Connacht Tribune
Stranded far from home by Covid-19
Lifestyle – Students from all over the world who came to Galway to learn English were shocked when language schools had to shut down in March as part of the Irish Government’s response to the coronavirus outbreak. Many who were able to fly home did so then. Those who stayed continued to study online and have been enjoying Irish hospitality and time out, as three of them tell CIARAN TIERNEY.
They are among the forgotten victims of the coronavirus crisis in Galway. Many of them spent years saving up to come here, planning to change or improve their lives, and they never imagined the transformation that would occur when schools across the country were forced to shut down in mid-March.
They come from countries as varied as Switzerland, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Spain, and Mexico. Many get eight-month visas which allow them to work part-time and the thousands of students who come to Galway to learn English every year make a significant contribution to the local economy.
From the host families they stay with to the hotels and shops they work in, and the tour companies who bring them on weekly excursions to Connemara and the Aran Islands, foreign students make an immense contribution to the economy.
Language schools contribute an estimated €880m to the national economy and there have been pleas for the Government to provide support to a sector which is facing a very uncertain future.
Three of the country’s biggest and most established schools are in Galway (Atlantic, the Bridge Mills, and Galway Cultural Institute), so the difficulties faced by the sector are a cause for concern locally.
Almost all the language students who come to Galway go on day trips to the Aran Islands, Connemara, or the Cliffs of Moher at the weekends, using local companies like Lally Tours and Aran Ferries. Meanwhile, trips on the Corrib Princess and outings to Galway pubs for special student nights out are scheduled into their weekly timetables.
While there’s no roadmap for when language schools can reopen, these places rely primarily on advance bookings from students who plan their trips to Ireland months or even years in advance. It is hard to see too many people in Brazil, Spain, or Italy planning to come to Galway to study English in the near future.
For those who were already here when the schools shut down on March 12, it has been a surreal time. Many of them choose Galway because of its famed night life and compact size. And they found it strange to see roads and beaches deserted and pubs and restaurants closed during the first few weeks of the lockdown.
Among them are three students who came here in February, with plans to spend months studying English at Galway Cultural Institute (GCI) in Salthill.
They are Kayla Isabel Sandigo Davila, originally from Nicaragua; Nadia Bea Gonzalez from Granada, Spain, and Caio Eduardo Batista from Brazil.
They were given no notice when the Government announced on a Thursday at lunchtime that all schools in Ireland were shutting down.
It was a strange time, they recall. Some students never got a chance to say goodbye to classmates or teachers. Some of their friends wanted to go home as the places where they worked part-time were also closing and they wondered what they’d do with their time.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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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.
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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.
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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
