County Galway Board of Health & Public Assistance (Galway County Council), with County Medical Officer Annual Reports up to 1963 (with gaps)
Galway Board of Health was first formulated in October 1921 to assume responsibility for hospitals, boarded out children and other functions previously administered by the Poor Law Unions. It held its meetings in the Courthouse, Galway. Meetings were originally held every two months, and from the late 1930s they were held monthly.
Under the Provisions of Article 11 of the Galway County Scheme, 1923 the Board was entitled to establish various committees to carry out its duties. The Galway Board had a number of committees, such as a Hospital and Dispensaries Committee, Homes and Home Assistance Committee, District Home Assistance committees for the Rural Districts of Clifden, Glenamaddy, Gort, Loughrea, Mountbellew, Oughterard, Portumna and Tuam; and a district Home Assistance committee for the combined urban and rural District of Ballinasloe and the combined urban and rural district of Galway.
The Board was also responsible for the provision of Dispensaries, and the care and maintenance of the various buildings, appointing caretakers, and approving various repairs.
The Homes Committee took charge of the working of the County Home at Loughrea. The Committee also took charge of the Children’s Home at Glenamaddy for children and unmarried mothers.
The Hospital and Dispensaries Committee took charge of the working of the Central Hospital and the Dispensary and Nursing services, paying all salaries, rents and connected running expenses except capital expenditure (GC5/2, f90).
This collection consists of volumes of minutes of the Board of Health and Public Assistance (1921-41, with gaps), and also a volume of half Yearly Register of Persons admitted into and discharged from Children's Home or any External Institution (1930-1949). It also includes two volumes of Home Assistance Application and Report Books (1922-1932), Homes and Home Assistance Committee Minutes (1928-1931); an Outdoor Relief List (1922-1931), and some financial records, such as abstract of accounts (two volumes), two files relating to capital accounts, and two volumes of Officers' Returns (1926-40), and Chief Medical Officer’s Annual Reports, 1931-1963, with gaps (GC5/36).
Access conditions apply.
Several volumes of minutes were acquired in 2011 from a retiring member of staff (e.g. volumes for 1932 to 1936, 1939 and 1940).
The bound and printed volumes GC5/30b-c and GC5/33 were transferred from the Local History Section of Galway Public Libraries to the Archives in late 2018.
The Medical Officer’s Annual Reports, 1931-1963, with gaps (GC5/36), were acquired from the HSE Library in Merlin Park, Galway in 2023. and an additional two (1941 & 1955) were acquired from the same source in 2025.