Connacht Tribune
Údarás outlines scale of investment in Gaeltacht
Grants worth more than €7m have been approved by Údarás Na Gaeltachta to boost employment in Irish-speaking areas of the country.
The annual budget of €7.125m for 2023 was approved at the final meeting of the organisation’s current board held in Na Forbacha last week.
Funding will be channeled to community development organisations in the Conamara Gaeltacht and elsewhere to support language plans, promote tourism and cultural projects, and renewable energy initiatives.
Údarás Na Gaeltachta’s Gaeltacht Diaspora project was allocated €59,000. This will be used for awareness campaigns this year, as well as a new genealogical service.
“There is a strong Gaeltacht diaspora worldwide which is valuable in terms of networking, attracting people home, investments and more. We intend to conduct research focusing on the diaspora of the various Gaeltacht regions as well as organising events for the Gaeltacht and Diaspora communities,” an Údarás spokesperson said.
A provision of €165,000 was to support the cultural tourism sector, building on a partnership established with Fáilte Ireland last year.
Some €120,000 was approved for its Community Enterprise Scheme to help community organisations with the cost of developing small community initiatives, carrying out research or purchasing essential equipment.
A total of €2.1m was approved for its subsidiaries, and one strategic company.
This includes €619,500 for Comhar Naíonraí na Gaeltachta who provide a support service for a range of early Gaeltacht education services; and €879,500 for Muintearas CTR to promote training, education, youth and early education projects and to administer the Summer Camps Scheme.
Another €600,000 was approved for Ealaín (na Gaeltachta) CTR to implement a comprehensive arts programme in the Gaeltacht including services and grant schemes, which support the development of arts organisations and individual artists.
The total allocated for administration grants for community development organisations was €3.8m, up by almost €500,000 on last year.
This goes to 33 community organisations to help implement community development programmes, which support the aims of the the Údarás na Gaeltachta 2021-2025 Strategy.
“They play a vital role in the implementation of language plans in their various areas as well as supporting the development of the gteic network, promoting tourism and cultural projects and investigating opportunities for renewable energy initiatives, among other projects,” a spokesperson said.
Around €753,000 was approved for schemes which promote community, language, and tourism development. This includes €250,000, an increase of €85,000 for events and language support activities which aim to preserve, promote and develop the Irish language throughout the Gaeltacht.
A provision of €70,000 was approved as a gteic network support fund to help develop digital networks.
Some €250,000 has been approved to support the Community Development Unit of Údarás in relation to its Gaeltacht Social Enterprise Programme and mentoring process.
Gaeltacht Ghlas, focused environmental, linguistic, community, and employment sustainability was allocated €90,000.
Údarás na Gaeltachta Chief Executive, Tomás Ó Síocháin, thanked the outgoing board and chairperson, Anna Ní Ghallachair.
He said the budget announcement highlighted the ‘crucial role’ of the organisation in the everyday life of the Gaeltacht.
“Community development, of which the nurturing of the Irish language is an integral part, is at the heart of our work,” he said.
Ms Ní Ghallachair said it was a privilege and an honour to have been chairperson of an organisation “which played such an influential and important role in the life of the Gaeltacht community and in the perpetuation of the Irish language”.
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
