Compiled by Eamon Dolan

The village pump going back in time was the main source of water for drinking and household use, by local residents in local areas throughout Ireland. It was a place where people met and chatted, and all the local news was discussed as they came and collected their water. The pumps themselves were manufactured in a foundry in Dublin and were mainly Green in colour with some in black. Farmhouses at the time stored water in Concrete tanks by running the water from eve-shoots on their barns into the tanks and also into the wooden barrels at the side of the houses. Farmers relied also on pools of water which congregated in the fields and also Turloughs to water their stock. There is now a great interest in the restoration of these pumps by local tidy town groups.

Galway County Council Archives Collections often refer to the pumps as it was the Council’s job to provide and maintain them within the county boundary. In 1904 and 1905 for example, a letter from the Board of Public Works to the Council informs them that that his Majesty’s Treasury have sanctioned a loan of £200 to the Council ‘for the purpose of sinking wells and erecting pumps at Kilmore and Rushestown, the loan to be repaid in 20 years with interest @ 3½ per annum and will be issued to the Council in 3 instalments of £76, £75, £50. Also enclosing a receivable Order for a sum of £1.1.0 to meet expenses’ – Mountbellew Rural District Council collection, 1899-1923, (Galway County Council Archives, G01/6).

My memories of the pump in Monivea go back to when I attended National School, at the old school beside Mannion’s house. At lunchtime we went to Granny Mac for our dinner lucky us. But there was no free dinner, Granny would have the buckets ready and the water had to be brought from the Pump. During school time this was a rush job as up to the pump we would run, place the bucket on the pump and push the handle up and down them the water flowed freely to fill the bucket full and we would hurry back for the grub, much to Grannies displeasure the buckets might not have all its contents when it arrived at its destination. All of Grannies water requirement was drawn by bucket from the Pump in Monivea.

Saturday and Sunday involved a more leisurely stroll. On those days you would have time to chat to others from the village going and coming from the pump. Those included Tommie Murphy on his bicycle with his collie dog close behind, Dolly Noone on her journey to the village a great source for the local news, Miss Finn who lived opposite the Bog Road she was a dressmaker, Annie May Connor and Mick were nearly always on the road. Paddy Moffett who worked for Johnnie Dolan on his farm, Paddy lived in a thatched cottage opposite to Foxes house on the bog Road. Johnnie purchased the house and farm from Baby Shea. Paddy was a regular visitor to Mick and May Clancy in Gainimh, Ballyskeagh. There were many other locals who journeyed to the pump all day long. The conversation re local and county matches were so real that you could feel the shoulder tackles and the belt of the hurl so passionate were the stories told. Mostly all relayed from the commentaries of the great Michael O’ Hehir. 

When the pump did not operate Tommie Murphy was the man to get, he would take us into Connors field at the back of the pump, where the source of the water was in a well under the ground and he would tie a rope onto the bucket and draw the water up from the well, there was a beam across the well where he would balance the bucket before it dropped down to fill, the occasional bucket was known to have been lost as a result of having not been properly tied to the rope. No health and safety instructions to be complied with then.

When the fine weather came the pump was a very busy place, with local farmers depending on the water for their stock, the Horse and Cart, Pony and Cart and the most reliable of all the good old donkey and cart were used to draw the water from the pump. The barrels would be filled, and a bag tied over the top to stop the spillage on the journey home.

Pony and carts were very common, two I remember well were Paddy Mannion’s and Sonny Divilly’s you would hear the clip clop of the iron shoes of the pony hitting the tarmac as it jogged along the road. Very few tractors were around in those times.

Another great local source for water which we used from our home was Luchain in Bellville. From here we drew the water in barrels by horse and cart. In the summer when the Tanks and pools in the field went dry it was a daily chore, most days two journeys had to be made. On a busy day there would be a queue and the stories told were only mighty. In the real hot weather which we got them the bucket would have to be filled with a Cow and Gate tin as the Well would be so low. The Cow and Gate tins were turned into a jug with a spout and handle by the local tinkers as they were called them, they had local spots where they would camp and call to all the local farmers to mend buckets and pots and then move on.

 The frustrating part of this chore was when you arrived at the field to fill the troughs for the Cows and cattle they would have it drank as fast as the bucket was emptied as they all tried to get their heads into the trough together. The story at the well was told that a local farmer in Belleville turned the troughs upside down on his cattle from his frustration of trying to empty the barrels as a protest and made them wait before filling up the troughs. Years later when the Milk tankers came into use they drew water and filled the tanks. which made life a little easier.

Them a water scheme came to Monivea Village and the luxury of piped water. A huge effort was put in place then to get a rural water scheme for the outlying areas from the village. A local delegation travelled to Dublin to meet the Minister for Local Government to lobby for the local scheme. Father Sammon, Joe Killarney and Mickie Dolan duly met the Minister in Dublin. Minister Michael Smith listened carefully to the presentation made by the delegation. He paused and thought about the issue. His reply was I am sorry lads I am unable to do anything to immediately get this scheme of the ground, the problem is ye are number 23 on the list and if I move your scheme up others on the list will complain as they will have to be moved back a number of places, Mickie thought for a moment and said Minister a very easy solution to the problem is move up our scheme to number One and all the other schemes will only have to move back one place no great cause to complain by them then. The Minister replied I have already given my answer no more I can do. The push continued and eventually the scheme came to fruition.

Just a small reflection on the issue of Water over the years, so when you turn on the tap and the water freely flows, think of those gone before, filling the bucket with the cow and gate tin.