Established 1978
A Brief History of the Magazine
Galway's Own began life as the St Patricks Parish Magazine, with the first edition of the magazine appearing in 1978 under the direction and editorial of historian Peadar O’Dowd. The magazine was hand printed on an old-style Gestetner Printer in the Students’ Secretarial Training Office, Regional Technical College on the Dublin Road, where Peadar O’Dowd was a lecturer. The students who worked on the project were all local and included Mary Raftery, Bernadette Tyrrell, Marie Richardson and Ann Marie Curran. The girls typed, printed and bound 500 copies in two weeks and thus began one of the oldest running magazines of its type in the country. It was a success from the beginning. Initially, it was a quarterly magazine and those involved worked diligently to ensure that the demand was met. Over time, the magazine was reduced to an annual edition because of all the work involved in research, printing and publishing. Peadar O’Dowd served as editor and cover designer for many years. The role of editor was then taken over by James Casserly, also of Bohermore. James remained in this role until 2015 when William Henry was appointed as editor. William has contributed articles and photographs to the magazine for almost thirty years.
The formation of a committee in 2021 has proven very successful. The committee members now share the work in compiling, researching and distributing. The magazine continues to be a success and the demand is continually growing. Because of this, it was decided to produce two editions a year, winter and summer. It was also decided to add a number to the magazine such as Christmas 2022 is Volume 50. This should make it easier to trace for someone looking for a particular issue. The magazine has become a collector’s item and because of this there is a constant demand for back issues. If anyone has spare copies of previous magazines that they wish to return, or those looking for back issues, please contact any of the committee members.
The present committee members include: Ollie Hynes, Mike Hynes, Jacqueline O’Brien, Brendan McGowan and William Henry. The committee invite people to submit articles, stories, memories and photographs. All are welcome; young and old alike, near and far away, particularly Galway people living abroad. Sincere thanks to all who continue to submit information, articles and photographs.
Contact: info@galwaysown.ie
Photograph: Preparing the first magazine in 1978. From the left, Mary Raftery, Bernadette Tyrrell, Marie Richardson and Ann Marie Curran.