Connacht Tribune
Beach bylaws set for dilution on foot of lobby
Beach bylaws that had the potential to ‘ban everything but swimming’ on County Galway’s beaches are to be reconsidered with the consultation of water sports enthusiasts.
At a meeting of the County Council last week, it was confirmed that over 1,000 submissions were received as part of a public consultation process on the proposed bylaws, which stated that various water sports would be prohibited “in close proximity to bathers”.
Campaigners voiced opposition to the regulations in November and Barra Nevin, leader of the recently formed ‘Zone Galway Beaches’ campaign group, said “Christmas had come early” for those seeking a more measured approach to the bylaws.
“We are delighted that all the officials and councillors have come together in a united approach and agreement,” said Mr Nevin, who is a community pharmacist in Roscam in Galway.
“There is now a sea change, where they want to consult with water users and stakeholders. Zoning should be looked at first, as it’s the number one safety thing they can do before beach bylaws are even considered,” he continued.
Zoning involves mapping out parts of the water which were for swimmers only, while providing a separate space for those taking part in other water sports such as sailing, surfing, canoeing, kayaking and paddle boarding.
“The response to the campaign has been of historical proportions, the largest number of written submissions ever sent in to County Hall,” said Mr Nevin.
Bodies representing water sports across the spectrum – both local and national – as had Fáilte Ireland, all advocating zoning of Galway’s 24 beaches, he continued.
“We should never lose track in remembering the great asset we have in our water and its potential in promoting healthy living and tourism. Each beach is unique, whether it be on the River Shannon, an inland lake or all along the Wild Atlantic Way.
“That is why each beach must be looked at individually,” said Mr Nevin, who agreed with the need for bylaws that work in the interests of all water users.
Speaking after the Council meeting, Connemara area Councillor Eileen Mannion (FG) said the bylaws would go to the Council’s Strategic Policy Committee (SPC) for consideration in the context of submissions.
There would be an opportunity there to invite interested parties to attend and discuss their submissions further. Their proposals on the bylaws would then be sent to the Connemara and Loughrea Municipal Districts for consideration as the two MDs with beaches within their boundaries, before returning to the full Council.
“There has never been an intention to ban water sports and while there was concern about this wording, the same wording is used in other counties – including Mayo – without issue.
“We will await the outcome of the SPCs and the bylaws that come back to the MDs. As councillors, we have three options – to accept the bylaws, amend them or reject them,” said Cllr Mannion.
“I am hopeful we can find a solution that is satisfactory for everyone,” she added.
Connacht Tribune
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
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.
Connacht Tribune
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
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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Connacht Tribune
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
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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