Connacht Tribune
Anti-masker claimed he cured his Covid – with tea and toast
By Ann Healy
A failed general election candidate who has refused to get a Covid vaccine or wear a mask in court for the last two years, told Judge Mary Fahy this week he caught the virus twice since the pandemic began – and while he found the Omicron variant worse than last year’s Delta, he claimed he had successfully cured himself with tea, 7-Up, toast, and paracetamol.
Daragh O’Flaherty (45), who has had various former addresses in the homeless shelter at the Fairgreen, then Shannon, Knock and more recently again, the Fairgreen Hostel, blamed himself for catching the virus by not heeding his Granny’s advice many years ago of not going to bed with wet hair.
He appeared before the court on foot of a bench warrant which was issued for his arrest when he failed to turn up in court on December 15 last.
O’Flaherty, who was an unsuccessful independent candidate in Galway West at the last election, presented himself voluntarily this week and was taken into custody by Garda Padraic Kelly who executed the warrant in court.
Judge Mary Fahy asked him if he would like to apply for a solicitor to represent him under the free legal aid scheme but he declined.
Flaherty faces several charges, which the judge has adjourned to a special court hearing on May 31.
He faces a charge of trespassing at UHG, between St Nicholas Ward and St Pius Ward, without reasonable excuse on January 6 last year in a manner as caused or was likely to cause fear in another person.
He has also previously been charged with loitering in a public place at Dublin Road, Galway on September 6, 2020, and with failing to comply with the directions of Garda Kevin Molyneaux to leave the area.
He also faces further charges of failing to appear before the court to answer his bail in relation to above charges.
Garda Kelly said he had no objection to O’Flaherty getting bail this week as he had presented himself voluntarily to the court.
O’Flaherty, who referred to Judge Fahy as “ma-am” at all times, told her he meant no disrespect to her by not showing up in court on December 15.
“I disrespected you by not showing up, but it was because of Omicron. I got two doses of Covid, one in March 2020, but this one in December was worse.
“The reason is I had a shower and I went to bed with wet hair in a bedroom I wasn’t familiar with and I woke up a couple of hours later blue,” he said.
“If you had worn a mask like the rest of us, you might not have got it,” Judge Fahy advised him.
The judge asked him if he had got vaccinated.
“No, I don’t engage in chemical experiments,” he replied.
“So, you’re not vaccinated and you don’t wear a mask but you did get the virus twice,” the judge observed.
O’Flaherty said the second time he got it, he only had a little sniffle, but it got worse when he went to bed with wet hair.
Judge Fahy told him she accepted he had a genuine reason for not showing up to court in December.
O’Flaherty told the judge he had a number of bench warrants in existence already and he asked her not to record this one from December as he was sick at the time.
The judge told him he would be getting bail and she remanded him on bail on his own surety of €200 to appear before the special court sitting on May 31.
Before leaving the courtroom, O’Flaherty told the judge he cured himself with tea and toast on the first day he fell ill, and 7-Up and toast on the second day, “along with good old paracetamol”, he added.
“Thanks for the advice. I hope I don’t need it,” Judge Fahy replied.
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.
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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.
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Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
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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
