| James
Francis Glynn was born in Williamstown County Galway on July 26th
1908.He was the10th of a family of six boys and six girls of
John Glynn and Mary Ann Coyne. In his youth and through his lifetime he
was known as “Jimmy”, especially by his family, but, his wife,
Brigid preferred the Irish version of his name, Seamus .After primary
education he went to St. Jarlath’s College, Tuam where he spent two
years. While he was in St Jarlath’s the pupils protested about the poor
and meager food and also the refusal of the Tuam Diocese to accept a
particular student as a candidate for the priesthood. As a consequence
Jimmy Glynn and about six others transferred to St. Mary’s College,
Galway at the beginning of the next school year. After getting his
Leaving Certificate in 1927 he went home to Williamstown |
| By
then, three of his older brothers had joined the new Irish police force,
the Garda Siochana, Hubert in 1922, Paddy in July 1923 and Joe in August
of the same year. At that time Johnny who had been in business in Dublin
and heavily involved in the Civil War. was recovering from his injuries.
James spent the next few years in Williamstown helping in the family
business. |
| By
that time he was six feet tall and of athletic build. He had played
football in college and later with Williamstown. He had also played
Rugby while in St. Mary’s. His best game for which he won some county
titles was handball. |
|
In
1931 Seamus decided to follow his older brothers into the Garda. His
application, on November 11th 1931 gives his occupation as
shop assistant and exempt, class 1, because of his education. He is
shown as having special qualifications in Irish at 73%.His first posting
in November 1932 was to Tallagh Garda Station, at that time a little
village on the outskirts of Dublin. The government of the new state, was
anxious to promote the Irish language and he was chosen to attend a
course in the language in the Garda Depot. Afterwards he was posted to
Corrundulla, County Galway, ten miles from the city. His mission then
was to help the older members of the force, many of whom had little
Irish to learn how to fill out their reports and official documents in
Irish. He spent some months also in the next nearest station,
Loughgeorge and it was while there he met his wife to be, Brigid McGough
who was a primary teacher in Coolarne National School in the nearby
parish of Lackagh. They met, it seems, on a bus to Galway as she was on
her way to lectures in the University and were married on the 11th
of August 1937. |
| Between
then and 1946 they lived in three different houses in Claregalway while
five boys were born, Sean in 1938, Joe in 1940, Kevin in 1941, Hugh in
1944 and Aodan in 1947. |
| His
brother-in-law, Richard McGough, having had the foresight to anticipate
the war had stocked his shop with bicycle tyres, tubes and ball bearings
and by the end of the war was a successful businessman in Tuam, County
Galway. He died in 1946 of pneumonia and Seamus found himself executor
of his will. This led to conflict with Richard’s in-laws. |
|
At
that time the Garda Siochana was run more or less as a paramilitary
force under most draconian regulations, even for that time. One of these
did not allow a garda to live within 30 miles of his relations. He was
reported to the authorities and found guilty of, among other things,
failing to report this breach of the regulations in that his (by then
dead) brother-in law, Richard had lived only 14 miles away since
1939. |
| As
punishment, he was transferred to Recess in Connemara, more than 50
miles from his wife and young family. Not surprisingly, by 1947 he was
suffering from a duodenal ulcer and spent four months in the Garda
hospital in Dublin. His visits to his home in Claregalway were rare and
nearly always illegal. He often traveled hidden in the back of the Post
Office van on the way to Galway, while he was officially “sick” and
with the connivance of a sympathetic sergeant. While in Recess, Seamus
and Brigid stayed in touch, writing to each other most often twice a
week. |
| By
1950, he had succeeded in getting himself transferred to Moycullen. He
was now only 14 miles from home but he was often on temporary transfer
in Inverin, filling in for absentees He also took every opportunity to
accept temporary transfers to Galway in particular, for duty at the
annual race meeting so that he could have a few days with his family. At
last, in 1954, his application for a transfer back to Loughgeorge, a
mile from his home was granted. |
|
The
next few years were probably the most content of his life as he settled
in to a domesticity he had not had before. He went to the bog to save
turf and cultivated his garden, although he spent much of the time
leaning on the spade and chatting to his neighbour, James Hession across
the garden wall. He bought a pig and a cow and became a local curiosity
as he trained the cow to follow him home in the evenings like a pet dog.
He looked after his aging mother-in-law with great care and affection.
He went to football matches and to auctions and often came home with
“bargains” which he was always convinced would lead to a profit when
sold. He had a weakness for films to the extent that when in Galway for
a “haircut” he would slip into the Savoy Cinema and stand at the
back to watch a film |
| Tragedy
struck in 1963 when he was diagnosed with cancer. In that year he had a
kidney removed but to no avail. By early 1964 he was very unwell and he
finally succumbed on the 12th of February 1964. He was only 55 and had
spent only 32 years and 92 days as a garda. He bore his last illness
with great patience, fortitude and good humour, never admitting to being
unwell and insisting on carrying on as if by his will alone he could
defeat his illness. |
| During
his lifetime he seemed always to be in good humour, whistling, humming
to himself and making little jokes. When a plate or cup slipped to the floor
to break in pieces he would observe, “Better than a broken leg”. He
made many friends wherever he found himself and had a special way with
little children. He loved a party and had a large repertoire of songs
and although he took a drink, it was rarely more than two. |
| As
a garda he was efficient but also flexible
- not one who always went by the book He had a good memory for
facts and details and was able to devour the “Fogra Tora” - the
Wanted List – in a few minutes on the morning of a barracks inspection
and so amaze his superintendent. He had quite a few commendations for
good police work on his record |
| His
wife, Brigid (pronounced as in Irish, Breege) was born in Aghlora, Tuam
in 1910. She was educated in the Presentation Convent in Tuam and in
Carysfort Teacher Training College, Dublin. Most of her life was spent
as a primary teacher in Bawnmore National School. It was she who looked
after the family’s finances and the education of the children. She
took life very seriously and may have been burdened with too great a
sense of duty. All her life, she kept a little notebook in her handbag in
which she noted details of bills paid, purchases made, clothes and shoe
sizes and even the measurements of the rooms in the house in case she
came across a bargain and needed these details. She retired in 1976.but
continued teaching as a substitute teacher in the nearby schools for
many more years She died of cancer in 1988. They are buried together in
Claregalway. |
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