Connacht Tribune
Aran initiative will allow direct flights to islands
Aran Islanders and visitors alike will now be able to fly direct to Inis Oírr and Inis Meáin for the first time, under a new deal.
The latest Public Service Obligation (PSO) with Aer Arann involves a €4.9 million contract to provide connectivity between Oileáin Árainn and the mainland for four years.
Up to now, flights to the small and middle island were stops on the Inis Mór service. But under the new PSO all three islands have direct services.
Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys, said the PSO would provide certainty until 2026, and facilitate more tourists to visit the islands.
“This contract gives certainly to the communities of Oileáin Árainn. It ensures they can continue to avail of a year round, reliable and affordable air service to and from Aerfort Chonamara,” Minister Humphreys said.
“And for the first time, we will now have direct flights to Inis Meáin and Inis Oírr – two wonderful island communities that are so steeped in history, culture and folklore. This is a fantastic development for these island communities.
“It also sends a huge signal out ahead of the summer tourism season. What better way to spend your summer holidays than on Oileáin Árainn or our other offshore islands,” she added.
Jarlath Conneely, Managing Director of Aer Arann Islands, told the Connacht Tribune he was ‘delighted’ with the announcement by Minister Humphreys.
“The new contract allows flexibility in our flight scheduling that will greatly enhance the service we provide. The air service also benefits Galway City and County where visitors to the Aran Islands stop over.
“The staff at Aer Arann Islands have always had a great appreciation of the value of the air service, particularly to those living on the Islands and have worked hard to provide a first-class service.
“We are pleased that both the Department of Rural and Community Development and the people of the Aran Islands have confidence in our ability to continue to provide the service into the future,” Mr Conneely said.
Micheál Ó Ghoill, chair of Comharchumann Forbartha Árann Teo on Inis Mór, said islanders broadly welcomed the new contract.
They haven’t yet been given the full details of the contract, and the new flight schedule, but they plan to meet with officials in the Department to discuss it.
Islanders had sought an inter-island service but the Department confirmed to the Co-Op that that would not be included but there would be more flexibility. The direct service to Inis Oírr and Inis Meáin was another positive, he said.
Speaking in Irish, he said the overall contract was positive; there were more flights, and there was a good relationship now between Islanders, Department and Aer Arann.
Manager of Comhar Caomhán Teo on Inis Oírr, Chloe Ní Mháille welcomed flexibility in the new PSO contract, and news that Aer Arann can fly directly to the two smaller islands.
“It’s fantastic to have the security too, that the funding is in place for the next four years; for job security of people employed on the islands, and at the airport in Indreabhán,” she said.
Inis Oírr had around 280 residents in the 2016 Census, but there were seven births during Covid and several islanders have returned to live there, bringing the population to around 300.
The majority of islanders are employed directly or indirectly in tourism, but the flights are vital for connectivity to the mainland for local residents, Ms Ni Mháille said. She pointed out that the air service also provided a postal service for the islands.
Inis Oírr, she said, can’t always guarantee a functioning pier, and there are days when there is overtopping and it is unsafe for the ferry to dock.
“Without the plane, I don’t know would we be such a vibrant island,” she said.
Tarlach de Blácam of Inis Meáin Co-Op told RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta that it was good news for all three islands. He said there was a positive attitude from the Government towards the service, compared with previous contract negotiations.
The new contract will provide 68,274 PSO seats annually to the three islands and will operate from Aerfort Chonamara in Indreabhán, which was purchased by the State in 2019 for €2.75 million.
In April 2021, the Department agreed a four-year contract worth €5.6 million with Galway Aviation Services Limited to provide day-to-day management services of Aerfort Chonamara and the aerodromes on the three islands.
The latest PSO contract introduces a flexible scheduling scheme that will allow Aer Arann to better respond to local service demands, such as island festivals and events.
‘Ad Hoc’ and ‘Scheduled non-PSO’ flights will also be provided by the operator to meet any demand above the agreed PSO seating allocation.
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
