Connacht Tribune
Connemara is out in the cold on broadband access
Business and community interests in parts of west Connemara are up in arms at their omission from the latest rural broadband initiative.
Most of the area west of Derrynea crossroads was not included in Minister Denis Naughten’s announcement last week – even though this region has been shown in successive Census returns to be the most disadvantaged part of the county.
Mrs Kay McEvilly, owner of the iconic Cashel House Hotel, is among those who have hit out.
“This time fifty years ago, my late husband and I were in the midst of setting up this business. The hotel opened in 1968. Since then it is like rolling a ball uphill as regards getting services in this part of Connemara. Do they want all of us to go into the cities?” she said.
Carna doctor, Michael Casey, said that the disregard for provision of proper services in the area was staggering.
“I have been on that phone week in, week out for years, trying to get the message across that a proper broadband connection is vital. Now we are ignored again. What is this about?” he asked.
The area notably left out of Minister Naughten’s announcement of a fast tracked installation of better broadband services includes Camus, Ros Muc, Cill Chiaráin, Carna, Cashel and Recess. The Lettermore and Lettermullen peninsula are also out of the picture.
These communities – which are mostly Gaeltacht strongholds southwest Connemara – appear in the National Unemployment Blackspots in successive Census returns and have been hard hit by emigration and depopulation.
Kay McEvilly in Cashel House Hotel says they have lost business because of the limited broadband service.
“I had an example lately of a number of people making other arrangement because we could not get back to them on time. We were not to blame; the broadband was just too slow. We lost thousands of euro. It’s hard enough out here without having to face that scenario,” she said.
And she pointed out that this was not just about reservations – because guests have different needs and expectation nowadays.
“Many of our guests will be in business. We have people from Tel Aviv and Switzerland with us just now. They need to make contact with different parts of the world regularly through the internet. We had a lady here early this week that needed to spend a day in communication with various sources. The internet was coming and going,” she revealed.
Cashel House Hotel lost its priority with a major marketing outlet in the United States this year due to the faulty broadband service, according to Mrs McEvilly.
“We have a yearly rates bill of €25,000 and what do we get for that out here?” she asked.
Dr Casey said that a fast and reliable broadband service is a key aspect of medical practice nowadays.
“There are files, charts, results, patient documentation that have to be downloaded. You need them quickly. You need to be able to access them at different locations. But we are working on a slow and sluggish broadband system out here; we urgently need to be included in the fast tracked system”.
Coiste Tacaíochta Fostaíochta Iorras Aithneach – the Carna/Cill Chiaráin employment support group – are now contacting public representatives in an effort to get the area into the new system announced by Minister Naughten.
They had a meeting with Údarás na Gaeltachta top management about employment recently and strongly stressed the need for proper broadband services.
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
