDonagh dated 11 November 1918 'Owing to the severe character of the present epidemic of influenza and the wide distribution of the disease all over the town, the council should use whatever authority it has to have all schools and places of amusement closed for the present.'

Three of the four volumes contain minutes giving the date of meetings, attendance, correspondence and business transacted. The first volume also contains the minutes of the Galway Town Commissioners for the period 6 November 1890 - 31 December 1898, although this is one physical item it can be considered as two items for the purposes of description and arrangement. One of the items in this collection LA4/4 is a letter book which contains copies of correspondence and other items such as reports and for the period 4 May 1922 - 20 December 1922 it includes the copies of the minutes of council meetings. There are no minutes for the period 12 October 1912 - 16 December 1916, however there are some copies of letters for this period.

The volumes in this collection are in good physical condition.

Letter Book for Galway Urban District Council, contains copies of correspondence and copies of other material relating to the Urban District Council, including reports from committees, statements of accounts and the minutes of council meetings. Many entries are not dated however they appear to be in chronological order. The volume is paginated pp1-994, only one side of each leaf is paginated. Page 5 includes a statement of loans for the Galway Harbour Commissioners. Page 68 contains a statement of rents received from houses on Bowling Green for the years 1904 and 1909. The amount borrowed for the housing scheme was £1060 for a term of 50 years. Page 424 contains a statement of outstanding loans for public health and other acts. Each entry contains the following fields 'purpose', 'amount of loan', 'date', 'no. of years', 'principal paid off.', 'principal outstanding' and 'rate of interest'. Entries include 'Claddagh Bridge' £2000, 1888... And Auxiliary Engine £900, 1893'. Page 456 includes a plan to purchase Grattan's Estate in the Claddagh, according to the plan the estate had 80 houses built on it and goes on to say 'That number of houses required would be about 150. Which might be provided as follows: 100 houses £140 each - £14000, 50 houses £100 each £5000.' Pages 924-994 contain copies of typescript minutes of meetings of the Galway Urban District Council. According to entry dated 4 May 1922 on page 924 'A vigilance committee was appointed to draw up a report with regard to the supervision of certain literature which is being circulated in the district.' According to entry on page 928 'Mr. F. Flanerty asked if the action of parties who done damage at Eyre Square and removed the statue of Lord Dunkellin was to be permitted to go unpunished. Decided to consult the Council's solicitors and instruct them to take proceedings to have the parties punished.' According to entry dated 22 September 1922 which appears on page 955 'A letter was read from Dail Eireann, stating that the Minister for Local Government was of the opinion that sanction should have been obtained before expenditure had been incurred in connection with the purchase of the large hanger which is being erected at Salthill.' According to entry dated 5 October 1922 which appears on page 964 'It was decided to draw the attention of the Inspector, Civic Guard, to the number of shooting galleries which are allowed to do business at Eyre Square, and ask him, if possible, to effect the removal of these parties. Page 990 includes a report relating to electricity supplies in the city, the report relates to the construction of a power plant, the existing plant having been 'destroyed by fire about the 17th of March this year and is not yet entirely reconstructed.'

Photocopy of a file of correspondence maintained by the Clerk of the Poor Law Union of Bawnboy, County Cavan, relating to the running of the Union. It consists primarily of correspondence with the Local Government Board on various matters.

Plans for the extension of Galway Harbour drawn up in 1936.