Connacht Tribune
Community plans Sliabh Aughty Climb to coincide with broadcaster’s big day on Croagh Patrick
One corner of the county is planning a major community walking event to coincide with Charlie Bird’s climbing of Croagh Patrick on Saturday, April 2.
The Sliabh Aughty Climb With Charlie will take place in Woodford at noon on the same day and organisers are encouraging people to come to the beautiful Sliabh Aughty mountains, walk in solidarity with Charlie, and fundraise for his chosen charities, the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association and Pieta House.
The event will be headquartered at the Tommy Larkin’s GAA Club grounds in the heart of Woodford and will feature two distances, a 5km walk and a 9km walk.
Walking will take place on a combination of public roads and Coillte forestry roads, and will feature some gentle ascents, well within the capacity of all walkers.
One of the event organisers, Loughrea-based Karla Quinn, says that many people will be walking in memory of their loved ones who died from Motor Neurone disease.
“Our family lost our mother to this disease, and when I saw Charlie Bird facing up to the same incredibly tough challenge with such dignity, it made absolute sense to me to organise an event in solidarity with him,” she explained.
“Since Charlie appeared on the Late Late Show I have been contacted by so many other Galwegians who have also lost loved ones to MND and it made sense for us to organise our own local event.
“We’re going to Woodford as it’s just simply a beautiful place in the Sliabh Aughty Mountains and we have been welcomed with open arms by Tommy Larkin’s GAA Club,” said Karla.
Charlie Bird has sent his best wishes to all participants in the Sliabh Aughty event and says that he is deeply grateful to everyone who is planning an event on April 2.
“I’m completely overwhelmed by the extent of the support I’m receiving, and I’m deeply grateful to each and every person who will walk with me in every corner of Ireland on the day. Every euro we get, and I mean every euro will go to Pieta, Ireland’s national suicide prevention charity, and the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association,” said Charlie.
Just this week the Galway minor hurling team offered their support, with all members of the panel and their families planning to be in Woodford on April 2.
Team manager Fergal Healy says that it’s a powerful way for young hurlers to become involved in a major community endeavour that seeks to bring the whole of Galway together in supporting Charlie Bird and his chosen charities.
Local TD Ciaran Cannon is also an organiser and he’s very grateful to all of the business owners who have already sponsored the event. He’s also asking others to come on board.
“It’s early days yet, but over the last month a number of local businesses have been exceptionally generous in sponsoring our event,” he said.
“We’re hoping that many more will come on board over the next month. Anyone who is interested in supporting any aspect of the event can contact us through our Sliabh Aughty Climb with Charlie Facebook page, or by calling my office on 087 2529680,” he added.
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.
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.
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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
