The Old Galway Diary Podcast - Episode 254 - Our Ladys Boys Club

Well, it started in the 1940s.

You know, there was a great social change beginning in Ireland, in spite of the fact that it was in the war, or maybe because of the fact that it was during the war.

Ah, yes.

I remember it well.

I remember it well.

Well, I can't say I do.

The Irish people began to feel the full force of the cold blast of social change.

And one of the problems at that time was that the state gave absolutely no assistance whatsoever to any out of school education of young people.

And the problem was there was a great need to provide social or recreational activities for young

people.

And so the Jesuit community responded to this need and they set up our Ladies Boys Club in 1941.

And it was designed really to provide organised recreational activities for the youth of Shantella, Bohermore, Thlada, and the West.

Now, not just exclusively those, but most of the kids that went through the club would have been from those working class areas, really.

That's right.

And what they wanted to do was they wanted to provide...

Initially, it was all about poverty because it was widespread in Galway at the time.

And they wanted to help relieve poverty.

They wanted to encourage the boys' development and to give them a dignity...

And to kind of foster a civic spirit among the youth.

Well, they

certainly did that and there was no question about it.

Oh, they

have achieved it in spades.