Connacht Tribune
Campsite wins national award for its green credentials

A family-run camp site in Clifden located on a highly sensitive protected beach has been recognised with a major national award for its sustainability.
Clifden Eco Beach Camping and Caravanning Park in Claddaghduff won Ireland’s ‘Leave no Trace Most Sustainable Escape Award’ at the Outsider 2016 Awards in Dublin.
The campsite at the estuary of Streamstown Bay and now strategically located on the Wild Atlantic Way was deemed to be Ireland’s first climate neutral accommodation and set a European president by being the first business in Europe to ban the single use of plastic water bottles.
This is a camping experience with a difference. Here you will not find pool tables, video games, television rooms or a playground.
The philosophy of the owners Kris and Tatjana Acton is ‘let’s get back to nature and discover a real camping adventure’.
Guests can indulge in the beautiful natural amenities such as a safe private beach, fishing by the stream, campfires on the beach and self-guided walks through an EU priority Machair Habitat – a complex sand dune habitat system confined globally to the northwest coast of Ireland and Scotland – with several Natura 2000 sites, including Omey Island and the Aughrus peninsula, all within a 5km radius.
Kris was born and raised on the farm where the campsite is located.
“My wife is German and we have a son and daughter. We took on board the campsite just a few years ago by setting up a website and getting eco certified. Before that the campsite was operated alongside my father’s organic farm since the 1960s, the farming taking priority of course,” he explains.
“What inspired us and continues to do so is the unique location, the vast natural beauty, the sandy beaches and of course the amazing sunsets, this makes it an ideal location to operate a campsite.
“It was imperative for us that the business be managed and operated sustainably, as the location is on an ‘EU Machair habitat site’ and a listed ‘Geosite’ – so a very sensitive approach was need in continuing the practice.”
The couple undertook independent training and certification from Ecotourism Ireland and Leave No Trace Ireland, which was an expensive exercise.
However, the process has been a crucial approach in maintaining the sustainability of the site both for owner and visitor.
“The reaction from visitors has been fantastic, they just love the semi-wild natural aspect of camping between the dunes with their own private campfire, coupled with our strong commitment to sustainability, really gives a great vibe throughout the site on any given evening,” he enthuses.
The facility has been greeted with overwhelmingly positive feedback from visitors who hail from Connemara or as far away as New Zealand and Japan.
They won the award for being intrinsically green and sustainable and for their commitment to having a positive impact on the environment. They also had a sensitive approach in delivering a unique sustainable tourism product to visitors, according to the judges.
The campsite offers guests organically sourced spring water on site. Frequent visitors include eight species of bumblebees and bottlenose dolphins.
The farm is the first certified organic farm in Connemara.
“The night sky is spectacular due to limited light pollution on the grounds and with our eco-friendly braizers visitors can star gaze alongside a cosy fire with marshmallow cocktails on the beach or adjacent to each plot,” exclaims Kris.
“Our location has all the attractions of ‘wild camping’ combined with the safety, comforts and family friendly nature that one expects from a small sustainable camp site.”
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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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.