Connacht Tribune
Camogie legend Glynn reflects on the highs and lows of long career
FORMER Galway camogie great Sharon Glynn can certainly relate to the feeling of “emptiness” that many may be experiencing as they adjust, albeit temporarily, to a life without sport due to the impact of the current Covid-19 pandemic.
When she retired from inter-county camogie in 2003, it left “a huge void” in her and it took time to come to terms that a big part of her life was over. “I am not married, I don’t have children, so I didn’t have the immediate distractions that people of my age and my own friends had,” begins the Menlough native.
“They all automatically got into minding kids – family life took over – and that made the transition for them much easier. Whereas, for myself, when I retired from sport, I found the emptiness there was huge. I am sure for so many people around the country now, they are probably finding it something similar.”
Indeed, she believes the cessation of sport may hit today’s players harder than it would if it had been enforced in Glynn’s time. “I think I would have been delighted with the break, with a week or two off. The only thing is the pub would be closed as well so that wouldn’t have sat well,” she laughs.
“It’s different times, though. Today’s players spend three, four, five nights gone between training, gym, meetings and matches. It takes up a huge part of their life; it is nearly a full-time job.
“For us, we were going three nights a week and we would have played lots of matches that time between club and county because there wasn’t as many teams and there wasn’t as many games. So, you could play both. Today’s county players, though, mightn’t be playing club league games but their county structure is more intense.”
During her playing days in the 1990s and early 2000s, she remarks that the lifestyle of players was “very ordinary and simple back then”, particularly when it came to dietitians and nutrition. “There was no such thing,” she continues. “The reality was we ate whatever was put on the table.
“We were grateful to have the dinners in the evenings and if it was bacon and cabbage so be it. You ate it and you went training a couple of hours later. You minded yourself as good as you could but it was a completely different level to where sport is at today.”
By 2003, Glynn, who made her senior debut for the Tribeswomen as a goalkeeper in 1991 before subsequently moving outfield to become one of the game’s greatest ever forwards, had done it all in the Galway jersey.
She won an All-Ireland senior medal with the ground-breaking side of 1996 – defeating Cork 4-8 to 1-15 in the decider – and claimed National League titles in 1994 and 2002. In those two league finals, the sharpshooter, who also won five All-Ireland club titles with Pearses, tallied an accumulated 3-11, 3-2 from play, underlining the quality player she was.
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.
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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
