Connacht Tribune
New book looks at history of Omey island
Omey Island, that small tidal island lying to the south of Claddaghduff in North West Connemara, has always held a magical attraction for local residents and visitors alike.
Understandably so, because it’s a beautiful island, accessible by foot or car from half-tide to half-tide, covered in wild flowers during the spring and summer, and with history and more than a hint of mystery about it at all times of the year.
In her new book on Omey, Dr Heather Greer explores the origins of Omey as an island – its native rock types, dominated by the 422 million years old Omey granite (among the oldest in Connemara) and by much older Dalradian psammite rock peppering the west and south of the island, dating from around 750 million years ago.
When you consider that the Atlantic Ocean only began to form, brought about by the drift of continents around 140 million years ago, that is old indeed!
Heather also draws on cutting edge research conducted in Trinity College Dublin and elsewhere, to speculate on just when Omey actually became an island.
That was around 5,000 to 5,500 years ago, when the melting glaciers from the last major Ice Age melted and the sea rose.
There were probably humans around even back then, maybe witnessing the tides meeting for the very first time, during bad weather or of a full moon, to create what author and cartographer Tim Robinson refers to as a ‘sometime island’.
Some few thousands of years before that, the land that was Omey was far inland, covered no doubt – as was the whole of Connemara – by great hardwood forests of oak and elm, animals such as wild boar living within the undergrowth
Omey Island: A Geological and Human History has been a real labour of love for Heather for the past six or seven years and more.
The book is the result of a vast amount of research – going through the old annals; historical works on the area; PhD and other academic papers addressing aspects of Omey; and discussions and conversations with scholars and with local people originating from Omey (and their descendants in Ireland or the US).
The result is a 176-page book in three parts, with lots of illustrations and photos taken by Heather herself – producing an accessible and highly readable work but packed with information.
In fact, much of the information in the book has never before been made available to the reading public, and some was in grave danger of being lost forever – one of Heather’s key motivations in producing the book.
Part one of Heather’s book explores the geological formation of Omey, including research on the flying-saucer shaped granite ‘pluton that now forms most of Omey and the outer end of the Aughrus Peninsula.
That rock was formed when a tectonic plate moved under its neighbour when two supercontinents collided. Magma was intruded into the home rock, some 8 km below the surface. Being so deep, it cooled only slowly, permitting the formation of a coarse crystalline structure typical of granite.
Although the focus of this is upon the Omey area, of necessity it also covers the geological formation of Connemara itself, so that the book will be informative not alone of Omey but also of this western region of county Galway.
Part Two covers the human habitation of Omey Island, the first of whom were immigrants originating in England and the European continent.
Following the early medieval monastic period on Omey, Heather examines the evidence to conclude that Omey very likely became a base – albeit temporary – for Viking seamen heading south or north along the west coast of Ireland.
Later, following a probable revival of monasticism on Omey and other nearby islands, there was an early wave of pilgrims visiting the holy well there – Tobar Feichín – and staying in the houses of hospitality run by successive members of the Tuathaill (O’Toole) family on the island.
Heather also documents the changing ownership of the five main townlands that form Omey Island, from about 1,150AD to the present day.
That period of a thousand years embraces a still-vibrant monastic life; a late-medieval period, dominated by the O’Flahertys and O’Tooles (and, later, the O’Malleys of Grace O’Malley fame); and the long period from the 1500s to the mid-seventeenth century when successive English monarchs attempted to subdue the last of the ‘wild Irish’ and their old ways: a task finished decisively by Oliver Cromwell.
Then, right through the 19th century, there was the time of famine and emigration, when Omey and Ireland suffered, both by the push of poverty but the pull of a better life.
Later, reform of the land laws also saw changes on Omey, resulting in much of the lands being divided into commonages, shares in which were divided between from four to eight local land-workers.
And the final section examines the ecological and human threats facing Omey Island today, speculating on the eventual demise of Omey. Heather says that the major source of freshwater on Omey – Fahy Lake, or Lough Feichín as it once was called – is likely to be inundated in a matter of decades.
Within 200 years, it will probably be all over for Omey, perhaps other than a few rocky islets protruding from a much higher ocean. But that’s the future and this reflects on a glorious past; it is a book for anyone who loves Connemara in general – or Omey Island in particular.
■ Omey Island: A Geological and Human History, by Heather Greer is available in local shops on the Aughrus Peninsula, or at the Clifden Bookshop and All Things Connemara in Clifden – or online via ConnemaraDoorstep.com
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
GARDAÍ and the IFA have issued a joint appeal to all road users to take extra care as the silage season gets under way across the country.
Silage harvesting started in many parts of Galway last week – and over the coming month, the sight of tractors and trailers on rural roads will be getting far more frequent.
Inspector Conor Madden, who is in charge of Galway Roads Policing, told the Farming Tribune that a bit of extra care and common-sense from all road users would go a long way towards preventing serious collisions on roads this summer.
“One thing I would ask farmers and contractors to consider is to try and get more experienced drivers working for them.
“Tractors have got faster and bigger – and they are also towing heavy loads of silage – so care and experience are a great help in terms of accident prevention,” Inspector Madden told the Farming Tribune.
He said that tractor drivers should always be aware of traffic building up behind them and to pull in and let these vehicles pass, where it was safe to do so.
“By the same token, other road users should always exercise extra care; drive that bit slower; and ‘pull in’ that bit more, when meeting tractors and heavy machinery.
“We all want to see everyone enjoying a safe summer on our roads – that extra bit of care, and consideration for other roads users can make a huge difference,” said Conor Madden.
He also advised motorists and tractor drivers to be acutely aware of pedestrians and cyclists on the roads during the summer season when more people would be out walking and cycling on the roads.
The IFA has also joined in on the road safety appeal with Galway IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche asking all road users to exercise that extra bit of care and caution.
“We are renewing our annual appeal for motorists to be on the look out for tractors, trailers and other agricultural machinery exiting from fields and farmyards,” she said.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
