On Saturday 6th of February 1886, the Galway Express published an article about poverty in Galway. It included a reference to the Geary family in Fairhill.
“Margaret Geary, Fairhill, mother of nine children. The husband is in ill health and the family is in great distress.”
Images of the article, and the full text can be seen below.
THE GALWAY EXPRESS Saturday Morning February 6 1886
DESTITUTION
At the present time, destitution is prevalent over all Ireland – want of employment over the United Kingdom. When destitution prevails so extensively, it does not command the same attention as when only local, and therefore the sufferers are apt to be and their appeals for aid made in vain. Last week we drew attention to a few cases in Galway, and in consequence a lady wrote us to say she would be obliged if we could specify cases of extreme distress, should we know them to exist. In consequence, we took trouble to enumerate a few and we now give them to our readers in order that they might have some idea of the destitution that exists in their midst.
Pat Faherty, a labourer having a wife and three children in a most pitiable state, got no work since 18th December, living in the Claddagh.
In same house a widow with two infant children sleeping on bare floor.
Ann Moran, widow with three children in extreme distress.
Widow Oliver, next door to the above; bedridden 7 years, fasted all day Saturday, a son and daughter, the boy’s clothes had to be pawned for their supper.
John Moore, wife and six children, worked 2 days and 3 half days within the last 3 months; neither food nor fire. The worst case I have seen but that there is some furniture in the house; had to part with same to feed his family.
Stephen Oliver and wife, and James Fallon, wife and two children in one small house, also in a pitiable state; without food for 2 days, did not earn a penny since November.
Stephen Curran and wife, with 2 sons, one of whom earns when he can get employment. The old man two years bed-ridden; in extreme distress. He is now paralysed.
William Harte, wife and 2 children. The only food in 24 hours was a cup of tea and bread, bought for 6d, which the wife earned today by washing. Scarcely a coal of fire on the hearth.
Thos Connelly, next door to last named, wife and six children with father-in-law; eating a few dry potatoes; without a spark of fire to warm themselves.
Thaddy Cubbard, wife and 4 children; very hard case; saw them at supper; bread with a salt herring, the bread supplied by a friend; really miserable.
Martin O’Brien, wife and 5 children; actually starved; receives a littlle nourishment through a friend sending him a load of turf, which he sells in penny-worths to buy bread for his family.
Martin Ryan, wife and 4 children; also endeavours to support an orphan girl; last employment discharging a cargo of barley from Kinvarra for Mr Pearse; without food or fire, but fairly housed.
Pat Browne, wife and 4 children, a most pitiful sight to witness.
Michael Barrett, wife and mother-in-law, no visible means of subsistence.
Thos Horan, wife and 5 children; the latter crying with cold and hunger.
Mary Connor, with a husband out of health, trying to live by picking mussels since husband’s illness.
Luke Fahy, wife and 3 children. Had not eaten a mouthful since the day before.
John Fahy, wife and 4 children; all their clothese pawned; now selling the furniture to feed his family.
Pat Scuffle, wife and 3 children; as above.
Bartly Agnew and wife; without food or fire.
Michael O’Donnell, wife and 2 children; did not earn a shilling for eight weeks; great distress.
Luke Gannon, wife and 3 children; no furniture; no fire; no food; very much to be pitied.
Pat Fahy, wife and 3 children, as bad a case as could be described.
William Harte, wife and 1 child, destitute.
John Burke, wife and 4 children; nothing to eat.
John Mullaly, wife and 6 children; extreme poverty in this house.
Michael McDonagh, wife and 4 children; could scarcely be worse off than at present.
Denis Harte, widower, 1 son; as great an example of poverty as could be seen; not a mouthful to eat; no work of any kind to enable them to eat.
Bartly McHugh, wife and 4 children; also supports his father-in-law; is in a pitiable plight; did not earn a shilling since before Christmas; goes to bed supperless.
Patrick Gannon, wife and 3 children; did not earn a penny for 3 month; family starving.
Thomas Hynes, wife anf 4 children; same state as above.
John Kavanagh, supporting his mother; also in a fearful state of destitution.
Bartly Connelly, wife and 1 child, 6 weeks idle; without a morsel to eat.
Mary O’Donnell, 4 children, and a sick sister, the husband is in hospital for 9 months; they are in a sad state.
Roderick Connelly, next door to the above; 70 years old, wife nearly same age; most miserable; the old man actually nude; warming himself over a few embers; starving; in same house an old man named Pat Flaherty, in a most emaciated state; scarcely credible how these can exist.
