Joseph Owens (mayor)
Encyclopedia
Joseph Owens was Mayor of Galway
from 1953 to 1954.
Owens was elected Mayor on 25 June 1953, being proposed by the outgoing Mayor. He had been born at the family home in Glenamaddy
, his parents being Joseph Owens Sr. and Annie M. Twohy, later Mrs. Dorley. He had a twin sister and a brother, Dick. Upon his father's death, the family moved to Galway in 1922, where his mother ran a drapery store. He and his wife, Nellie English of Cahir, County Tipperary
, had two girls and a boy, and were responsilbe for turning his mother's shop into the successful Atlanta Hotel.
Owens was a versatile sportsman, competing at the top levels in rugby
, soccer, tennis
, swimming
, water polo
and rowing (sport)
. He represented Ireland
internationally in rugby and soccer, a rare distinction. He also played Cricket
and billiards
.
He contested as an independendent candidate aged 19, but was not elected till the following year. At the time he was distinguished by being the country's youngest ever Mayor. During his term he welcomed Queen Salote of Tonga
to the city,and bestowed the Freedom of the City upon Apostolic Nuncio, Dr. Gerard P. O'Hara.
Joseph Owens died on 1 January 1994 following a short illness.
Mayor of Galway
The office of Mayor of Galway is an honorific title used by the of Galway City Council. The Council has jurisdiction throughout its administrative area which is the city of Galway – the largest city in the province of Connacht, in the Republic of Ireland. The office was originally established by a...
from 1953 to 1954.
Owens was elected Mayor on 25 June 1953, being proposed by the outgoing Mayor. He had been born at the family home in Glenamaddy
Glenamaddy
Glenamaddy is a small town in County Galway, Ireland. It lies at the crossroads where the R362 and R364 regional roads intersect.Glenamaddy is the most important town in the northeastern corner of County Galway. It became the musical capital of Connacht during the 1960s when the Showband craze...
, his parents being Joseph Owens Sr. and Annie M. Twohy, later Mrs. Dorley. He had a twin sister and a brother, Dick. Upon his father's death, the family moved to Galway in 1922, where his mother ran a drapery store. He and his wife, Nellie English of Cahir, County Tipperary
County Tipperary
County Tipperary is a county of Ireland. It is located in the province of Munster and is named after the town of Tipperary. The area of the county does not have a single local authority; local government is split between two authorities. In North Tipperary, part of the Mid-West Region, local...
, had two girls and a boy, and were responsilbe for turning his mother's shop into the successful Atlanta Hotel.
Owens was a versatile sportsman, competing at the top levels in rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
, soccer, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
, water polo
Water polo
Water polo is a team water sport. The playing team consists of six field players and one goalkeeper. The winner of the game is the team that scores more goals. Game play involves swimming, treading water , players passing the ball while being defended by opponents, and scoring by throwing into a...
and rowing (sport)
Rowing (sport)
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
. He represented Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
internationally in rugby and soccer, a rare distinction. He also played Cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
and billiards
Billiards
Cue sports , also known as billiard sports, are a wide variety of games of skill generally played with a cue stick which is used to strike billiard balls, moving them around a cloth-covered billiards table bounded by rubber .Historically, the umbrella term was billiards...
.
He contested as an independendent candidate aged 19, but was not elected till the following year. At the time he was distinguished by being the country's youngest ever Mayor. During his term he welcomed Queen Salote of Tonga
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
to the city,and bestowed the Freedom of the City upon Apostolic Nuncio, Dr. Gerard P. O'Hara.
Joseph Owens died on 1 January 1994 following a short illness.
External links
- http://www.galwaycity.ie/AllServices/YourCouncil/HistoryofTheCityCouncil/PreviousMayors/