On 23 November 1920, a century ago today, the funeral of Father Michael Griffin, who had been abducted and killed by Crown forces, took place in Galway. As many as 12,000 mourners – of all political and religious persuasions – gathered in the city to pay their last respects to Father Griffin before his remains were brought to Loughrea Cathedral for burial.
To mark the anniversary, Galway City Museum is giving this sneak preview of an extract from its new film “Terror in Galway – Uafás i nGaillimh, 1920”, in which local historian William Henry tells the story of Father Griffin.
Produced by Brendan McGowan, Galway City Museum with GK Media, “Terror in Galway – Uafás i nGaillimh, 1920” explores some of the key incidents that occurred in Galway in the autumn and winter of 1920. Through Galway City Council, the film has been supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, under the Decade of Centenaries 2012-2023 initiative.
The photographs have been kindly provided by Pamela Lyng, Tom Kenny, Honor Ó Brolcháin, and the Galway Diocesan Archives.