Mark King, next door to last named; wife and one son; a house of poverty, not a sod of fire to be seen; fisherman; only one meal in 48 hours, and going to bed supperless.
Anthony Jones, same row of houses; his poverty is indescribable; wife and four children; in heartrending condition.
It may be well to mention that the above list is taken from only one portion of the town. Had we time and opportunity to go through the other parts of Galway, we could fill a volume with the names of suffering humanity. Suffice it to say that in no town in Ireland do we believe greater distress prevails, and were it not for the generosity and kindheartedness of a certain lady in town, who is dispensing relief, regardless of creed or class, to those most in need of it, we fear that some tales of woe would have been revealed, since the commencement of the new year.
Since writing the foregoing, our representatitve has made a tour of several other portions of the town, where distress was found to be as prevalent as in the districts already described. We append the names and circumstances of a few of the many who have come to our notice:-
Thomas Comber, labourer, 6 in family, Kelly’s Lane, saw his house today; his wife endeavours to support the family by selling some vegetables. His case is a bad one.
John Maxwell, sailor, and wife; Water Lane. This man has no work, and is in a most wretched condition; his health is broken down, and requires nourishment.
Margaret Connell, husband idle since before Christmas; a trifle would be of great service, as the husband has a prospect of employment.
Delia Tierney, mother of 2 children, very much requires relief. Her husband has no work. This applicant is of a superior class, but much impoverished.
Kate Walsh, four in family, the only support an old man, 70 years old, who cobbles at old shoes; his average earnings is from 3d to 6d per day. The woman informed me that she was refused relief when she applied for it, the person distributing it having torn her ticket.
Widow Toole, 2 grand-children, a pitiable case, tries to live by washing and mopping when she gets a chance of so doing.
Widow O’Brien and her sister, the latter supporting the former by washing or mopping. None of those have been relieved from any source. They are pictures of real distress.
Widow Kelly, mother of six children, tries to support them by selling and hawking vegetables. A case of real distress.
John Kelly, wife and six children; Henry St., not employed. Very destitute.
Michael Holleran, supporting an aged mother; miserable.
Biddy Murphy, a miserable creature.
Michael McDonagh, wife and five children; badly off.
Biddy Kelly, widow, three children; no support, but selling mussels.
John Corcoran, seven in family; another poor case.
Austin Lydon, wife and five children; sad distress.
Widow Canavan, four children; another bad case.
Maggie Mannion, 16 years a widow, supporting two daughters, one of whom is in ill-health. Her occupaiton is selling fish. Her husband was a miller in the employment of Mr H. S. Pearce.
Honoria Moloney, mother of six children; her husband is only a journeyman butcher; a case that requires great consideration.
Maria Cunningham, of Kelly’s Lane, a very respectable young woman, mother of two children bears her distress in silence.
Honor Ryan , widow, Henry Street; has one son capable of working, but did not earn a shilling since the month of November.
Honor Hynes, Schoolhouse Lane, mother of two children. The woman’s husband was severely burned in Mr Porter’s(?) distillery, and is at present unable to work.
Margaret Geary, Fairhill, mother of nine children. The husband is in ill health and the family is in great distress.
John Conneely, Raven Terrace, wife and five children. Is out of health for the past six months.
Patrick O’Brian, Claddagh, wife and three children. Offered his furniture for sale, but failed to get a purchaser.
Several letters have been received at this office describing some most distressing cases. In fact it would be impossible to give space to all the feeling applications that have been sent us.
The greater number of the cases mentioned have come under our own observation and they emphatically assert that up to the present they have not received relief from any source whatsoever.
We may remark that without a personal inspection, it is very difficult to distinguish between the really needy and the impostures. Since our reporter maded a personal inspection, our place has been besieged by applicants for relief, each with a harrowing tale of woe more distressing than his neighbour. One woman laid off a piteous tale of want of food and firing, and when we told her that if she got a ticket for coal she would also be supplied in some food in the shape of soup. She replied – “Give me a ticket for coals, and to h–l with your soup”. We may mention that coal could be sold, soup could not, and we regret to say we have heard of instances where charity was abused in this way, and not in exchange for the staff of life, but for drink, which injures and degrades the recipient.
We think it right to mention, a number of tradesmen who have been idle for a length of time and who are out of employment at present, were offered work at 27s. per week and they politely refused the offer
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