Bound volume minutes for meetings of the Galway Urban District Council. Each page has a margin, for some meetings the subject for each minute is written in red in the margin, details of attendance and some correspondence are also included. According to entry dated 30 March 1917 a letter was read from the Portrush Urban Council...asking the views of this council on the subject of a deputation to the Chief Secretary to urge the desirability of granting excursions and cheap booking this year to health resorts.' According to entry dated 12 August 1917 a resolution was passed stating 'that we the Galway Urban District Council respectfully, but firmly demand that of the English Home Secretary cannot see his way to grant the Countess de Markievicz the same concessions as the other Irish Prisoners, who received the same sentence he will, at least allow her a daily visit with an outside friend.' According to entry dated 3 May 1917 a resolution was passed calling 'the attention of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and the Chief Secretary that the order with the object of prohibiting racing, if it applies to the Galway Races, will mean a loss of about £10,000 to the people of Galway, who are already very hard hit by the war, that it will be disastrous to hotels and other public places in Galway....' According to entry dated 7 June 1917 it was unanimously decided to ask the officers commanding at Renmore Barracks to allow the bands of their regiments to play at Eyre Square.' The entry dated 11 April 1918 includes the following resolution 'That we, the members of the Galway Urban District council enter our strongest protest against the passing of the Conscription Bill at present going through the House of Commons as unjustifiable and unwarranted and calculated to cause chaos and confusion in the country where Labour is not sufficient to attend to the needs of the increased tillage going on now.' According to minute dated 1 August 1918, Colonel Arthur Lynch M.P. addressed the meeting on behalf of the Irish Recruiting Council and explained the necessity of having voluntary recruiting carried out in order to obviate the necessity of conscription. According to a resolution passed at the meeting held on 31 October 1918 'Owing to the severe character of the present epidemic of influenza and owing to the wide distribution of the disease all over town amongst women children and adults we would strongly recommend that the Urban Council would use whatever authority it has to have all schools and places of amusement closed for the present.' According to entry dated 21 November 1919 the Government proposed voting a considerable sum of money under the heading of Reconstruction for the building of houses in urban areas and it was decided to bring this matter before the Council.' According to entry dated 30 January 1919 a letter was read from W.R.W. Machie stating that 'he had purchased the Galway Salthill Tramway Co. and proposed running motor busses to Salthill and he would be glad if arrangements could be come to for removal of rails and make good the road.' According to entry dated 6 February 1919 it was proposed 'that we the members of the Galway Urban District Council desire to draw attention of his Majesty's Government to the expediency of adopting proportional representation as the method of conducting municipal elections under the Local Government Act 1898 as we are of opinion it is the fairest method of carrying on these elections. According to entry dated 20 March 1919 Father Davis 'came before the council and pointed out the urgency of providing houses for the working classes in Claddagh...' According to entry dated 10 May 1919 'It was decided to present an address of Welcome to the Irish American Delegates to the peace conference at Paris who were to visit Galway Tomorrow and the address having been drawn up and read was approved of.' According to entry dated 5 June 1919 a 'report of Committee appointed to consider letter from the Local Government Board with reference to Housing Schemes stating they consider the design of houses suggested by the Local Government Board too elaborate for local requirements, and the proposal to have W.C.s inside they consider objectionable. According to entry dated 31 July 1919 'A letter was read from the Irish Unionist Anti-Partition League in reference to Housing Bill and the Council decided that they were in favour of the Scheme already adopted for housing in England and Scotland.' Entry for 17 January 1920 includes a cutting from the Galway Observer detailing the results of the local elections held on 17 January 1920. Entry dated 15 April 1920 states that 'this council desires to place on record our appreciation of the thoroughly efficient orderly and courageous manner in which the allied trades and labour bodies in Galway handled the very difficult and critical situation created by the national strike...that the special thanks of the citizens of Galway are due to the Irish Railway and Postal workers whose patriotic action, contributed so largely to the victory of right over might. That we congratulate the noble men who were prepared to suffer death rather than yield up their principles.' According to entry dated 6 May 1920 the following resolution was passed by the council, 'this council have just learned that the deaths of one hundred noble Irish Patriots are imminent in Wormwood Scrubs Prison and that some prisoners in Galway Jail are also in danger of death, beg to place on record our horror and detestation of the tyrannical English Government which has brought this new system of slow murder into existence after it has deprived the Irish people of all private as well as public liberty.' According to entry dated 3 June 1920 'Walter O'Flaherty submitted designs for houses to be built at Salthill and asked for a certificate under the Housing (Additional Powers) Act 1919. W. Sarsfield also submitted designs for a house at Wood Quay and asked for a certificate.' Entry for 17 June 1920 includes the following resolution "That this Council of the elected representatives of the Galway Urban District Council at a duly convened meeting hereby acknowledges the authority of Dail Eireann as the duly elected Government of the Irish people, and undertakes to give effect to all decrees duly promulgated by the said Dail Eireann in so far as same effects this Council. That copies of this Resolution be forwarded to the Republican Minister for Foreign Affairs for transmission to the Governments of Europe, and to the President and Chairman of the Senate and House of Representatives of the U.S.A. That 30 copies of this resolution be sealed with the Seal of the Council and handed to me for transmission to the proper quarters.'
